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HISTORY 



OF 



Atchison County 



KANSAS 



BY 



SHEFFIELD INGALLS 



ILLUSTRATED 



STANDARD PUBLISHING COMPANY 

Lawrence, Kansas 
1916 






in oy. 



II. 



PREFACE 



In the preparation and compilation of tliis history, n(j effort has Ijeen 
made to interpret the logic or spirit of events that snrronnded the birth and 
progress of Atchison connty. The work was nndertaken with the idea of com- 
piling a narrative plainly told, of the people antl the institutions here. I was 
interested in. putting in permanent form chronologically the events that have 
transpired in the past sixty years, that have made for the ]")olitical, social, 
moral antl commercial development of the county, laut. had 1 realized in 
ad\'ance the nianv hours of laljor and patient study it required, the work of 
completing the task in six months would not have lieen attempted. 1 am 
very deeply conscious of the imperfections of die completed work, but had 
there been more time for research and study, much might have been included 
that does not appear. 

It would he ingratitude if no acknowledgment were made at the outset, 
of the obligation I am under to George J. Remsburg for the assistance he 
has rendered me. Without his unfailing courtesy, kindness and hel]j I should 
never have been able t<i do the work at all. His ability as a local historian 
is truly mai-\-elous. He wrote two chapters of the history and contributed 
most of the matter touching upon the founding of cities and towns. It is to 
be regretted that the condition of his heahh prevented him from undertaking 
the work which I have so imperfectly done. 

Acknowledgment is also due George A. Root of the State Historical 
Society, who has rendered me in\aluable assistance, and to the Atchison 
Daily Globe, from whose files I gnthered much important data. Nor can I 
fail to give proper credit to Andreas' History of Kansas, from which a wealth 
of information has been secured. D. Anna Speer, county superintendent, 
collected for me most of the historical matter relative to the schools of the 
countv and Professor Nathan T. Veatcli was more than kind in ]>rci)aring for 
me a sketch of the .\tchison city schools. 

And my dear mother, a loyal resident of Atchison since July, 1859. 
intimatelv identified with its history and growth for fifty-seven years, has 
visualized to me as no other could, the story of the early days. Remarkable 
as a mother, loved and adored by all lier children, she is no less remarkable 



PREFACE. 

as a woman, stalwart, rugged and buoyant. She lived her young life with 
the pioneers of Atchison, and now in the fullness of her years she looks over 
the past, so full of pleasures, tribulations and sorrows, with gladness and 
resignation, and faces the future with a determined spirit and a brave heart. 
To the ministers of the various churches of Atchison and to Professor 
Erasmus Haworth and Charles H. Taylor, the county farm agent, and to 
many other good people of Atchihu, I entertain sentiments of the deepest 
appreciation, and if any of them ever undertakes the work of writing a his- 
tor\-, I shall gladly render them any service in my power. 

SHEFFIELD INGALLS. 
Atchison, Kan., March 6, 1916. 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



Abell, P. T 295 

Adams, John P 488 

Adams, Mary A 584 

Adams, William 584 

Adams, S. W 520 

Atchison County Court House 57 

Atchison County High School, Effing- 
ham 274 

Ballinger and Wife, S. E 64S 

Ballinger, Julia H 600 

Ballinger, Thomas E 600 

Barber, Moses 672 

Barber, Mary 672 

Beard and Family, Frank 704 

Blodgett, Thomas L 624 

Boyington, Home of Frank W. and 

Julia 584 

Burbank, E. G 520 

Burrows, C. H 544 

Bush, William H 464 

Btittron, Henry and Family 472 

Carnegie Library, Atchison 289 

Challis, William L 307 

Cheseborough, Ellsworth 193 

Christian Church, Atchison 249 

Cirtwill, Jennie 712 

Cochrane, Dr. W. W 307 

Commercial Street, Atchison 66 

Conlon, Charles J 488 

Deutsch, Julius 520 

Dorssom, George 464 

Du Bois and Wife, Lewis P 768 

Eagles' Home, Atchison 330 

Effingham Street Scene Ill 

Elks' Club House, Atchison 329 

Falk, Charles H 464 

First Church of Christ, Scientist 255 

Forest Park, Atchison 80 

Fox, Jared C 408 



Click, George W 351 

Graner's Annual Sale 785 

Graner, Gottlieb 784 

Graner, H. C ; 785 

Graner Homestead 784 

Graner, Martha 784 

Graner, W. H 785 

Griffin, L 680 

Gundy, Charles T 560 

Ham and Wife, Martin W 608 

Hansen, H. C 520 

Hart, C. C 792 

Harvey, Albert B 440 

Harwi, Alfred J 416 

Hazel, Ernest C 744 

Highfill, Thomas 704 

Hines, Micliael J 464 

Hooper, Daniel E 616 

Hospital, Atchison S7 

Hughes, Bela M 19.3 

Ingalls, John J 392 

Ingalls School, Atchison 279 

Ingalls, Sheffield — Frontispiece 

Jackson, William A 488 

Jackson Park, Entrance 172 

Jewell, L. M 536 

Johnson, George H. T 456 

Kaaz, Julius 688 

Keirns, Gail Maxine 568 

Keith, U. S 544 

Keithline, Andrew 432 

King. S. S 560 

Kingman, S. C 295 

Kuhn, Julius 592 

Laird, Britamore 736 

Laird, Marcus J 736 

Lane, Jim 189 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



Maiigelsdorf Building 312 

Martin, Col. J. A 297 

Masonic Temple, Atchison Z2y 

Million, George 200 

Morrow, James G 384 

Mt. St. Scholastica's Academy, .Atch- 
ison 286 

Muscotah School Building 108 

Muscotah Street Scene 107 

Newcomb, Don C .' 424 

Xewcomb, D. C., Residence of 426 

Old High School Building, Atchison .... 268 

Orr, James W 360 

Orr, J. \X.. Residence of 362 

Orphans' Home, General V'iew 23 

Orphans' Home, Main Building 19 

Overland Freighting 16 

Perdue. Edward .- 576 

Plummer and Wife, T. 696 

Pomeroy, S. 189 

Potter Street Scene 124 

Potter School House 126 

Post Office, Atchison 35 

Presbyterian Church, Atchison 250 

Presbyterian Church, Effingham 112 

Remsburg, George 504 

Remsbnrg, John E _ 504 



Sanders, B. F 568 

Scarborough, William 200 

Scaton, John 376 

Sharp, Harry L 512 

Sharpless, U. B 560 

Simmons, O. A 800 

Speer, D. .Anna 776 

Stringfcllow, Gen. B. F 297 

St. Benedict's Abbey, Atchison 263 

St. Benedict's College, Atchison 291 

Storch, George 448 

Sutter and Wife, Fred 752 

Sutter, Fred, Residence of 753 

Sutter Homestead 840 

Thompson and Wife, George W 664 

Thompson, Matilda 720 

Trimlile. Roy C _ 488 

\oclkcr, C. M 560 

AN'aggencr. Balie P 368 

Walker. Claudius D 400 

Wards of tlie State 29 

Wilson, Charles 544 

Wilson, Mary K 544 

Wolf, Rt. Rev. Innocent 264 

V. M. C. .\. Building, Atchison 57 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 

GEOLOGY. 



Fossils — Evidences of Early Animal and Plant Life — Geological A.sfes 

— Rock Formation — Cdacier Period — Minerals Pa.ees 17-20 



CHAPTER n. 

PRE-HISTORIC PERIOD. 

Evidences of Paleolithic Man — An Ancient Fdrtification — Aljoriginal 

Village and Camp Sites — The Ingalls and Other ^lonnds — Pages 21-24 

CHAPTER III. 

INDIAN HISTORY. 

Harahey, an Indian Province of Coronado's Time — The Kansa Nation 
— Bourgmont's Visit in 1724 — Conncil on Cow Island in 1819 — 
The Kickapoo Indians Pages 25-30 

CHAPTER IV. 

EARLY EXPLORATIONS. 

Coronado in 1541 — The P.ourgmont Expedition in 1724 — Perin Du 
Lac — Lewis and Clark — First Fourth of July Celel:)ration — 
Major Stephen H. Long — Cantonment Martin — Isle an Vache 
— Other Explorers — Paschal Pensoneau — The Old Military Road 
— The Monnons Pages 3 1-36 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

CHAPTER V. 

TERRITORIAL TIMES. 

Territory Acquiretl From France in 1803 — Organization of the Terri- 
tory — Kansas-Nebraska Act — Immigration to Kansas — Territorial 
Government — Free State and Pro-Slavery Conflict — First Elec- 
tion — Secret Political Organizations — Border War Activities and 
Outrages — Contests Over Adoption of Constitution — Kansas Ad- 
mitted to the Union Pages 37-63 

CHAPTER VI. 

ORGANIZATION OF COUNTY AND CITV OF ATCHISON. 

One of the Thirty-three Original Counties — City of .\tchison Located — 
Town Company — Sale of Lots — Incorporation of Town — Early 
Business Enterprises — Organization of County — Commercial 
Growth — Freighting — First Officers — Free State and Pro-Slavery 
Clashes — Horace Greeley Visits Atchison — Abraham Lincoln 

Makes a Speech Here — Great Drouth of 1860 — City Officials 

Pages 64-83 

CHAPTER VII. 

TOWNS^ P.VST AND PRESENT. 

Sumner. Its Rise and Fall — Ocena — Lancaster — Fort William — Ar- 
rington — ]vIuscotah — Effingham — Huron — Old Martinsburg — 
Bunker Hill — Locust Grove — Helena — Cayuga — Kennekuk — 
Kapioma — Mashenah — St. Nicholas — Concord — Parnell — Shan- 
non — Elmwood — Cummingsville — Eden Postof fice — Potter — 
Mt. Pleasant— Lewis' Point — Farley's Ferry Pages 84-128 

CHAPTER VIII. 

THE CIVIL WAR. 

The Issue Between luarly Settlers — Influx of Free State and Pro- 
Slavery Partisans — Early Volunteering — Military Organiza- 
tions-^Threatened Invasion from Missouri — Political Societies 
— Jayhawkers — Cleveland's Gang — Lynchings — Atchison Coun- 
tv Troops in the War — Price's Attempted Invasion Pages 129-150 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

CHAPTER IX. 

NAVIGATION. 



Pioneer Transportation — Early Ferries and Rates — Famous River 
Boats — Steamboat Lines to Atchison — Steamboat Registers. . . 
Pages 151-157 



CHAPTER X. 

OVERLAND FREIGHTING. 

Atchison as an Outfitting Point — Freigliting Companies — Principal 
Routes — Stage Lines — Overland Mail Routes — Ben Holladay — 
"Butterfield's Overland Dispatch" — Time to Denver — Tables of 
Time and Distances on Various Routes — Statistical Pages 158-173 



CHAPTER XL 

RAILROADS. 

Early Railroad Agitation — The First Railroad — Celebrating the Ad- 
vent of the Railroad — Other Roads Constructed — The Santa Fe 
— The Atchison & X'ebraska City — The Kansas City, Leaven- 
worth & Atchison — The Rock Island — The Hannibal & St. 
Joseph — The First Telegraph — ^lodern Transportation. .Pages 174-185 



CHAPTER XII. 

REMINISCENCE.S OF EARLY PIONEERS. 

D. R. .Atchison — ]\Iatt Gerber — J. H. Talbott — William Osborne— 
John W. Cain — W. L. Challiss — George Scarborough — Samuel 
Hollister — John Taylor — John M. Cromwell — Luther Dicker- 
son — Luther C. Challiss — George W. Glick — \V. K. Grimes — 
Joshua Wheeler — William Hetherington — William C. Smith — 
John M. Price — Samuel C. King — Clem Rohr — R. H. Weight- 
man — Case of Major Weightman Pages 186-212 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

CHAPTER XIII. 

ACRICLLTIRE AND ITS nEVELOPMENT. 

An Agricultural Community — Scientific I'armino- — Farmers, the 
Aristocrac}' of the West — Mndcrn Improvement — Topography 
—Soil— Statistics Pages 213-216 

CHAPTER XI\'. 

THE TRESS. 

Influence of Newspapers — Part Played b_\- the Early Press — Squat- 
ter Spz'ercign — Freedom's Champion — Chauipion and Press — 
Pioneer Editors — Later Newspapers and Newspaper Men .... 
Pages 2 1 7-233 

CHAPTER XV. 

BANKS AND BANKING. 

Early Dav Banking— Pioneer Financiers — The Oldest Bank — Pri- 
vate, State and National Banks — Atchisini County Bankers 
and the Development of Banking Institutions Pages 234-244 

CHAPTER XVI. 

CHURCHES. 

Methodist — Christian — Presbyterian — Baptist — Salem Church — 
German Evangelical Zion Church — First Church of Christ, 
Scientist — St. Patrick's, Mt. Pleasant — Trinity Church, Episco- 
pal — St. Mark's, English Lutheran — St. Benedict's Abby — First 
German Evangelican Lutheran Church Pages 245-265 

CHAPTER XVn. 

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 

Establishment of the Public School System — Pioneer Schools and 
Early Teacher.s — Districts — Statistics — Atchison County High 
School — County Superintendents of Public Instruction — Atchi- 
son City Schools — Private Schools — Mt. St. Scholastica's Acad- 
emy — Parochial Schools — Midland College and Western Theo- 
logical Seminary— St. Benedict's College Pages 266-292 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

CHAPTER X\'IIT. 

BENCH AND BAR. 

Early Mecca of Legal Talent — Organization of Judicial District — ■ 
Early Judges — Prominent Pioneer Lawyers — IMemliers of the 
Atchison County Bar Pages 293-301 



CHAPTER XIX. 

MEDICAL TROFESSION. 

First Physicians — Early Practice — Pioneer Remedies — Modern 
Medicine and Surgery — Prominent Physicians and Surgeons — 
Atchison County Medical Society Pages 302-310 

CHAPTER XX. 

INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL. 

Much Wealth and Enterprise Abound — Manufacturing — Milling — 
Extensive Wholesale Hardware and Grocery Establishments — 
Planing Mills — Various Jobbing and Retail Literests. . . .Pages 31 1-3 17 

CHAPTER XXL 

PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS. 

Atchison Postoffice — Court House — County Hospital — Ycmng 
Men's Cliristian Association — State Orphans' Home — Atchi- 
son Public Library — Atchison Hospital — Masonic Temple. . . . 
Pages 318-327 

CHAPTER XXn. 

SOCIETIES AND LODGES. 

Bene\-olent and Protective Ordei of Elks — Fraternal Order of 
Eagles — Atchison County Protective Association — Secret Socie- 
ties — Catholic Societies Pages 328-333 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

CH.XPTER XXIII. 

THE AFKO-AMKRICAX RACE. 



Early-day Conditions — Their Advancement — Prior Dickey — Henry 
C. Buchanan — Eugene L. Bell — Charles Ingram — Charles J- 
Ferguson — Henry Dickey — Dr. Frank Adrian. Pearl. M. D. — 
Dr. \V. W. Caldwell, M. D Pages 334-344 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

OFFICIALS. 

County. Township and School Officers Pages 345-350 

CHAPTER XXV. 

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 



INDEX 



Abner, John W 534 

Adams, John P 488 

Adams, Stark W 524 

Alkire, Charles L 726 

Allen, Edmond W 7SS 

Allen, Joseph W 4/6 

Allison, Ralph A 7Si 

Anderson, George V 836 

Arensberg, L. C 611 

Armstrong, James L 733 

Arthur. Joseph X 422 

Atkin, Paul 859 

Babcock, O. M ."igi 

Bailey, Willis J 882 

Baldwin, Royal 830 

Ballinger, Thomas E 600 

Ballinger, Samuel E 648 

Barber, Herbert J 672 

Barker, Charles E 682 

Barker, O. 761 

Barnes, Asa 715 

Barry, John H 481 

Bean, John H 708 

Beard, Frank 704 

Beckman, Carl L 382 

Behen, James E 796 

Belz, John 884 

Best, Aaron S 379 

Beyer, David 822 

Beyer, John 731 

Bilderback, Allen T 738 

Binkley, Fred 852 

Bishop, Frank W 876 

Bishop, Robert F 596 

Blair, Albert H 454 

Blair, John L 586 

Blodgett, Thomas L 624 

Boos, Nicholas 699 

Boyington, Julia E. A 584 

Bradley, Lewis 819 

Brockett, Renton L 637 



Brown, George L 837 

Brown, Thomas 452 

Brown, Walter E 519 

Bullock, Edmund 847 

Burbank, E. G 520 

Burrows, Charles H 547 

Bush, William H , 464 

Bushey, Calvin 871 

Buttron, Henry 472 

Buttron, Jacob 728 

Calvert, Alexander H. , 747 

Calvert, Presley H 848 

Chalfant, W. D 727 

Chandler, Charles A 716 

Cirtwill, Jennie 712 

Clapp, Alva 447 

Clem, William J 406 

Cleveland, Richard B 834 

Cline, Thomas L 656 

Cloyes, Marshall J S7i 

Coliett, W. B 612 

Collins, Davis W 832 

Conlon, Charles J 494 

Conlon, John F 49S 

Cortelyou, Luther 757 

Coupe, Joseph 375 

Cummins, Barney 445 

Curtis, Benjamin P 531 

Davis, Cyrus E 470 

Dawdy, Drennan L 808 

Deutsch, Julius 523 

Donnellan, William R 538 

Dooley, James 613 

Dorssom, George 468 

Drinmiel, John 854 

Du Bois, Lewis P 768 

Duncan, John E 620 

Duidap, Rienzi M 767 

Dysingcr, Holmes 724 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



Evans, Aaron B 749 

Falk, Charles H ,. 467 

Fankhanel, John 635 

Ferguson, Charles W 581 

Ferris, John 734 

Fiechter, Samuel E 71' 

Finnegan, Thomas 647 

Fleming, John : 604 

Flynn, J. F 743 

Forbriger, Robert 658 

Fox. Jared C : 408 

Frable, Thomas 359 

Fuhrman, Charles H 460 

Fuhrman, Rinhold 502 

Garside, James H 880 

Gault, Thomas 495 

Gibson, George \V 823 

Gibson, Joseph E 529 

Gigstad, Knud G 439 

Gigstad, Ole G 480 

Gilmore, Earl A 415 

Glattfelder, Henry 741 

Glick, George \V 35' 

Goodwin, George 833 

Gragg, James R 542 

Graner, Henry C 787 

Graner, William H 784 

Grccnawalt, Joseph C 778 

Griffin, John 821 

Griffin, Lawrence 680 

Grimes, Robert L 642 

Gundy, Charles T 565 

Guthrie, Warren W 483 

Hackney, Hiram H 660 

Ham, Bishop K 608 

Ham, W. Perry 702 

Hamon, Alferd J 820 

Hansen, H. C 521 

Harvey, Albert B 440 

Harwi, Alfred J 416 

Harwi, Frank E 419 

Hart, Charles C 792 

Hartman, l-'rcd 797 

Hartman, William 828 

Hastings, Z. S 436 

Hawk, John D ; 670 



Hawk, Lafayette T 539 

Hawk, Rutherford B 868 

Hazel, Ernest C 744 

Hekelnkaemper Brothers 804 

Hendee, George E 429 

-Henderson, William 535 

Hetherington, Wirt 510 

High fill, Thomas 706 

Higley, Clem P 806 

Hines, Michael J 465 

Hixon, Charles L 577 

Holmes, James I 841 

Hooper, Abraham 616 

Hooper, George R 867 

Horan, Michael J 501 

Horner, Thomas E 527 

Howe, Edgar W 844 

Hubbard, Lewis H 815 

Hubbard, William E 807 

Hubbard. William S 759 

Hulings, :Mark H 605 

Hunn. Frank J 824 

Hutson, William T 730 

Ingalls, John J 392 

Ingalls, Sheffield 632 

Intfen. Theo 645 

Jackson, Horace M 353 

Jackson, William A 490 

Jackson, Zaremba E 356 

Jewell, Lumas M 536 

Johnson, Charles H 458 

Johnson, George H. T 456 

Jones, F'arl \' 582 

Kaaz, Julius 688 

Kammer, Karl A 570 

Kanning, Christ 644 

Kaufman. Fred W 781 

Keith. Uri S 544 

Keithline, Andrew 432 

Kcithline, Charles J 630 

Kelly, Edward J 635 

King, Richard K 788 

King, Samuel S 564 

Kistler, William D 430 

Klein, Martin 442 

Kloepper. Louis 580 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



Koester, Frederick \V 551 

Kramer, John A 883 

Kuehnhoff, Henry 513 

Kuehnhoff, Louis R 567 

Knlm, Julius 592 

Laird, Marcus J 736 

Lange, Arnold 783 

Lange, Charles 725 

Lilly, C. A 818 

Lincoln, Frederick W 692 

Linley, Charles 461 

Linley, Charles H 610 

Loudenback, Henry H 653 

Low, Hal C 775 

Loyd, Samuel L „ 686 

Lukens, Charles M 762 

•McAdani, William 399 

McCullough, Edward B 599 

Mclnteer, John 651 

McKelvy, William A 865 

Mangelsdorf, Albert H 852 

Mangelsdorf, August 856 

Mangelsdorf, Frank A 858 

Mangelsdorf, William 850 

Markwalt, Amel 556 

Martin, Sidney 393 

Mayhevv, Albert E 372 

ililler, John O. A 791 

Moeck, John 790 

Moore, June E 701 

Morrow, James G 384 

Myers, Charles 552 

Xass, John H 722 

Xewcomb, Don C 424 

Niemann, Henry 780 

Xitz, W'illiam M 740 

North, Howard E 698 

Xusbaum, Leo 629 

Oliver, John R 626 

Orr, Louis C 381 

Orr. James W 360 

Parsons, Peter 861 

Peery, Rufus B SS7 

Pennington, James E 411 

Perdue, Edward 576 



Pfouts, Ralyh U 479 

Pike, Napoleon B 516 

Pinder, Robert 675 

Pitts, E. P 634 

Plummer, Thomas 696 

Potter, Thomas J 677 

Power, Grace E 718 

Price, John M 811 

Raterman, John L 559 

Redmond, George W 689 

Remsburg, George J 50S 

Remsburg, John E 504 

Reynolds, John A 838 

Robinson, Charles W 650 

Rover, Boyd 814 

Rudolph, Harrison \V 598 

Ryan, William 879 

Sanders, Benjamin F 568 

Schaefer, George H. T 554 

Schapp, William 622 

Schiffbauer, Henr\' 862 

Scholz, George 526 

Scholz, John A 517 

Schrader, George : 729 

Schurman, Arthur S 816 

Scoville, Orlando C 389 

Seaton, John 376 

Sharp, Harry L 512 

Sharpless, Ulysses B 560 

Shaw, Benjamin F 679 

Shelly, Edwin T 843 

Shortridge, Alfred 589 

Simmons, Oscar A 800 

Smith, Albert J 618 

Smith, W. H 473 

Smith, Wilson R , 427 

Snyder, Mark D 574 

Speck, A. S 640 

Speer, Andrew 710 

Speer. D. Anna 776 

Speer, William F 846 

Stanley, U'ilfull A 497 

Stever, Abram 434 

Stod<lard, John 748 

Storch, George 448 

Stutz, Christian W 499 

Stutz, Gustave 69s 

Stutz, John 639 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



Sullivan, John E 684 

Sullivan, John Edward "65 

Sullivan, Roger P 602 

Sutter, Frank 607 

Sutter, Fred 752 

Sutter, William 840 

Synins, Andrew B 365 

Thomas, Robert M 397 

Thompson, George W 664 

Thompson, William H 720 

Tomlinson, B. F 668 

Treat, Thomas C 458 

Trimlile, James M 764 

Trimble, Roy C 492 

Trompeter, Joseph 421 

Trueblood, Alva C 405 

Tucker, Thomas W 742 

Valentino, John C 693 

\'ansell, Martin C 873 



Veatch, Nathan T 733 

\'oelker, Conrad I\I 562 

Waggener, Balie P 368 

Wagner, Frank J 827 

Walker, Claudius D 400 

Walter, H. B 803 

Warren, William T 849 

Watowa, Frank J 818 

Watowa, Joseph H 732 

Weber, Peter 594 

Wehking, William 828 

Wertz, Frank P 655 

Wheeler, D. N 514 

White, George E 663 

\\'ilson, James E 549 

Wolf, August J 826 

Woodworth, Edwin S 772 

Woodford, Frank M 723 

Young, William 794 




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History of Atchison County 



CHAPTER I. 



GEOLOGY. 



FOSSILS EVIDENCES OF EARLY ANIMAL AND PLANT LIFE GEOLOGICAL 

AGES ROCK FORMATION GLACIER PERIOD MINERALS. 

The oldest citizens of Atchison county are the animals and plants whose 
fossil remains now lie buried in the solid rocks. These denizens of long ago, 
by their lives, made it possible for later and better citizens to live and flour- 
ish in the happy and contented homes of her best citizens of the present 
day. Long before man ever saw Atchison county — long before man lived 
anywhere upon this earth, the seas swarmed with animal life and the dry 
lands supported a fauna and a flora substantially as great as those of the 
present time. 

Tn character the animals and plants of those early days were very dif- 
ferent from those of the present time. Almost all of their kind long ago be- 
came extinct. It is only tlie few who have living representatives anywhere 
in the world today, and they are degraded in form and size as though they 
had long outlived their usefulness. Some of the animals live in the waters 
of distant oceans, such as the brachiapods and other shell fish ; the crinoids 
or sea lilies, and others of like character. On the dry land we find a few in- 
sects of the cock-roach type and other creeping things which inhabit dark 
and damp places, animals of gloom on whose forms the sunshine of day 
rarely falls. 

The plants, likewise, are degraded in size cllld form. The modern bull- 
rushes of our swamps are descendants of ancient giants of their kind which 

17 



i8 



HISTORY ()!•■ ATCHISOX COUNTY 



grew to ten or twenty times the size of their modern representatives. The 
little creeping vines sometimes found in the shaded forest are lineal descend- 
ants of the mighty trees of the forests in the long ago while materials were 
gathering for the rock masses constituting Atchison county. 

In order to converse rationally about geological time it has been found 
most convenient to divide time into periods in accordance with great natural 
events, and to give a name to each period that in some way expresses some- 
thing desirable to be known and rememliered. Usually geograpliic names of 
areas where rock masses are exposed to the surface of the ground are chosen, 
or some favorite geograpliic term may be used, and in rare instances some 
qualit\ name expressive of tlie character or composition of the rocks. 

Following the best usage of geologists the rocks exposed at the surface 
all belong to the age known as the Carboniferous, which lies at the top of tlie 
Paleaozoic, or ancient hfe rocks. The Carboniferous is divided and sub- 
divided into a number of divisions, the lowermost of which has been named 
the Mississippian on account of their great abundance throughout the ^lissis- 
sippi valley. Above the Mississippian we find a mass of alternating beds of 
sliale and bmestone and sandstone aggregating about 2,500 feet in tliick- 
ness, called the Pennsylvanians, a term borrowed from the State of Pennsyl- 
vania, where rocks of the same age so abound. Rocks formed during the re- 
mainder of geologic time are not found in Atchison countv, except the cover- 
ing of soil and clay so abundant throughout the county. An old-time name 
for the Pennsylvanian rocks is the coal-measures, a term now on the decline 
because the newer names — well, it is newer. 

Tt appears that from the close of the Pennsylvanian time to the present 
.Vtchison county has been dr}- land. .\t one time, (juite recently, as geologists 
reckon time, climatic conditions changed so that the snow falling during the 
winter could not be melted during the summer, so that to the far north great 
quantities of snow and ice accumulated and graduallv spread over the sur- 
face of a large part of North .\merica. One linil) of this ice mass moved 
slowly southward and covered all of Atchison county, and much adjacent 
territory, and brought with it vast quantities of soil and clav and gravel that 
the ice sheet, as a great scraper, picked up from the surface as it came along 
When the ice finally melted this debris was left, like a mantle of snow, cov- 
ering the entire surface of Atchison county. 

The rocks of P^ennsylvanian age have within Ihem much of value econom- 
ically. Here and there int(#-stratified with the sandstone and shale are large 
.'Mid valuable beds of coal, as is abundantiv shown bv the drilled wells and 



HISTORY Ol-- ATCHISON (.-OL'NTV 



19 




Alain I'.uikling State Orphans' Hume, Atcliison. Kan. 



coal sliafls within the county. It is probaljle that ahnost the entire county is 
underlaid with this same bed of coal, and if so it is worth substantially as 
much to the county as is the surface .st)il. It lies at so great a depth that it 
may be mined without any danger whatever of disturbing the surface. 

The large amount of good hard limestone in the county guarantees an 
everlasting supply of stone for road making, railroad ballast, crushed rock 
for concrete works and all other uses to which such limestone may be put. 
With the Missouri river on the eastern boundary carrying imlimited amounts 
of sand Atchison county is well supjjlied with ever\' material needed for un- 
limited amounts of mortar construction of all kinds. Recently, since Port- 
land cement construction has so effectually replaced stone masonry, this be- 
comes a very important matter. 

Should market conditions ever become favorable it is also possible to 
manufacture the best grades of Portland cement b\- propcrh' combining the 



20 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

limestones and shales of the county. Their chemical and physical properties 
are admirably suited for such purposes. 

There is a possibility that somewhere within the county oil and gas may 
be found by proper prospecting. As no search for these materials has yet 
been made it is impossible to say what the results might be. Atchison county, 
however, lies within the oil zone that has been proven to be so much farther 
south, and until proper search has been made no one can say that oil and gas 
cannot be found here also. 



CHAPTER 11. 



PRE-HISTORIC PERIOD. 



EVIDENCES OF PALEOLITHIC MAN AN ANCIENT FORTIFICATION ABORIGINAL 

VILLAGE AND CAMP SITES THE INGALLS AND OTHER BURIAL MOUNDS. 

How long the region embraced in Atchison county has been the home 
of man is not known, but the finding of a prehistoric liuman skeleton, com- 
puted by the highest antliropological and geological authorities to be at least 
lo.ooo years old, in the adjoining county of Leavenworth, favors the pre- 
sumption that what is now Atchison county was occupied by man at an equally 
remote period. Evidences of a verj^ early human existence here have been 
found at various times. Near Potter, in this county, the writer found deep 
in the undisturbed gravel and clay, a rude flint implement that unquestionably 
had been fashioned by prehistoric man, evidently, of what is known as the 
Paleolithic period. In drilling the well at the power house of the Atchison 
Street Railway, Light and Power Company, the late T. J. Ingels, of Atchison, 
encountered at a great depth, several fragments of fossilized bone, inter- 
mingled \\ith charcoal, evidently the remains of a very ancient fireplace. 
About 1880, M. M. Trimmer, an Atchison contractor, in opening a stone 
quarry at the northeast point of the Branchtown hill, near the confluence of 
White Clay and Brewery creeks, in Atchison, unexpectedly encountered a pit 
or excavation, eighty feet long, sixty feet wide, and eighteen feet deep, in 
the solid rock formation of the hill. The surface of the hill is composed of 
drift or gravel, and the pit had become filled with this gravel to the original 
surface, thus obliterating all external evidences of its existence. The lower 
layer of stone, about six inches thick, had been left for a floor in the pit, and 
in the northwest corner this lower strata of stone for about four feet square 
had l)een removed. Water issued from the ground at this point indicating 
that a spring or well, or source of water supply, had been located here. A 

21 



22 IllSTOKV 01- ATCHISUX COUNTY 

careful examination of tlie place at the time showed unmistakably that this 
excavation had been made by human hands at a very early period and was 
probably used as a fortification or defensive work. Prehistoric excavations 
of this character, made in the solid rock, are common in Europe, Ijut almost 
unknown in .\merica, except in the cases of ancient flint and steatite quar- 
ries, and the absence of either in the Atchison formation, except an occasional 
flint nodule, precludes the jxissibility that this was just an aborisjinal quarry. 
The Smithsonian authorities at Washington pronounced the work worthy of 
careful study, but unfortunately it was obliterated by the progress of the 
([uarrving. Many weajjons and implements of the stone age have been found 
in the vicinity of this pit. 

Almost the entire surface of .Atchison county, particularly where border- 
ing streams, presents various traces of aboriginal occupancy, from the silent 
sepulchers of the dead and the mouldy rubbisii of the wigwam, to the solitary 
arrowhead lost on the happy chase or the sanguinary war path. In many 
places these remains blend into the prehistoric, semi-historic and historic 
periods, showing e^•idenccs of a succession of occupancy. For instance we 
find the Neolithic stone cells or hatchets, the Xeoeric iron tomahawks; frag- 
ments of fragile earthenware, mixed and moulded by the ])rehistoric potter, 
and bits of modem decorated porcelain made by some pale-faced patterner 
of Palissy: ornaments of stone, bone and shell: trinkets of lirass and beads 
of glass, intermingled in confusion and profusion. These numerous relics 
of different peoples and periods, showing, as they do, diverse stages of cul- 
ture and advancement, warrant the opinion that Atchison county, with its 
many natural advantages, was a favorite resort of successive peoples from 
time immemorial. Favorably situated at tlie great western bend of the Mis- 
souri river and at the outskirts of which was one of the richest Indian liunting 
grounds in the great wild West, embracing and surrounded by e\cry natural 
advantage that would make it the prospective and wonted haunt of a wild- 
race, it was a prehistoric ])aradise, as it is today, a n^odern Arcadia. 

The writer has personally examined hundreds of ancient Indian village, 
cami) and worksho]i sites, and opened a number of mounds in Atchison county. 
The fii'st ancient mounds ever opened in the county were on a verv rugged 
liill known as tlie "IXnil's liackbone." bordering Owl creek, and overlooking 
the Missouri river, in i8()i. There were two of them, and they contained 
stone se])ulchcrs in which the Indians had cremated their dead. Other stone 
grave mounds ha\e been opened on the farms of John Myers. t)n Independ- 
ence creek, in the iiortiieastern jiait of the county: Maurice b^iehley, on 



HISTORY OF ATCHISOiNT COUNTY 




State Orphans' Home. Atchison. Kan. 



Stranger creek, near Potter; George Storch, on Alcorn or Whiskey creek, 
just south of Atchison, and in several other places. The most interesting 
mound ever excavated in the county, however, was what is known as the In- 
galls I\Iound, on land belonging to the estate of the late L'nited States Senator 
John J. Ingalls, on a bluff oi the Missouri river, at the mouth of Walnut 
creek, about five miles below Atchison. This mound was discovered bv Sen- 
ator Ingalls at an early day, and opened by the writer in 1907. It \\as fifteen 
feet in diameter, and was composed of alternate layers of stone and earth 
one on top of the other, the remains of several Indians being imbedded in the 
earth between the layers of stone. These remains were in a bad state of decay, 
most of the bones crumbling while being removed. The hones of each per- 
.son had been placed in the mound in compact bundles, which seems to indi- 
cate that they had been removed from some temporarv jilace of interment, 
]5erhaps from dilapidated scaffold burials, and deposited here in final sepul- 
ture. In some of the layers not only the bones but the rocks and earth were 
considerably burned, indicating incinerary funeral rites, while in others there 
were not the least marks of fire. The undermost laver, .-iljout three feet from 



24 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the top. was a veritable cinder pit, being a burned mass or conglomerate of 
charcoal and charred and calcined human remains, showing no regularity or 
outline of skeletons, but all in utter confusion. A solitary pearl bead was 
the only object that withstood the terrible heat to which the lower tier of re- 
mains had been subjected. In one of the upper tiers were the bones of two 
infants. With one of them was a necklace of small shells of a species not 
native here. With another bundle of bones were two small, neatly chipped 
flint knives, a flint scraper, a bone whistle or "call," several deer horn imple- 
ments, and a large flint implement of doubtful usage, known to archeologists 
as a "turtle-back," because of its shape. With another bundle of bones, and 
which they seemed to be clasping, were several mussel shells, badly decom- 
posed. One small ornament of an animal or bird claw, several flint arrow- 
heads, and some fragments of pottery, were also found. In one of the skulls 
was embedded the flint blade of a war-club. Thirty-one yards northwest of 
this mound was found another of less prominence. It contained a bumed 
mass of human remains, covered with a layer of about six inches of clay, 
baked almost to the consistency of brick. Lack of space forbids a mention 
of many other interesting archaeological discoveries made in this county from 
time to time. Suffice to say that there is ample evidence that within the bor- 
ders of Atchison county there lived and thrived and passed away a consider- 
able aboriginal population. 



CHAPTER III. 



INDIAN HISTORY. 



HARAHEY, AN INDIAN I'KOVINCE OF CORONADO S TIME THE KANSA NATION 

BOURGMONT's VISIT IN 1/24 COUNCIL ON COW ISLAND IN 1819 THE 

KICKAPOO INDIANS. 

There is nothing; definite to show that Coronado ever reached the con- 
fines of wliat is now Atchison county in 1541, as some historical writers have 
seen fit to state, but there is a probabihty tliat the Indian province of Harahey, 
which the natives thereof told him was just beyond Ouivira, embraced our 
present county and most of the region of northeastern Kansas. Mark F. 
Zimmerman, an intellig-ent and painstaking student of Kansas archaeology 
and Indian history, has given this matter much consideration, and is confi- 
dent that the Harahey chieftain, Tatarrax, immortalized in Coronado's chron- 
icles, ruled over this territory nearly four centuries ago. Until this fact is 
established, however, it remains that the Indian history of what is now Atch- 
ison county begins with the Kansa Indians in the early part of the eighteenth 
century. At the time of the Bourgmont expedition in 1724, and for some 
time before, this nation owned all of what is now northeastern Kansas, and 
maintained several villages along the Missouri river, the principal one being 
near the mouth of Independence creek, or at the present site of Doniphan. 
Here they had a large town. The writer made a careful examination and 
fully identified the site of this 'ild town in 1904. The results of this explora- 
tion are given in a pamphlet entitled "An Old Kansas Indian Town on the 
Missouri," published by the writer in 19 14. Another important village of 
the Kansa was located at the mouth of what is now Salt creek, in Leaven- 
worth county. Both of these historic villages were situated right near and at 
about the same distance from tlie present borders of Atchison county. There 
were several old Indian villages within the confines of Atchison county, as 

25 



26 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

already stated in the preceding pages, but whetlier they belonged to the 
Kansa or to the Harahey (Pawnee) is yet a matter of conjecture. 

One of these old Kansa towns, evidently the one at Salt creek, was the 
site of an important French post. Bougainville on French Posts in 1757, 
says: "Kanses. In ascending this stream (the Missouri river) we meet the 
village of the Kanses. We have there a garrison with a commandant, ap- 
jiointed as in the case with Pimiteoui and Fort Chartres, by New Orleans. 
This post produces one hundred bundles of furs." Lewis and Clark, in 1804, 
noted the ruins of this old post and Kansa village. They were just outside 
of the southern borders of Atchison county, near the present site of Kick- 
apoo. 

The Independence creek town, or what is generally referred to by the 
early French as "Grand village des Canzes," seems to have been a Jesuit Mis- 
sionary station as early as 1727, according to Hon. George P. Morehouse, 
the historian of the Kansa Indians, who recently found in some old French- 
Canadian records of the province of Ontario an interesting fact not l^efore 
recognized in Kansas history, that the name "Kansas" was a well known 
geographical term to designate a place on the Missouri river, within the pres- 
ent borders of our State, where the French government and its official church, 
nearlv 200 years ago. had an imporant missionary center. Mr. Morehouse 
says: "It is significant as to the standing of this Mission station of the Jes- 
uits at Kanzas, awav out in the heart of the continent, that in this document 
it was classed along with their other important Indian Missions, such as the 
Iroquois, Abenaquis, and Tadoussac, and that the same amount per mission- 
ary was expended. It was 'Kansas.' a mission charge on the rolls of the Jes- 
uit Fathers, for which annual ajjpropriations of money were made as early as 
1727. Here some of the saintly, self-sacrificing missionary pioneers of the 
Cross must have come from distant Quebec and Montreal, or from the far- 
away cloisters of siniiiy France. What zeal and sacrifice for olliers! Is it 
any wonder that the Kansa Indians always spoke reverently of the 'lilacK- 
robes,' who were the first to labor for their welfare in that long period in 
the wilderness." 

Just when the Kansa Indians established themselves at the "Grand Vil- 
lage" at Doniphan, or at "Fort Village" at Kickapoo, is not known. The 
first recorded mention of a Kansa village along this section of the Missouri 
river is by Bourgmont in 1724. Onate met the Kansa on a 'lunting expedi- 
tion on the prairies of Kansas in 1601, but does not state where their villages 
were located. The "Grand Village" was an old one. liowever. at the time of 



HISTORV OF ATCHISON COUNTY 2^ 

Dourgmont's visit. Bourgmont does not mention the "Fort Village" at Salt 
creek, as he surely would had it been in existence at that time, and it is be- 
lieved that it was established later, as it was in existence in 1757, as stated by 
Rourgainville. 

As is a well knnwn historical fact the Spanish attempted to invade and 
colonize the Missouri valley early in the eighteenth century. The French 
had come into possession of this region in 1682, and W. de Bourginont was 
commissioned military commander on the Missouri in 1720, the French gov- 
ernmeirt becoming alarmed at the attempted Spanish invasion. Establish- 
ing friendly relations with the Indians of this region m order to have 
their assistance in repelling any further Spanish advance was the object of 
the Bourgmont expedition to the Kansa and Padouca Indians in 1724. Bourg- 
mont's party, consisting of himself, M. Bellerive, Sieur Renaudiere, two sol- 
diers and five other Frenchmen, besides 177 Missouri and Osage Indians in 
charge of their own chiefs, marched overland from Fort Orleans, on the lower 
Missouri; and arrived at the "Grand village des Cansez" on July 7, 1724. 
Here they held a celebration of two weeks, consisting of pow-wows, councils. 
trading horses or merchandise, and making presents to the Indians, sc\'eral 
lx)at loads of the latter, in charge of Lieutenant Saint Ange, having arrived 
bv river route. On Juh- 24 they "put themselves in battle array on the village 
height, the drum began to beat, and they marched away" on their journey 
to the Padoucas. The incidents of their march across what is now Atchison 
count\'. and other facts iiertaining to this expedition w dl be fmmd in tlic 
chapter on early explorations in this volume. 

According to a tradition handed down from prehistoric times the Kansa, 
Osage, Omaha, Ponca and Kwapa were originally one people and lived along 
the Wabash and Ohio rivers. In their migrations they arrived at the mouth 
of the Ohio where there was a separation. Those who went down the Mis- 
sissippi became known as the Kwapa, or "down stream people," while those 
going up were called Omaha, or "up stream people." At the mouth of the 
Missouri another division took place, the Omaha and Ponka proceeding far 
up that stream. The Osage located on the stream which bears their name, 
and the Kansa at the mouth of what is now the Kansas river. Later they 
moved on up the Missouri and established several villages, the most northern 
of which was at Independence Creek. At about the close of the Revolution- 
ary war they were driven away from the Missouri by the Iowa and Sauk 
tribes, and they took up a permanent residence on the Kansas river, where 
Major Long's expedition visited them in 1819. They continued to make 



28 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COCXTY 

predator)' visits to the Missouri, however. They committed many depreda- 
tions on traders and explorers passing up the river and even fired on the 
United States troops encamped at Cow Island. It was to prevent the recur- 
rence of such outrages that Major O'Fallon arranged a council with the 
Kansa Nation. This council was held on Cow Island August 24, 1819, under 
an arbor built for the occasion. Major O'Fallon made a speech in which 
he set forth the cause of complaint which the Kansa had given by their re- 
peated insults and depredations, giving them notice of the approach of a mili- 
tary force sufficient to chastise their insolence, and advising them to seize 
the present opportunity of averting the vengeance they desened, by proper 
concessions, and by their future good behavior to conciliate those whose 
friendship they would have so much occasion to desire. The replies of the 
chiefs were simple and short, expressive of their conviction of the justice of 
the complaints against them, and of their acquiescence in the terms of the 
reconciliation proposed by the agent. 

There were present at this council 161 Kansa Indians, including chiefs 
and warriors, and thirteen Osages. It was afterwards learned that the dele- 
gation would have been larger but for a quarrel that arose among the chiefs 
after they had started, in regard to precedence in rank, in consequence of 
which ten or twelve returned to the village on the Kansas river. Among 
those at the council were Xa-he-da-ba, or Long Neck, one of the principal 
chiefs of the Kansas; Ka-he-ga-wa-to-ning-ga, or Little Chief, second in 
rank: Shen-ga-ne-ga, an ex-principal chief; Wa-ha-che-ra. or Big Knife, a 
war chief, and Wam-pa-wa-ra, or White Plume, after\vards a noted chief. 
Major O'Fallon had with him the officers of the garrison of Cow Island, 
or Contonment Martin, and a few of those connected with Major Long's ex- 
ploring party. "The ceremonies," says one account, "were enlivened by a 
military- display, such as the firing of cannon, hoisting of flags, and an exhibi- 
tion of rockets and shells, the latter evidently making a deeper impression on 
the Indians than the eloquence of Major O'Fallon." A description of Major 
Long's steamboat, built to impress the Indians on this occasion; will be found 
in the following chapter on early explorations. 

From the Kansa Indians our State derived its name. For more than 
300 years they dwelt upon our soil. .At their very advent in this 
region what is now Atchison county became a part of their heritage and for 
generations it was a part of their imperial home. 

By the treaty of Castor Hill, Mo., October 24, 1832, the Kickapoo 
Indians were assigned to a reservation in northeastern Kansas, which in- 



HISTORY OF ATCITTSON COUNTY 




Wards of the State of Kansas, State Orphans' Home, Atchison, Kan, 



eluded most of what is now Atchisdii con ity. They settled on their new 
lands shortly after the treaty was made. Their principal settlement at that 
time was at the present site <if Kickapon. in Leavenworth, countv, where a 
Methodist mission was established among them by Rev. Jerome C. Berry- 
man, in 1833. There is said to have been a mission station among the Kick- 
apoos where Oak Mills, in Atchison county, now stands, at an early da\-, but 
nothing definite is known regarding its history, except that we have it from 
early settlers that an Indian known as Jim Corn seemed to be the head 
man of the band of Kickapoos that li\'ed there, and that the white pioneers 
frequently attended services in the old mission house wh.ich stood in the hol- 
low a short distance southwest of the present site of Oak Mills. 

During the time that the Kickapoos owned and occupied what is now 
Atchison county, "they were ruled over by two very distinguished chieftains — 
Keannakuk, the Prophet, and Masheena, or the Elk Horns. Both of these 



30 HISTOKV OK ATCHISON COUNTY 

Indians were noted in Illinois long before they migrated westward and were 
prominently mentioned by W^asbington Irving, George Catlin, Charles Augus- 
tus Murray and other distinguished travelers and authors. Catlin painted 
their pictures in 183 1. and these are included in the famous Catlin gallery in 
Washington. Keannakuk was both a noted chief and prophet of the tribe. He 
was a professed preacher of an order which he claimed to have originated at 
a very early day and his influence was very great among his people. He died 
at Kickapoo in 1852 and was buried there. Masheena was a really noted 
Indian. He led a band of Kickapoos at the battle of Tippecanoe. He died 
and was buried in Atchison count}-, near the old town of Kennekuk, in 1857. 
He was born in Illinois about 1770. 

Important seats of Kickapoo occupanc}- in Atchison county in the early 
days were Kapioma, ^^luscotah and Kennekuk. Kapioma was named for a 
chief of that name who lived there. The present township of Kapioma gets 
its name from this source. Father John Baptiste Duerinck, a Jesuit, was a 
missionary among the Kickapoos at Kapioma in 1855-57. Muscotab was for 
a long time the seat of the Kickapoo agency. It is a Kickajjoo name meaning 
"Beautiful Prairie," or "Prairie of Fire."" Kennekuk was named for John 
Kennekuk, a Kickapoo chief, and son of Keannakuk, the Prophet. 

By treaty of 1854 the Kickapoo reservation was diminished and the tribe 
was assigned to lands along the Grasshopper or Delaware river. Still later it 
was again diminished and they were given their present territory within the 
confines of Brown county. 

The Kickapoos are a tribe of the central Algonquian group, forming a 
division with the Sauk and Foxes, with whom they have close ethnic and lin- 
guistic connection. The first definite appearance of this tribe in histor)' was 
about 1667-70. when they were found l)y .Mlouez near the portage lietween 
Fox and Wisconsin rivers, in W^isconsin. .\bout 1765 they moved down into 
the Illinois countrv, and later to Missouri and Kansas. 



CHAPTER IV. 



EARLY EXPLORATIONS. 



CORONADO IN 184I THE BOURGMONT EXPEDITION IN 1/24 PERIN DU LAC 

LEWIS AND CLARK FIRST FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION MAJOR 

STEPHEN H. LONG CANTONMENT MARTIN ISLE AU VACHE OTHER 

EXPLORERS PASCHAL PENSONEAU THE OLD MILITARY ROAD THE 

MORMONS. 

Some Iiistorians ( nutal)ly General Simpson) in their studies of the 
famous march of Coronado in searcli of the land of Ouivira, in 1541, have 
brought the great Spanish, exjilorer to the ^Missouri river, in northeastern 
Kansas. The more recent researches of Hodge, Bandalier and Brower. how- 
ever, have proven beyond question that Coronado's line of march through 
Kansas was north from Clark county to the Great Bend of the Arkansas river, 
and thence to the region northeastward from ]\IcPherson to the Kansas river, 
between the junction of its two main forks and Deep creek, in Riley county, 
where the long lost province of Ouivira was located. Hence, it is no longer 
even probable that the great Spaniard on this famous march ever saw the 
Missouri river region in northeastern Kansas, much less to ha\'e ever set 
foot upon the soil of what is now Atchison county, as nianv have hcrelnfore 
believed. 

The first white men, of whom we have definite record, to visit what is 
now Atchison county, were those who composed the expedition of Capt. 
Etienne Vengard de Bourgmont, militar}' commander of the French colony 
of Louisiana, who, in the summer of 1724, arrived at the Kansa Indian vil- 
lage where Doniphan now stands, crossed what is now Atchison county, and 
made several encampments on our soil. Leaving the Kansa village at Doni- 
phan on the morning of July 24, en route to the province of the Padoucas, 
or what is now known as the Comanche tribe of Indians, in north central 

31 



32 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Kansas, Bourgmont and party marched a league and a half along what is now 
Deer creek, and went into camp, where they spent the day. The next day 
they passed Stranger creek, or what they designated "a small river," and 
stopped on account of rain, until the 26th, when they proceeded a few miles 
further, and again went into camp. .\ thunder-storm, lasting all the after- 
noon, compelled them to remain encamped here. On the 27th they reached a 
river, which was douhtless the Grasshopper or Delaware, about four or five 
miles below Muscotah, where they again camped, and, on the 28th marched 
out of Atchison county somewhere along the southwest border, in Kapioma 
township. This strange procession, besides Bourgmont's force of white men, 
consisted of 300 Indian warriors, with two grand chiefs and fourteen war 
chiefs, 300 Indian squaws, 500 Indian children, and 500 dogs, carrying and 
dragging provisions and equipments. The object of the expedition was to 
promote a general peace among, and effect an alliance between, the different 
tribes inhabitating this region. Shortly after leaving Atcliison county, Bourg- 
mont was taken very ill, and was obliged to return to Fort Orleans, on the 
lower Missouri. He was carried back across Atchison county to the Kansa 
village, on a hand-barrow, and then transported down the Missouri in a canoe. 
Upon his recovery he resumed his journey to the Padoucas in the fall of 1724. 
coming back by way of the Kansa village and Atchison county. No doubt 
other French explorers, traders and trappers, visited this county at an earlier 
date than did Bourgmont, but information concerning them is vague and un- 
certain. 

Perin du Lac, a French explorer, set foot upon the soil of Atchison 
county while on an exploring trip up the Missouri in 1802-03. ^^ ^'^ jour- 
nal, published soon after his return to France, Du Lac mentions that "three 
miles below the old Kances Indian village they perceived some iron ore." As 
the "old Kances village" was the one already referred to as having been at 
Doniphan, the iron ore discovered by Du I^c must have been in Atchison 
county, somewhere in the vicinity of Luther Dickerson's old home, where the 
rocks are known to be strongly impregnated with iron Du Lac gathered 
some specimens of the Atchison county ore, which he must have lost, for he 
says in his journal : "I intended to have assayed it on mv return, but an 
accident unfortunately happening prevented me." 

In the summer of 1804 the famous "Lopisiana Purchase exploring expe- 
dition" of Lewis and Clark passed up the Missouri river, arriving at the south- 
east comer of Atchison county on July 3. They passed Isle Au Vache, or Cow 
Island, opposite Oak Mills, stopped at a deserted trader's house at or near the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 33 

site of Port William, where they picked up a stray horse (the first recorded 
mention of a horse in what is now Atchison county) and camped that night 
somewhere in the vicinity of \Malnut creek. The next morning they an- 
nounced the "glorious Fourth" w-ith a shot from their gun boat, and there 
began the first celebration of our Nation's birthday on Kansas soil. That 
day they took dinner on the bank of White Clay creek, or what they called 
"Fourth of July creek." Here Joe Fields, a member of the party, was bitten 
bv a snake, and Sergeant Floyd, in commemoration of the incident, named 
the prairie on which Atchison now stands, "Joe Fields' Snake Prairie.'' 
Above the creek, they state, "was a high mound, where three Indian paths 
centered, and from which was a ver\^ extensive prospect." This, undoubtedly, 
was the commanding elevation where the Soldiers' Orphans' Home now 
stands. On the evening of the Fourth they discovered and named Indepen- 
dence creek in honor of the day, and closed the day's obsen-ances with "an 
evening gun and an additional gill of w^hiskey to the men." 

A detachment of ^Nlaj. Stephen H. Long's Yellowstone exploring ex- 
pedition, under command of Capt. Wyley Martin, spent the winter of 1818- 
19 on Cow Island, which now- belongs to Atchison county, and established 
a post known as Cantonment Martin. This was the first United States mili- 
tar}- post established above Ft. Osage, and west of ]\Iissouri Territo^3^ Dur- 
ing that winter Captain Martin's men killed between 2,000 and 3,000 
'deer, besides great numbers of bears, turkeys and other game. The troops 
that established this frontier post were a part of the First Rifle regiment, 
the "crack" organization of the United States army at that time. In July, 
1819, Major Long arrived at Cow Island. His steamboats were the first to 
ascend the Missouri river above Ft. Osage. The next day Colonel Chambers 
and a detachment of infantrv- arrived. Thomas Say and his party of natural- 
ists, under command of Major Biddle, at about the same time crossed Atch- 
ison county en route from the Kansa Indian village where Manhattan now 
stands, and joined IMajor Long's party at Cow Island. Messrs. Say and 
Jessup, naturalists of the expedition, were taken very ill and had to remain 
at the island for some time. Col. Heniy Atkinson, the founder of Ft. .Atkin- 
son, and commander of the western department fur more than twenty years, 
arrived at Cow Island shortly after Major Long. Maj. John O'Fallon was 
sutler of the post and Indian agent for the upper ^Missouri. On July 4, 18 19, 
the Nation's birthday was celebrated on Cow Island. The flags were raised 
at full mast, guns were fired, and they had "pig with divers tarts to grace 
the table." On .August 24 an important council with the Kansa Indians was 

3 



34 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

lield on the island. An account of this council will be found in the chapter 
on Indian history in this volume. 

One of the captains who was stationed on Cow Island — Bennett Riley — 
afterwards became a distinguished man in the history of this countr}^ He 
was the man for whom Ft. Riley was named. He served with gallantr)- in 
the Indian country, the Northwest and Florida. In the Florida war he was 
promoted to colonel. In the war with Mexico he became a major-general, 
and was subsequently military governor of California. Col. John O'Fallon 
entered the army from Kentucky and fought in the Battle of Tippecanoe un- 
der Harrison, where he was severely wounded and carried the scar to his 
grave. He had a brilliant military record, and afterwards became one of 
the wealthiest and most public-spirited citizens of St. Louis. 

Major Willoughby Morgan assumed command of the Cow Island post 
April 13, 1819. He was also a distinguished officer. When Contonment 
Martin was abandoned in September, 18 19, it required a month to transport 
the troops from there to Council Bluffs on the steamboats. 

One of these boats, the "Western Engineer," the first that ever touched 
the shore of Atchison county, was of unique construction, having been ex- 
pressly built for the expedition and calculated to impress tiie Indians. On her 
bow was the exhaust pipe, made in tlie form of a huge serpent, with wide 
open mouth and tongue painted a fiery red. The steam, escaping throu.gh 
the mouth, made a loud, wheezing noise that could be heard for miles. The 
Indians recognized in it the power of the great Manitou and were overcome 
with fear. 

Cow Island has been a prominent land-mark in the West from a verv 
early period. It was discovered by the early French explorers and called by 
them Isle au Vache, meaning Isle of Cow or Cow Island. It was so named 
because a stray cow was found wandering about on the island. It is sup- 
posed that this cow was stolen by the Indians from one of the early French 
settlements and placed on this island to prevent her escape. There is a co- 
incidence in the fact that the first horse and the first cow in what is now 
Atchison county, of which we have any record, were found in the same 
locality. The stray horse picked up liy Lewis and Clark, mention of which 
is made on a preceding page of this chapter, was found almost opposite the 
upper end of Cow Island, on the Kansas shore. There is a tradition that 
the French had a trading post on Cow Island at a verv earlv day. 

In 1810, John Bradbury, a renowned English botanist, made a trip up 
the Missouri river, and was the first scientist to make a systematic study of 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



35 



the plants and geological formations of this region. He touched the shore 
of what is now Atchison coimty, and in his book, "Travels in the Interior of 
America," speaks about the great fertilit}' of our soil. He shipped the speci- 
mens collected on this trip to the botanical gardens of Liverpool, and no 
doubt many Atchison county specimens were included in these shipments. 
The next year H. M. Brackenridge, another explorer, came up the Missouri 
and made some observations along our shore. 




I'uslullifi', AtcliisLin, Kansa.s 



The first permanent white settler of what is now Atchison county was a 
Frenchman, Paschal Pensoneau, who, about 1839, married a Kickapoo Indian 
woman and alxiut 1844 settled on the bank of Stranger creek, near the pres- 
ent site of Potter, \vhere he established a trading-house and opened the first 
farm in Atchison county on land which had been allotted him bv the fjox-crn- 
mcnt for services in the Black Hawk and Mexican wars. Pensoneau had 
long lived among the Kickapoo Indians, following them in their migrations 
from Illinois to Missouri and Kansas, generally pursuing the vocation of 
trader and interpreter. As early as 1833 or 1834 he was established on the 
Missouri river at the old Kickapoo town, later renio\ing to Stranger creek, 
as aforestated. He became a very prominent and influential man among the 
Kickapoos. He long held the position of Government interpreter for that 



36 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

tribe. After the treaty of 1854. diminishing the Kickapoo reserve, Pensoneau 
moved to the new lands assigned the tribe along the Grasshopper river, where 
he lived for manv years. About 1875 lie settled among a band of Kickapoo 
Indians, near Shawnee, Indian Territor)', where he died some years later. 
He was born at Cahokia, 111.. April 17, 1796, his parents having been among 
the emigrants from Canada to the early French settlements of Illinois. 

In 1850 the military road from Ft. Leavenworth to Ft. Laramie was 
laid out by Colonel Ogden. It crossed Atchison county, and o\er it passed 
many important expeditions to the Western plains and mountains, and to 
Oregon and California. Before this road was laid out as a Government high- 
wav, the same route had long been traveled as a trail. It was a great natural 
highway, being on the "dividing- ridge" between the Missouri and Kansas 
rivers. Charles Augustus Murray, Francis Parkman, Captain Stansbury and 
other noted travelers journeyed over this trail during the thirties and forties, 
and in the fascinating volumes they have left, we find much of interest per- 
taining to the region of which Atchison county is now a part. During the 
gold excitement in California this old trail swarmed with emigrants seeking 
a fortune in the West. The Mormons, the soldiers, the overland freighters, 
the stage drivers, the hundred and one other picturesque types of character 
in the earlv West have helped to make tiie history of this famous old branch 
of the "Oregon and California Trail"' immortalized by Parkman. 

During tlie days of Mormon emigration a Mormon settlement sprang up 
a few miles west of Atchison, and immediately east of the present site of 
Shannon, whi'ch became known as "Mormon Grove." The settlement was 
enclosed by trenches, which served as fences to prevent the stock from going 
astrav, and traces of these old ditches may l)e seen to this day. Many of the 
Mormons liere died of cholera and were buried near the settlement, but all 
traces nf (he old burial ground have been oljliteratcd by cultivatinn of the 
soil. 



CHAPTER V. 



TERRITORIAL TIMES. 



TERRITORY ACQUIRED FROM FRANCE IN 1803 ORGANIZATION OF TERRITORY 

KANSAS-NEBRASKA ACT IMMIGRATION TO KANSAS TERRITORIAL GOV- 
ERNMENT FREE STATE AND PRO-SLAVERY CONFLICT FIRST ELECTION 

SECRET POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS BORDER WAR ACTIVITIES AND OUT- 
RAGES CONTESTS OVER ADOPTION OF CONSTITUTION KANSAS ADMITTED 

TO THE UNION. 

Kansas is as rich in historic lore and resources as any other region of 
the great West. George J. Remsburg. who has contributed two chapters 
of tliis history, has, with great care and accuracy, put into readable form an 
account of prehistoric times, Indian occupancy and the record of earlier ex- 
plorers in northeastern Kansas. It is a tale of absorbing interest to those who 
would go back to the dawn of civilization here and study the force and char- 
acter of men who paved the way for the developments that came after. To the 
intrepid Spanish conquerors of Mexico of the sixteenth century, and the hardy 
French explorers, two years later, we are indebted for the opening up of the 
Great American Desert, into wiiich American pioneers, the century following, 
found their waw Thousands of years before these came, Atchison county had 
been the abode of hunting tril)cs and the feasting place of wild animals. Then 
came the ceaseless flow of the tide of civilization, which swe])t tliesc earlier 
denizens from the field, to clear it for the "momentous conflict between the 
two opposing systems of American civilization, then struggling for mastery 
and supremacy over the Republic." It was in Kansas that the war of rebel- 
lion began, and it was in the northeastern corner along the shores of tiie 
Missouri river — in Atchison county — "that the spark of conflict which had 
irritated a Nation for decades burst into devastating flames." 

It is a delicate task to convey anything approaching a trutliful account of 

37 



38 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the storm and stress of opinions and emotions whicli accompanied the organiza- 
tion of Kansas as one of the great American commonweaUhs, and the part 
played by the citizens of Atchison county in that tremendous work, but sixty 
years have served to mellow the animosities and bitternesses of the past, and 
it is easier now to comprehend the strife of that distant day and pass un- 
biased judgment upon it. 

When the United States acquired from France, in 1803. tlie territor}- of 
which Atchison county is a part, slaven- was a legalized institution, and many 
of the residents held slaves. In the treaty of cession, there was incorporated 
an expressed stipulation that the inhabitants of Louisiana "should be incor- 
porated into the Union of the United States and admitted as soon as possible, 
according to the principles of the Federal Constitution, to the enjoyment of all 
the rights, advantages and immunities of citizens of the United States, and 
in the meantime they should be maintained and protected in tlie free enjoy- 
ment of their liberty, property and the religion which they professed." Thus 
it came to pass for over fifty years after the time that vast empire was acquired 
from France the bitter contest between the anti-slavery and the pro-slavery ad- 
vocates ebbed and flowed, and amidst a continual clash of ideas and finally 
after the shedding of blood, Kansas, and Atchison county, were born. 

It was in the Thirty-second Congress that petitions were presented for 
the organization of the Territory of the Platte, viz : all that tract lying west 
of Iowa and Missouri and extending west to the Rocky mountains, but no 
action on the petitions was taken at that time. December 13. 1852, \\"illard 
P. Hall, a congressman from Missouri, submitted to the House of Representa- 
tives a bill organizing this region. This bill was referred to the committee on 
territories, which reported February 22. 1853, through its chairman. William 
A. Richardson, of Illinois. A bill organizing tlie territory of Nebraska, which 
covered the same territory as the bill of Mr. Hall, \vas met by unex- 
pected and strong opposition from the southern members of Congress, and was 
rejected in the committee of the whole. The House, however, did not adopt 
the action of the committee, but passed the bill and sent it to the 
Senate, where it was defeated March 3, 1853. by six votes. On the fourteenth 
day of December, 1853, Senator Dodge, of Iowa, submitted to that body a new 
bill for the organization of the territory of Nebraska, embracing the same 
region as the l)ill which was defeated in the first session of the Thirty-second 
Congress. It was referred to the committee on territories, of which Stephen 
A. Douglas was chairman, on January- 4, 1854. 

It was during the discussion of this bill that tlie abrogation of the Missouri 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 39 

Comiirornise was foreshadowed. The story of the action of Senator Douglas 
in connection with the slavery cjuestion has appeared in every history since the 
Civil war. It is neither necessary nor proper to dwell at length upon his career 
in connection with the history of Atchison county. However, it was follow- 
ing a bitter discussion of the slavery question that the bill was passed, creating 
Kansas a territory. The provisions of the bill, as presented, were known to 
be in accordance with the wishes and designs of all the Southern members to 
have been accepted before being presented by President Pierce by a majority 
of the members of his cabinet, and to have the assured support of a sufficient 
number of Northern administration Democrats, to insure its passage beyond a 
doubt. The contest over the measure ended May 27, 1854, by the passage 
of the bill, which was approved May 30, 1854, by President Pierce. 

The act organizing Nebraska and Kansas contained thirty-seven sections. 
The provisions relating to Kansas were embodied in the last eighteen sec- 
tions, summarized as follow : 

Section 19 defines the boundaries of the territory ; gives it the name of 
Kansas, and prescribes that when admitted as a State, or States, the said terri- 
tory, or any partion of the same, shall be received into the Union with or 
without slavery, as their constitution ma\- prescribe at the time of their admis- 
sion. Also provides for holding the rights of all Indian tribes inviolable, mitil 
such time as they shall be extingxiished by treaty. 

Section 20. The executive power and authority is vested in a governor, 
appointed by the President,- to hold his office for the term of four }-ears, or 
until his successor is appointed and qualified, unless sooner removed b\' the 
President of the United States. 

Section 21. The secretary of State is appointed and subject to removal 
by the President of the United States, and to be acting governor with full 
powers and functions of the governor in case of the absence of the gov- 
ernor from the territory, or a vacancy occurring. 

Section 22. Legislative power and authority of territory is vested in 
the governor and a legislative body, consisting of two branches, a council and 
a house of representatives. 

Section 23 prescrilies qualifications of voters ; giving the right to every 
free white male inhabitant, above the age of 21 years, who shall be an actual 
resident of the territory, to vote at the first election. 

Section 24 limits the scope of territorial legislation, and defines the veto 
power of the governor. 



40 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Section 25 prescribes the manner of appointing- and elcctinof officers, not 
otherwise provided for. 

Section 26 precludes members from holding any office created or the 
emoluments of which are increased during any session of the legislature of 
which they are a member, and prescribes qualifications for members of the 
legislative assembly. 

Section 2"/ vests the judicial power in the supreme court, district courts. 
l)robate courts and in justices of the peace. 

Section 28 declares the fugitive slave law of 1850 to be in full force in 
the territory. 

Section 29 provides for the appointment of an attorney and marshal for 
the territory. 

Section 30 treats with the nomination of the President, chief justice, asso- 
ciate justices, attorney- and marshal, and their confirmation Ijy the Senate, 
and prescribes the duties of these officers and fixes their salaries. 

Section 31 locates the temporary seat of government of the territory at 
Ft. Leavenworth, and authorizes the use of the Government buildings there 
for public purposes. 

Section 32 provides for the election of a delegate to Congress, and abro- 
gates the Missouri Compromise. 

Section 33 prescribes" the manner and the amount of appropriations for 
the erection of public buildings, and other territorial purposes. 

Section 34 reserves for the benefit of schools in the territory and states 
and territories hereafter to be erected out of the same, sections nuniI)or 16 and 
36 in each township, as they are surveyed. 

Section 35 prescribes the mode of defining the judicial districts of the 
territory, and appointing the times and places of holding the various courts. 

Section 36 requires officers to give official bonds, in such manner as 
the secretary of treasury may prescribe. 

Section 37 declares all treaties, laws and other engagements made by 
the United States Government with the Indian tribes inhabiting the territory 
to remain inviolate, notwithstanding anything contained in the provisions of 
the act. 

It was under the provisions of the above act tiiat those coming to Kansas 
to civilize it and to erect their homes were to be guided. 

Edward Everett Hale, in his history of Kansas and Nebraska, published 
in 1854. says, "Up to the summer of 1854, Kanzas and Nebraska have had 
no civilized residents, except the soldiers sent to keep the Indian tribes in 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 4 I 

order: the missionaries sent to conx'ert them; tlie traders wlio bought tnrs of 
them, and those of the natives who may be considered to have attained some 
measure of civihzation from their connection with the whites." So it will 
be .seen that at the time of tlie jiassage of the Kansas-Xebra.ska act. .\tchi.son 
county was very sparsely settled. 

All movements in the territory, or elsewhere, made for its organization, 
were provisional, as the}- were subject to the rights of the various Indian tribes, 
whose reservations covered, by well defined boundaries, every acre of north- 
eastern Kansas, except such tracts as were reserved by the Government about 
Ft. Leavenworth, and otlier military stations, but with the move for the 
organization of the territory came an effort to extinguish the Indian's title 
to the lands and thus open them to white settlers. One of the most interesting 
b(wks bearing upon the history of Kansas of that time was "Greeley's Con- 
flict." He makes the following statement with reference to this subject: 

"When the bill organizing Kansas and Nebraska was first submitted to 
Congress in 1853, all that portion of Kansas which adjoins the State of Mis- 
souri, and, in fact, nearly all the accessible portion of both territories, was cov- 
ered by Indian reservations, on which settlement b\- whites was strictly for- 
bidden. The only exception was in favor of Government agents and reli- 
gious missionaries: and these, especially the former, were nearly all Democrats 
and violent partisans of slaver\'. * * * * Within three months immediately 
preceding the passage of the Kansas bill aforesaid, treaties were quietly made 
at \\'ashington with the Delawares. Otoes, Kickapoos, Kaskaskias, Shawnees, 
Sacs, Foxes and other tribes, whereby the greater part of the soil of Kansas. 
lying within one or two hundred miles of the Missouri border, was suddenly 
opened to white appropriation and settlement. These simultaneous ])urchases 
of the Indian land by the Government, though little was known of them else- 
where, were thoroughly understood and appreciated Ijy the Missourians of the 
western border, \vho had for some lime been organizing 'Blue Lodges." 'Social 
Bands,' 'Sons of the South,' and other societies, with intent to take posses- 
sion of Kansas in behalf of slavery. They were well assured and they fully 
believed that the object contemjjlated and desired, in lifting, Ijy the terms of 
the Kansas-Nebraska Ijill, tlie interdict of slavery from Kansas, was to author- 
ize and facilitate the legal extension of slavery into that regicjn. Within a 
few days after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska act, hundreds of leading 
Missourians crossed into the adjacent territory, selected each his quarter sec- 
tion, or a larger area of land, put some sort of mark on it, and then united with 
his fellow-adventurers in a meeting, or meetings, intended to establish a sort 
of Missouri preemption upon all this region." 



42 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Iniinediately following the passage of the territorial act the iminigratioil 
of Missourians to Kansas began, and. indeed, before its final passage the best 
of the lands had been located and marked for preeinption by the Missourians. 
This was true, apparently, in the case of George M. Million, whom the rec- 
ords disclose was the first settler in Atchison county, after Kansas was made 
a territorv-. Mr. Million was of German descent and came to the vicinity 
of Rushville in the hills east of Atchison from Coal county, Missouri, prior 
to 1841. where he was married to Sarah E. Dixon before she was fifteen 
years old. In 1841 Million occupied the present site of East Atchison as a 
farm. At that time the bottom land just east of Atchison was covered with 
tall rushes and was known as Rush bottom. The town of Rushville was 
originally known as Columbus, but the name was subsequenly changed to 
Rushville because of the character of the country in which it was located. 
During the wiSiter Million eked out his livelihood by cutting wood and h'lul- 
ing it to the river bank, selling it in the spring and summer to the steam- 
boats that plied up and down the Missouri river. Sometime subsequent to 
1841, Million built a flat-boat itrry and operated it for seven or eight years 
and did a thriving business during the great gold rush to California. He 
accumulated considerable money and later operated a store, trading with the 
Indians for furs and Ijuying hemp, which he shipped down the river. In 
June, 1854, he "squatted" on the present townsite of Atchison, and built a 
log house at the foot of Atchison street, near his ferry landing, and just op- 
posite his cabin on the Missouri side of the river. Following Million, in June, 
1854. came a colony of emigrants from latan. Mo., and took up claims in 
the neighborhood of Oak Mills. They were F. P. Goddard, G. B. Goddard, 
James Douglass, .\llen Hanson and George A. Wright, but the actual set- 
tlers and founders of Atchison county did not enter the territory of Kan- 
sas until July, 1854. On the twentieth day of that month Dr. J. H. String- 
fellow with Ira Norris. Leonidas Oldham, James B. Martin and Neil Owens 
left Platte City, Mo., to decide definitely upon a good location for a town. 
With the exception of Dr. Stringfellow they all took claims about four miles 
southwest of tlie present city of Atchison. Traveling in a southwesterly 
direction from Platte City the party reached th.c ri\er opposite Ft. Leaven- 
worth and crossed to the Kansas side. They went north until they reached 
the mouth of W^alnut creek, "and John Alcorn's lonely cabin upon its banks." 
They continued their course up the river until they came to the "south edge 
of the rim of the basin which circles around from the south line of the city, 
extending west bv gradual incline to tlie divide between White Clav and 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 43 

Stranger creek, then north and east around to the northern limits of the city." 
It was at this point that the Missouri river made the bend from the north- 
east, throwing the point where Atchison is now located, twelve miles west of 
any locality, north, and twenty miles west of Leavenworth, and thirty-five 
miles west of Kansas City. When they descended into the valley, of which 
Commercial street is now the lowest point. Dr. Stringfellow and his com- 
panions found George M. Million and Samuel Dickson. Mr. Dicksoii fol- 
lowed Million to Kansas from Rushville, and while there is some dispute as 
to who was the second resident in Atchison county after the passage of the 
Kansas-Nebraska bill, the best authorities lead to the conclusion that to Sam- 
uel Dickson belongs that honor. Mr. Dickson erected a small shanty near 
the spring, which bore his name for so many years, on the east side of South 
Si.xth street, between Park and Spring streets. His house is described as 
a structure twelve feet square, having one door and one window and a large 
stone chimney running up the outside. As soon as Dr. Stringfellow ar- 
rived he at once commenced negotiations with Mr. Million for the purchase 
of his claim. Mr. Million, apparently, was a shrewd real estate speculator 
and onl\- surrrendered his claim upon the payment of $i,ooo. Dr. String- 
fellow considered this a very fancy figure for the land, but he and his associ- 
ates were firm in their decision of founding a city at this point on the Mis- 
souri river and they gave Mr. Million his price. The organization of a 
town company which followed will be discussed in a subsequent cliapter of 
this territory. 

The first territorial appointment for the purpose of inaugurating a local 
government in Kansas was made in June. 1834. Governor Andrew H. 
Reeder, of Easton, Pa., was appointed on that date. He took the oath of 
office in Washington, D. C, July 7. and arrived in Kansas at Ft. Leaven- 
worth October 7, becoming at once the executive head of the Kansas govern- 
ment. Governor Reeder was a stranger to Kansas. With the exception of 
Senator Atchison he scarcely knew anybody in Kansas. He was a lawyer by 
profession, one of tlie ablest in the State of Pennsylvania. From early man- 
iiood he had been an ardent and loyal Democrat and had defended with vigor 
and great power the principle of squatter sovereignty and the Kansas- 
Nebraska liill. Hf was not a politician and was an able, honest, clear-think- 
ing Democrat. Upon his arrival in Kansas he set himself at once to the 
task of inaugurating the government in the territory. According to his own 
testimony before the special congressional committee appointed by Congress 
to investigate the troubles in Kansas in 1856, he made it his first business to 



44 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

obtain information of the geography, settlements, population and general 
condition of the territory, with a view to its division into districts; the de- 
fining of their boundary ; the location of suitable and central places for elec- 
tions, and the full names of men in each district for election officers, per- 
sons to take the census, justices of the peace, and constables. He accordingly 
made a tour of the territory, and altiiough he did not come to Atchison 
county his tour included many important and remote settlements in the ter- 
ritory. Upon his return he concluded that if the election for a delegate to 
Congress should be postponed until an election could be had for the legis- 
lature, whicli, in the one case required no previous census, and in the other 
a census was required, the greater part nf the session of Congress, which 
would termiriate on the fourth of Marcli, would expire before a congressional 
delegate from the territory could reach Washington. He, therefore, ordered 
an election for a delegate to Congress, and postponed the taking of the cen- 
sus until after that election. He prepared, without unnecessary delay, a 
division of the territorv- into election districts, fixed a place of election in 
each, appointed election officers and ordered that the election should take 
place November 29, 1854. Atchison county was in the fifteenth election 
district, wliich comprised the following territory : Commencing at the 
mouth of Salt creek on the Missouri river: thence up said creek to the mili- 
tary road and along the middle of said road to the lower crossing of Stranger 
creek; thence up said creek to the line of the Kickapoo reservation, and 
thence along the southern and western line thereof to the line nf the four- 
teenth district; thence between same, and down Independence creek to the 
mouth thereof, and thence down the Missouri river to the place of beginning. 
The place of the election was at the house of Pascal Pensoneau, on the Ft. 
Leavenworth and Oregon road, near what is now the town site of Potter. 
The election which followed was an exciting one. Public meetings were 
held in all of the towns and villages, at which resolutions were passed against 
the eastern abolitionists, the Platte Comity Argus sounding the following 
alarm : 

''We know we speak the sentiments of some of the most distingiiished 
statesmen of Missouri when we advise that counter-organizations lie made, 
both in Kansas and Missouri, to thwart the wreckless course of the abolition- 
ists. We must meet them at their very tlireshliold and scourge them back to 
their covers of darkness. They have made the issue, and it is for us to meet 
and repel them." 

The secret organizations, of whicli Greeley spoke, known as the "Blue 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 45 

Lodges," "Social Bands," and "Sons of the South," became very active, 
and knowing the condition of affairs along the Alissouri border, and hav- 
ing learned tlie needs and wishes of the actual settlers in the territory, Gov- 
ernor Reeder decided that tiieir rights should not be jeopardized. Therefore, 
in ordering an election of a congressional delegate only, with the idea of a 
later proclamation ordering a territorial election of a legislatm-e, he knew 
that much trouble would iie spared. In his proclamation for the con- 
gressional election, provision was made for defining the qualifications of 
legal voters, and providing against fraud, both of which provisions were re- 
ceived with alarm by the leaders of the sla\ery Democracy, who, up to that 
time had hoped that the administration at Washington had sent them an 
allv. It was not long until they discovered that they were mistaken. 

The actual settlers of the territory did not evince much interest in the 
election. They were all engaged in what appeared to them to be the more 
important business of Ixiilding their homes and otherwise providing neces- 
sities before the approach of winter. There were no party organizations 
in the territory. The slavery question was not generally understood to be 
nn issue. The first candidates to announce themselves were James N. Burnes, 
whose name has for sixty years been promi'nently identified with the social, 
political and business history of Atchison county, and J. B. Chapman. These 
two candidates subsequently withdrew from the campaign, and the names 
finally submitted to the voters were: Gen. John W. Whitfield, Robert P. 
Flenneken, Judge John .\. Wakefield. Whitfield ignored the slavery issue 
during his canvass, but his cause was openly espoused by the Missourians. 
Flenneken was a friend of Governor Reeder, with Free Soil proclivities. 
Wakefield was an out-spoken Free-Soiler. Hon. David R. Atchison, then a 
United States senator, and for whom Atchison county was named, was the 
head and front of tlie pro-slavery movement. Fie had a national reputation 
and was a ])ower in the United States Senate, and won for himself the liigh- 
est position in the gift of the Senate, having been chosen president pro- 
tempore of that body after the death of Vice-President King. He was loyal 
to the southern views regarding slavery and this made him the unquestioned 
leader of the parly which believed, as Senator Atchison himself believed, 
that the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill would inevitably result in a 
slave State west of Missouri. It was to Senator Atchison that Dr. J. H, 
Stringfellow, himself one of the .strong leaders of the pro-slavery forces, 
looked for inspiration and direction. In a speech Senator Atchison made in 
Weston. Mo., November 6, 1854, which was just prior to tlie congressional 
election in Kansas, he said : 



46 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

"My mission here today is, if possible, to awaken the people of this 
country to the danger ahead and to suggest the means to avoid it. The peo- 
ple of Kansas in their first elections will decide the question whether or not 
the slave-holder was to be excluded, and it depends upon a majority of the 
votes cast at the polls. Now, if a set of fanatics and demagogues a thousand 
miles off could afford to advance their money and exert every nerve to 
abolitionize the territory and exclude the slave-holder, when they have not 
the least personal interest in the matter, what is your duty? When you re- 
side within one day's journey of the territory, and when your peace, your 
quiet, and your property depend upon this action you can without any exer- 
tion send five hundred of your young men who will vote in favor of your 
institutions." 

On November 28, the day preceding the election, the secret society voters 
in Missouri began to cross over into Kansas. They came organized to carry 
the election and in such overwhelming numbers as to completely over-awe 
and out-number the legal voters of the territory at many of the precincts. 
They took possession of the polls, elected many of the judges, intimidated 
others to resign and refusing to take the oath qualifying themselves as voters 
and prescribe to the regulations of the election, cast their liallots for General 
John W. Whitfield and hastily beat their retreat to Missouri. The whole 
number of votes cast in that election was 2,233. o^ wliich number Whitfield 
received 2,258; Wakefield, 248; Flenneken, 305, with twenty-two scattering 
votes. The frauds which were at first denied by both tlie pro-slaven,' news- 
papers and General Whitfield himself, were not long in being discovered. 

In the Fifteenth district, of which Atchison county was a part, the total 
number of votes cast was 306, of which Wakefield got none ; Flenneken. 39. 
and Whitfield, 267. The total number of votes given by the census was 308, 
and in the majority report of the congressional committee of the following 
year 206 illegal votes were shown to have been cast in that district. How- 
ever, there was little immediate disturbance following the election. The set- 
tlers continued to busy themselves in completing their homes and were more 
interested in securing titles to their lands than in the future destiny of the 
territory. 

In the following January and February Governor Reeder caused an 
enumeration of the inhabitants to be taken preparatory to calling an election 
for a legislature. H. B. Jolly was named as enumerator for the Fifteenth 
district and Mr. Jolly found a total of 873 persons in the district, divided as 
follows: Males, 492; females, 381 ; voters. 308: minors. 448; natives of the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 47 

United States, 846; foreign l^orn. sixteen; negroes, fifteen; slaves, fifteen. 
The date appointed for the legislative election was March 30, 1855. The 
proclamation of the governor defined the election districts; appointed the 
voting precincts ; named the judges of the election, defined the duties of the 
judges, and the qualifications of voters. Thirteen members of the council 
and twenty-six members of the house of representatives were to constitute 
the legislative assembly of the territory. Atchison was in the Ninth coun- 
cil district and in the Thirteenth representative district. Following the prec- 
edent established in the election for congressional delegate the November 
before the blue lodges of Missouri became active and large numbers of 
members of the secret societies of Missouri were sent into eveiy council and 
representative district in the territory for the purpose of controlling the elec- 
tion. They were armed and came with provisions and tents. They over- 
powered and intimidated the resident voters to such an extent that only 
1. 410 legal \otes were cast in the territory out of 2,905 enumerated in (he 
census. 

D. A. N. Grover was the pro-slavery candidate for councilman in the 
Ninth Council district with no opposition and he received 411 votes which 
was the total number of votes enumerated for that district. H. B. C. Harris 
and J. Weddell were the pro-slavery candidates for representative in the 
Thirteenth district with no opposition. They each received 412 votes, being 
the total number of votes enumerated in the district. 

It was another victory for the pro-slavery sympathizers and the Free 
State men were indignant, while on the other hand the pro-slaven,' residents, 
with their Missouri allies, did not conceal their joy, at the same time ad- 
mitting frankly the outrages which were practiced at the polls. The Leaven- 
zvorth Herald of April 6 headed its election retiu-ns with the following: 

"All Hail. 

Pro-Slavery Party Victorious. 

We have met the enemy, and they are ours. 

Veni Vidi Vici ! 

Free White State Party used up. 

"The triumph of the pro-slavery party is complete and overwhelming. 
Come on. Southern men ; bring your slaves and fill up the territory. Kansas 
is Saved ! Abolitionism is rebuked. Her fortress stormed. Her flag is 
dragging in the dust. The tri-colored platform has fallen with a crash. The 
rotten timbers of its structure were not sufficient to sustain the small frag- 
ments of the party." 



48 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Tlie Parkvillc Linninary, which was jniblished in Platte county. Missouri, 
very mildly protested against the manner of carrying the election and spoke 
in friendly terms of the Free Soil settlers. The following week its office 
and place was destroyed by a mob and forced its editors to flee the country 
for their lives. 

The election of November 29. 1854, so incensed the .\nti-Slavery ele- 
ment that the Free State movement was given a great impetus. A conven- 
tion of Free State men at Lawrence June 8, 1855, and the Big Springs con- 
vention September 5, 1855, were the result, and from that date many other 
public meetings of Free State men followed. The Free State sentiment 
fullv crystalized itself in the momentous election of October 9, 1855, follow- 
ing eight days after the date set by the pro-slavery legislature for an elec- 
tion of delegate to Congress to succeed J. W. Whitfield, who had been elected 
the year before. The first election in 1855 was held October i but was par- 
ticipated in only by pro-slavery men. The abstract of the poll 
books showed that 2,738 votes were cast in the territory and 
Whitfield received 2,721, of which it is only fair to say that 
857 were declared illegal. In the Free State election Ex-Governor An- 
drew H. Reeder received 2,849 ^'Otes, of which loi were cast in Atchison 
county. On the same day an election for delegates to a constitutional con- 
vention to be held at Topeka took place and R. H. Crosby, a merchant of 
Oceana, Atchison county, and Caleb May, a farmer, near the same place, 
were elected delegates. 

The returns of the pro-slavery election having been made according to 
law, the governor granted the certificate of election to Whitfield, who re- 
turned to Washington as the duly elected delegate from Kansas. The terri- 
torial executive committee, elected at the Big Springs convention, gave a cer- 
tificate of election to Reeder. The Topeka constitutional convention subse- 
fjuently convened October 23, 1855. and was in session until November il. 
This bodv of I'ree State men framed a constitution, and amonsr other thinsfs 
memorialized Congress to admit Kansas as a State. It was understood by 
all that the validity of the work of the convention was contingent upon the 
admission of Kansas as a State. Meanwhile the executive committee of Kan- 
sas Territory appointed at the Topeka primary. September 19, 1855, under 
the leadership of James H. Lane, continued to direct and inspire the work 
for a State government. 

.\s a counter-irritant to the activities of the Free State men, and for the 
purpose of allaying the insane excitement of the territorial legislature, the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 49 

pro-slavery followers organized a Law and Order party, which was pledged 
to the establishment of slavery in Kansas. From thenceforth it was open 
warfare between the two great forces contending for supremacy in the terri- 
torj'. Atchison was the stronghold of the Law and Order party, as Lawrence 
was the stronghold of the Free State party. The Free State party was looked 
upon by the Law and Order advocates as made up of revolutionists and the 
Law and Order party was determined to bring them to time as soon as pos- 
sible, but as the members of the Free State party held themselves apart from 
the legal machineiy devised for the government of the territory, bringing no 
suits in its courts ; attending no elections ; paying no attention to its county 
organizations; offering no estates to its probate judges, and paying no ta.x 
levies made by authority of the legislature, they were careful to commit no 
act which would lay themselves liable to the laws which they abhorred. They 
settled all their disputes by arbitration in order to avoid litigation, but as they 
could build, manufacture, buy and sell and establish schools and churches 
without coming under the domination of the pro-slavery forces, they man- 
aged to do tolerably well. Where the inhabitants were mostly Free State, 
as in Lawrence and Topeka, conditions were reasonably satisfactory, but in 
localities like Atchison and Leavenworth, where the Law and- Order party 
dominated affairs, the Free State inhabitants were forced to suffer manv 
indignities and insults. 

During the month of August, 1855, a negro woman belonging to Graf- 
ton Thomassen, who ran a sawmill in Atchison, was found drowned in the 
Missouri river. J. \V\. B. Kelley, a rabid anti-slavery lawyer, from Cincinnati, 
who became a resident of Atchison, expressed the opinion that if Thomas- 
sen's negro woman had been treated better by her master she would not have 
committed suicide by jumping into the river. Thomassen was greatly angered 
at this personal illusion and deluded himself into believing that if he satis- 
fied his own vengeance he would at the same time be rendering the pro- 
slavery ])arty a service. He therefore picked a quarrel with Kellev and thev 
came to blows, after which Thomassen's conduct was sustained bv a large 
meeting of Atchison people. While it is said that Thomassen was a larger 
and more powerful man than Kelley, the people did not consider this fact, 
but rather considered the principle involved, and as a result they commended 
the act in the following resolution : 

"t. Resolved, That one J. W. B. Kelley, hailing from Cincinnati, hav- 
ing upon sundry occasions denounced our institutions and declared all pro- 
slavery men ruffians, we deem it an act of kindness and hereby command him 

4 



50 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

to leave tlie town of Atchison one hour after being informed of the passage 
of this resolution never more to show himself in this vicinity. 

2. Resolved. That in case he fails to obey this reasonable command, 
we inflict upon him such punishment as the nature of the case may require. 

3. Resolved. That other emissaries of this 'Aid Society' now in our 
midst, tampering with our slaves, are warned to leave, else they too will meet 
the reward which their nefarious designs so justly merit. — Hemp. 

4. Resolved, That we approve and applaud our fellow-townsman, Graf- 
ton Thomassen. for the castigation administered to said J. W. B. Kelley, 
whose presence among us is a libel upon our good standing and a disgrace 
to our community. 

5. Resolved, That we commend the good work of purging our town 
of all resident abolitionists, and after cleaning our town of such nuisances 
shall do the same for the settlers on Walnut and Independence creeks whose 
propensities for cattle stealing are well known to many. 

6. Resolved. That the chairman appoint a committee of three to wait 
upon said Kelley and acquaint him with the actions of this meeting. 

7. Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting be published, that 
the world may know our determination." 

After the passage of these resolutions they were circulated throughout 
Atchison and all citizens were asked to sign the same and if any person re- 
fused he was deemed and treated as an alx>litionist. A few days after this 
incident Rev. Pardee Butler, a minister of the Christian cburcli. who was 
living at that time near the now abandoned townsite of Pardee, west of Atch- 
ison, about twelve miles, came to town to do some trading. Butler was an 
uncompromising anti-slaver)- advocate and never overlooked an opportunity 
to make his sentiments known. He had strong convictions backed by cour- 
age, and while he did not seek controversies, he never showed a desire to 
avoid them. He was well known in the community as a Free State man, 
and so when he came into Atchison after these resolutions were passed and 
the town was all excited about them it did not take him long to get into the 
controversy and he condemned in strong terms the outrage upon Kelley and 
also the resolutions which were passed. In the course of a conversation 
which he had at tlie postoffice with Robert S. Kelley. the postmaster and 
assistant editor of the Squatter So7-ereig)i. he informed Mr. Kelley that he 
bng since would have become a subscriber to his paper bad he not disliked 
the violent sentiments which appeared in its columns. Mr. Kelley replied : 
"I look upon all Free Soilers as rogues and they ought to be treated as 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 5 I 

such." Mr. Butler responded: "I am a Free Soiler and expect to vote for 
Kansas as a Free State." "I do not expect you will be allowed to vote," was 
Mr. Kelley's reply. On the following morning Mr. Kelley called at the 
National hotel, corner of Second and Atchison streets, where Mr. Butler liad 
spent the night, accompanied by a numl)er of friends and demanded Butler 
to sign the resolutions, which of course Mr. Butler refused to do, and walked 
down stairs into the street. A crowd gathered and seized Mr. Butler, drag- 
ging him towards the river, shouting that they intended to drown him. Tlie 
mob increased in size as they proceeded with the victim. A vote was taken as 
to the kind of punishment which ought to be given him and a verdict of death 
by lianging was rendered. It was not discovered until fortv years afterwards 
that Mr. Kelley, the teller, saved Mr. Butler's life by making false returns to 
the excited mob. Mr. Kelley subsequently was a resident of Montana and 
gave this information while stopping in St. Joseph with Dr. J. H. String- 
fellow, the fonrier editor of tlie Squatter Sovereign. Instead of returning a 
verdict of death by hanging Mr. Kelley announced that it was the deci'sion 
of the mob to send Mr. Butler down the Missouri river on a raft, and an 
account of what followed is best given by Rev. Pardee Butler himself; 

"When we arrived at the bank Mr. Kelley painted mv face with black 
paint, marked upon it the letter "R." The company had increased to some 
thirty or forty persons. \\'itiiout any trial, witness, judge, counsel or jury, 
for about two hours I was a sort of target at which were hurled impreca- 
tions, curses, arguments, entreaties, accusations and interrogations. Thev 
constructed a raft of three cottonwood sawlogs, fastened together with inch 
plank nailed to the logs, upon which the\- put me and sent me down the Mis- 
souri river. The raft was towed out to the middle of the stream with a 
canoe. Robert S. Kelley held the rope that towed the raft. They g■a^■e me 
neither rudder, oar nor anything else to manage my raft with. Thev put 
up a flag on the raft with the following inscription on it : 

'Eastern Emigrant Aid Express. 

The Rev. Pardee Butler again for the underground road ; 

The way they are served in Kansas ; Shipped for Boston ; Cargo in- 
sured. Unavoidable danger of the Missourians and Missouri ri\er 
excepted. 

I.et future emissaries from the north Beware. 

Our Hemp crop is sufficient to reward all such scoundrels.' 

"They threatened to shoot me if I pulled the flag down. I pulled it 
down, cut the flag off the flag staff, made a paddle out of the flag staff 
<md ultimately got ashore about six miles below." 



52 ^ HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

The mob was considerate enough to provide Mr. Butler a loaf of bread 
and permitted him to take his baggage on board, afterwards escorting him 
down tlie river for some distance. 

When Mr. Butler landed he returned overland to his home near Pardee. 
On April 30, 1856. he again ventured to make his appearance in Atchison, 
where he savs : "I spoke to no one ih town save two merchants of the place 
with whom I had business transactions since my first arrival in the territory. 
Having remained only a few minutes T went to my buggy to resume my 
journey when I was assaulted by Robert S. Kelley, junior editor of the 
Squatter Sovereign; was dragged into a grocery and there surrounded by a 
company of South Carolinians who are reported to have been sent out by a 
Southern Emigrant Aid Soci'ety. After exposing me to every sort of in- 
dignity they stripped me to the waist, covered my lx)dy with tar and then for 
the want of feathers applied cotton wool, having appointed a committee of 
three to certainly hang me the next time I should come to Atchison. Tiiey 
tossed my clothes into the bugg>-. put me therein, accompanying me to the 
suburbs of the town and sent me naked upon the prairie. I adjusted my attire 
about me as best T could and hastened to rejoin my wife and two little sons 
on the banks of Stranger creek. It was rather a sorrowful meeting after so 
long a parting." 

Tiie above incident gives some idea of the prevailing sentiment in Atch- 
ison county during the period beginning in 1854 and ending in 1857. 

There was little chance of Free State settlers to avoid trouble except 
by discreet silence. It would not be just, however, to fail to disclose the 
fact that the Free State men also had their secret organizations. The 
Kansas Legion was a military organization for dcfensi\'e purposes only. Its 
members were organized into companies, battalions and regiments and were 
officered and armed with rifles and pistols sent from the East. These or- 
ganizations were the natural result of the secret pro-slavery organizations 
of Missouri and were known to exist to protect the Free State settlers against 
the attacks of the Blue Lodges, Sons of the South, and the Social Bands. 

.\ man by the name of Pat Laughlin became a member of the Kansas 
Legion and was very active in organizing companies of that organization 
at different points in the territory. He subsequently Ijecame a traitor to his 
associates and gave out information to the enemy, thereby creating great in- 
dignation among his former friends whom he had betrayed Later Laughlin 
and Samuel Collins, of Doniphan county, liecame engaged in a fierce alterca- 
tion and friends of both parties to the dispute were present and aiTned. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 53 

Lauglilin shot Collins and killed him on the spot and was slightly wounded 
himself. This affair occurred October 25, 1855. No attempt was made by 
the appointed peace officers of the territory to bring the guilty parties par- 
ticipating in the Pardee Butler outrage or the murder of Collins to justice. 
Shortly after Laughlin recovered from his wound he secured a position in a 
store in Atchison and lived there for many years. 

This condition of affairs could not long exist without an open rupture 
between the two opposing forces and from this time on there was a succes- 
sion of personal encounters of wide significance, and in addition there was 
the war along the border in which Atchison county played a conspicuous 
but not a glorious part. The activities here at that crucial period were largely 
in the interest of the pro-slavery forces. It was at this juncture that the im- 
mortal John Brown appeared on the scene to begin his work of driving the 
slavery advocates from Kansas and making it and the Nation free. His first 
appearance among the Free State men was December 7, 1855, but he had 
been in the territory several months before that with his four sons. John 
Brown did not reach Atchison county during his stormy career in Kansas. 
•Tlie nearest he e\-er came was in 1857 when he passed througli Jackson 
county with a party of slaves which he was taking from Missouri to Nebraska 
for the purpose of setting them free. In the historical edition of the Atch- 
ison Daily Globe of July 16, 1894, there appears the following short refer- 
ence to this excursion; 

"In 1857 John Brown made a trip from Missouri into Nebraska with a 
party of slave negroes which he intended to set free. His route was through 
Jackson county, Kansas, and up by where the town of Centralia now stands. 
A lot of the pro-slaAcry enthusiasts in Atchison heard of the affair and 
went out to intercept Brown. They came up with him near Centralia, but 
Brown had heard of their coming and captured the entire party. One of the 
men in the pro-slavery party was named George Ringo : afterwards he sol- 
diered with Dwight Merlin in the Thirteenth Kansas and often talked of the 
trip to Merwin around their camp fires. Ringo says that James T. Her- 
ford was another member of the pro-slavery party, and a man named Cook 
was another. John Brown looked at Cook critically after the capture and 
asked his name. Cook said his name was Thomas Porter. "I believe you 
are being. I believe your name is Cook and if I was certain of it I would 
kill you," Brown said. Cook was one of the men accused of killing Brown's 
son at Osawatomie, but Brown was not certain of his identity and let him 
go with the others. George Ringo says that Brown held a prayer meeting 
in his camp every evening and asked a blessing at every meal. 



54 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

"One night when the Atchison party was in the custody of Brown, Brown 
asked Jim Herford to pray. 'I can't pray,' Herford replied. 'Didn't your 
mother teach you to pray?' Brown inquired. 'She taught me to say, "Now 
I lay me down to sleep," that was all,' Herford answered. 'AH right,' 
Brown said, 'get down on your knees and say, "Now I lay me down to 
sleep." " Herford did as he was requested, being afraid to refuse and Brown 
soon rolled himself in a blanket and went to sleep." 

As the activities of Brown increased so likewise the activities of the 
pro-slaverjf forces increased under the leadership of Senator Atchison, of 
Missouri, and Dr. Stringfellow, editor of the Squatter Sovereign. The 
Squatter Sovereign, about which more will appear in a subsequent chapter, 
was published in Atchison and was largely supported by government adver- 
tising patronage. It was the leading pro-slavery newspaper organ of the 
territory. Senator Atchison's activities were of the most pronounced sort. 
He not only urged his Missouri constituents to invade the territory in all 
their might and capture the Yankees, but he went himself. .\t Platte City, 
Mo., Februarv 4, 1856, Senator Atchison made a speech which gives 
some idea of the language he employed in urging the people of western 
Missouri to join in the invading of Kansas. He said: 

"I was a prominent agent in repealing the Missouri Compromise and 
opening the territory for settlement. The abolition traitors drummed up 
their forces and wliistled tiiem onto the cars, and whistled them off again at 
Kansas City ; some of them had 'Kansas and Liberty' on their hats. T saw 
this with my own eyes. These men came with the avowed purpose of driv- 
ing or expelling you from the territory. What did I advise you to do ? Why, 
to beat them at their own game. Wlien the first election came off I told you 
to go over and vote. You did so and Iieat them. Well, what next? Why, 
an election of members of the legislature to organize the territory must be 
held. What did I advise you to do then? Why, meet them on tiieir own 
ground and at their own game again; and, cold and inclement as the weather 
was, I went over with a company of men. The abolitionists of the North 
said, and published it abroad, that Atchison was there with bowie-knives, 
and by God, it was true. I never did go into that territory — I never intend 
to go into that territory — without being prepared for all such kinds of cattle. 

"They held an election on the fifteenth of last month and tliey intend 
to put the machinery of the State in motinu on the fourth of March. Now 
you are entitled to my adx'ice. and you shall ha\c it. I say. h'cl^are your- 
seh'cs. Go over there. Send yoiu' young men. and if liiey attempt tu drive 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 55 

yon out, then, tlamn them, drive thciii out. Fifty of you with your shotguns 
are worth 250 of them with their Sharpe's rifles. Get ready — arm your- 
selves : for. if they abolitionize Kansas you lose one million dollars of your 
property. I am satisfied that I can justify e-\-ery act of you before God and a 
jury." 

All of the pro-sIaver\^ papers were open in their ad\'ocacy of an immedi- 
nte war of extemiination. The Squatter Sovereign in its issue just after the 
electicjn of January 15, commenting- on certain disturbances at Easton and a 
mvu-der at Leavenworth, did not condemn what took place at Easton and 
had no word of apology or pity to offer for the murdered man. On the con- 
trary it upheld those who committed the murder and gave them encourage- 
ment in their campaign of killing abolitionists. Dr. Stringfellow employed 
his violent rhetoric to gWe vent to his feelings and the opening paragraph 
of his leading editorial in the issue of the Squatter Sofereigii he used the 
following language : 

"It seems now to be certain that we will have to give the abolitionists at 
least line good thrashing before political matters are settled in this territory. 
To do so we must have arms ; we have the men. I propose to raise funds to 
furnish Colt's revolvers for those who are without them. We say if the 
alx)litionists are able to whip us and overturn the government that has been 
set up here, the sooner it is known the better, and we want to see it settled." 

During the whole of the fo]lo\\'ing winter preparations for attack and 
defense went quietly on. There was drilling- along the border and discjuiet- 
ing rumors came from time to time of companies that had been organized 
and equipped to move into Kansas as soon as spring opened to uphold the 
rights of the Southerners. 

.\tchison county took a prominent part in the border warfare. The bold 
attitude assumed by the Free State forces in and around Lawrence : the W'aka- 
rusa war; the Free State elections, and the determination of the Free State 
party to convene their legislature in March, 1S56, kept the partisan pro- 
slavery sentiment in .\tchison in a constant tumult. In March large numbers 
of South Carolina emigrants, armed and equipped with the a\'0wed purpose 
of enforcing southern rights in Kansas, arrived on all the incoming steaiu- 
boats. Capt. F. G. Palmer, of Atchison, commanded one of the earliest if 
not the earliest company of these emigrants. Robert De Treville was first 
lieutenant. The home company had been formed prior to the arrival of the 
South Carolinians. Dr. John H. Stringfellow was ca]itain : Roliert S. Kel- 
le\-, first lieutenant; A. I. G. Westbrook, second lieutenant, and lohn 11. 



56 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Blassingame, third lieutenant. Their arms v>ere supphed from Ft. Leaven- 
worth and by the last of April they were ready and waiting for the assault 
and the su1)se(|uent "sacking" of Lawrence. The wliole cnuntryside was 
aflame with the passion of war. By May i quite a large anny of pro-slaver}- 
sympathizers was organized. The South Carolinian Company, from Atch- 
ison, was among the first to start the assault upon Lawrence and it was not 
long before "its flag was planted upon the rifle pit of the enemy." Dr. String- 
fellow was there and Robert S. Kelley, his able assistant on the Squatter 
Sovereign, was also there. In an account of the assault the following ap- 
peared in the Squatter Sovereigns 

"The flag was carried by its brave bearer and stationed upon the Her- 
ald of Freedom Printing office, and from thence to the large hotel and for- 
tress of the Yankees, where it proudly waived until the artillery commenced 
battering down the building. Our company was composed mostly of South 
Carolinians, under command of Capt. Robert De Treville, late of Charleston, 
S. C. and we venture the prediction that a braver set of men than are found 
in its ranks never bore arms " 

'llie Squatter Sovereign continued to be witlmut fear the most bitter 
and uncompromising pro-slavery organ in the territory. Its watch-word 
was "Death to all Yankees and traitors iVi Kansas." At a large mass meet- 
ing at Atchison, held in June, 1856, Robert S. Kelley, its assistant editor, 
was nominated as the "commander-in-Chief of tlie forces in town." but for 
some reason now lost to view Kelley declined the honor and it was passed 
on to Capt. F. G. Palmer who accepted it without remorse and without 
apologies. Senator Atchison was present at this mass meeting and made a 
speech, and so was Col. Peter T. Abel], afterwards president of the Atch- 
ison Town Company, and Captain De Treville. and others not so famous, 
and they all made speeches. 

During that summer, Ijecause of the continued activities of old John 
Brown and the agitation which those activities created in the breasts of the 
pro-slaverjr sympathizers in Atchison, another military company was formed, 
called the Atchison Guards, of which John Robertson was the commander, 
who was so prominent in the Battle of Hickory PoiiU. and Atchison county 
continued to take a prominent part in the border warfare which continued 
for sometime thereafter. During all of this time the Free State settlers of 
Atchison were very quiet and undemonstrative. They were not strong in 
number and aside from a few virile souls like Pardee Butler, they held their 
tongues and kept their own counsel. They were treated with scant courtesy 




(I'pjjer) Atcliisoii Ilusiiitiil. (('('lit'T) -Ati-liison (.'ouiity C'diirt ?ti)iisi>. (I.owit) V. y\. ('. A. 



58 HISTORY OF ATCIIl.SOX COUNTY 

and consideration liy their pro-slavery neighbors, and it can be said to tlieir 
credit that no set of men ever displayed greater self-restraint or suffered more 
for the cause of peace than the Free State settlers of this county. It doubt- 
less unsettled their minds and disturbed their slumbers to read from time to 
time sentiments such as these taken from tlie Squatter Sovereign of June 
10, 1856: 

"Hundreds of Free State men who have committed no overt act, but have 
only given countenance to those reckless murderers, assassins aiid thieves, 
will, of necessity, share the same fate of their brethren. If Civil war is to 
be the result of such a conflict, there cannot Ije and wil! not be, am- neutrals 
recognized. 'He that is not for us is against us,' will of necessity be the 
motto, and those who are tiot willing to take either one side or the other are 
the most unfortunate men in Kansas and had better flee to other regions 
as expeditiously as possible. They are not the men for Kansas." 

In another issue Dr. Stringfellow said : 

"The abolitionists shoot down our men without provocation where\-er 
they meet them. Let us retaliate in the same manner. .\ free fight is all 
we desire. If murder an<l assassination is the program of the dav we are 
in favor of filling the bill. Let not the knives of the pro-s!avcrv men be 
sheathed while there is one abolitionist in the territorv'. As the\- have shown 
no quarters to our men they deserve none from us. Let our motto be writ- 
ten in blood upon our flags, 'Death lo all ]'aiikees and Traitors in Kansas.' 
We have 150 men in .\tchison ready to start in an liour's notice. .\11 we 
lack is horses and provisions." 

.\n(l then follows an e-\hortation fnnn Dr. Stringfellow to his friends 
in Missouri to contribute something that wiU enable his constituents ttj pro- 
tect their lives and their families from the outrages of the assassins of the 
North, and ends by stating that the war will not cease until Kansas has been 
purged of abolitioni.sts. 

Pro-sla\ery committees from Doni])han, .\tchison and Leavenworth 
counties were organized to call on their friends in the South for arms, am- 
munition and provisions, and a circular letter appeared in the Leaz'cnzvorth 
Herald, and an urgent invitation was is.sued to all the pro-slaverv papers to 
give the circular wide publicity. It read, in part, as follows: 

"To our friends througiiont the United States : 

"The undersigned, having been appointed a committee bv our fellow- 
citizens of the counties of Leavenwurth. Doniphan and .\lclnson. in Kansas 
Territory, to consult together and to adopt measures for nunnal protection 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUN'TY 59 

and tlie ad\ancement of the interests of the pro-slavery party in Kansas Ter- 
ritory, this day assembled at the town of Atchison, to undertake the respon- 
sible duty assigned us : and in our present emergency deem it expedient to 
address this circular to our friends throughout the union, Ixit more partic- 
ularly in the slave-holding states. * * * * xhe time has arrived when 
prompt action is required and the interior of Kansas can easily be supplied 
from various points in tlie above named counties. The pro-sla\'erv party is 
the onh' one in Kansas which pretends to uphold the Government or abide 
by the laws. Our party from the beginning has sought to make Kansas a 
slave state, only by legal means. We have been slandered and vilified almost 
beyond endurance, yet we have not resorted to violence, but steadily pursued 
the law for the accomplishment of our objects. * * * * \\Tq have proclaimed 
to the world that we recognize the principle of the Kansas Bill as just and 
right, and although we preferred Kansas l^eing made a negro slave state, yet 
we never dreamed of making it so by the aid of bowie-knives, revolvers and 
Sharpe rifles, until we were threatened to be driven out of the territory bv a 
band of hired abolitionists, brought up and sent here to control our elections 
and steal our slaves. \\'e are still ready and intend to continue so, if our 
friends abroad stand by and assist us. Our people are poor and their labor 
is their capital. Deprive them of that, which we are now compelled to do, 
and they must be supported from abroad, or give up the cause of the South. 
The Northern Abolitionists can raise millions of dollars, and station armed 
bands of fanatics throughout the territory and support them, in order to 
deprive Southern men of their constitutional rights. We address this to our 
friends only, for the purpose of letting them know our true condition and 
our wants. We know that our call will meet a ready, willing and liljeral 
response. * * * * Heaven and earth is being moved in all the free states 
to induce overwhelming armies to march here to drive us from the land. We 
are able to take care of those already here, but let our brethren in the states 
take care of the outsiders. Watch them, and if our enemies march for Kan- 
sas let our friends come along to take care of them, and if nothing Ijut a fight 
can bring alx)Ut peace, let us have a fight that will amount to something. 
Send us the money and other articles mentioned as soon as practicable, and 
if the abolitionists find it con\'enient to bring their supplies, let our friends 
come with ours. Arrangements have been made with Messrs. Majors, Rus- 
sell & Company, Leavenworth, K. T. ; J. W. Foreman & Company, Doni- 
phan. K. T., and C. E. Woolfolk & Company, Atchison, K. T., to receive 
any mone\ or other articles sent for our relief, and will report to the under- 



6o HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

signed, and we pledge ourselves that all will be distributed for the benefit 
of the cause. Horses, we greatly need — footmen being useless in running 
down midnight assassins and robbers." 

The following residents of Atchison county signed the circular : P. T. 
Abell, chairman ; J. A. Headley, A. "J. Frederick, J. F. Green, Jr.. C. E. 
Mason. 

This circular was signed June 6, 1856, and was published in the Lazv- 
rence Herald of Freedom, June 14, 1856. 

From this time forward the conflagration spread with ever increasing 
fury, and not only did the appeals for aid from the pro-slavery forces find 
immediate response, but likewise the anti-slavery forces throughout the whole 
North came to the rescue of the Free Soilers in Kansas, and during all of 
this great excitement Atchison county was the focal point of pro-slaver}'^ 
activities. The news of the "sacking" of Lawrence served to awaken the 
Nation in the North. It was at this time that Henry Ward Beecher. with 
all of the great eloquence at his command, advocated from his Brooklyn pul- 
pit the sending of Sharpe rifles instead of Bibles to Kansas, and pledged his 
own parish to supply a definite number. And on and on they came to Kan- 
sas out of the North with determination in their hearts and Sharpe rifles in 
their hands, to help the Free Soilers in their battles against the forces of Atch- 
ison and Stringfellow and Abell. Then came Lane's "Army of the North," 
which sounded more terrible than it really was, following in qflick succession 
the second battle of Franklin ; the siege and capitulation of Ft. Titus, and the 
famous battle of Osawatomie. At last the mobilization of the forces of Atch- 
ison and Stringfellow not far from the outskirts at Lawrence in September, 
1856, for the purpose of a final assault on that Free State stronghold, marked 
the collapse of the Atchison-Stringfellow military campaign. It was a crit- 
ical hour for Lane. Old John Brown was there, and the citizens were ready 
for whatever might Ijefall them, but further hostilities were averted by the 
action of Governor Geary on the morning of September 13. 1856, when he 
appeared in person in the midst of the Missouri camp several hours after 
issuing a proclamation for the Missourians to disband. He found both Sen- 
ator Atchison and Gen. B. F. Stringfellow (brother of Dr. Stringfellow) 
there, and in the course of his speech severely reprimanded Atchison, who 
"from his high estate as Vice-President of the United States, had fallen so 
low as to be the leader of an army of men with uncontrollable passions, de- 
termined upon wholesale slaughter and destruction." 

When Governor Geary had concluded his remarks his proclamation and 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 6l 

order to disband the army were read and the more judicious obeyed. 

The troops thus disbanded, marched homeward. Tiiose enlisting at 
Atchison returned to Missouri by way of Lecompton. This was the last 
organized military invasion from Missouri and ended the attempts of the 
pro-slavery forces to rule Kansas by martial law. 

It must not be concluded, however, that the Stringfellows and other 
pro-slavery leaders in Atchison county were not law-abiding citizens. They 
believed in the institution of slavery, as many good men of that day did, and 
they had the same rights to peacefully enter the territory of Kansas and 
endeavor to make it a slave State under the principle of Squatter sovereignty, 
as Dr. Charles Robinson, and Lane, and John Brown did to make the ter- 
ritory a free State. It would not only be unjust to the memoiy of the String- 
fellows and their compatriots, but unjust to posterity also to leave the im- 
pression that they had no semblance of justification, for many of their acts, 
which the impartial historian will admit, were very frequently in retaliation 
of wrongs and outrages suffered. The terrible stress and strain under which 
good men on both sides latored in those critical days led them to extremes, 
and in the midst of the discordant passions of good men. the bad men — those 
who are the lawless of every age and clim.e — flourished and their lawlessness 
only served to complicate the dangerous and ever threatening situation. Calm 
judgment may not have been lacking in the territoiy in and around Atchi- 
son and Lawrence in the clays Iitween 1854 and 1857. but if it existed at all 
it was lost in the ribt of partisan feeling and did not evince itself until later. 

Following the disbanding of the "TerritoriaF' militia before Lawrence, 
General Atchison seemed to have somewhat recovered his composure and 
in an address to the troops after Governor Geary had retired, he said : 

"As was well known to all present the geritlemen composing this meet- 
ing had just been in conference with Governor Geary, who in the strongest 
language had deprecated the inhuman outrages perpetrated by those whom 
he characterized as bandits, now roving through the territory, and pledged 
himself in the most solemn manner to employ actively all of the force at his 
command in executing the laws of the territory and giving protection to his 
beloved citizens, and who had also appealed to us to dissolve our present or- 
ganization and stand by and co-operate with him in holding up the hands 
of his power against all evil doers, and w ho bad also retired from the meeting, 
with a request that he would consult and determine what course would be 
taken. Now the object of the meeting was thus to consult and determine 
what should be done." 



62 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

General Atchison also impressed the meeting with the solemnity and 
importance of the occasion and said that it was time for men to exercise their 
reason and not yield to their passions and also to keep on the side of the law 
which alone constitutes our strength and protection. These words of Gen- 
eral Atchison breathed a far different message than his strong language of 
a few years before and indicated more plainly than anything else the general 
trend of pro-slavery sentiment. 

After the cessation of military movements in the territorj-, more or less 
peaceful elections, sessions of the legislature and conventions, at which con- 
stitutions were framed and voted upon, took place, and the work of prepar- 
ing the territory to become a State went forward. 

Four constitutions were framed before Kansas was admitted to the 
Union. 

The Topeka constitution, which was the first in order, was adopted by 
the convention which framed it November ii. 1855, and liy the people of the 
territon,' at an election December 13, 1855. 

The Lecompton constitution was adopted by the convention which framed 
it November 7, 1857, and was submitted to a vote of the people December 
21, 1837, and the form of the vote prescribed was: "For the constitution, 
with slavery," and "For the constitution, without slaver)-." As no oppor- 
tunity was afforded at this election to vote against the constitution the free 
State people did not participate in it. The Territorial legislature was sum- 
moned in extra session and passed it without submitting this constitution to a 
vote of the people, January 4, 1838, and at that election 138 votes were cast 
for it and 10,226 against it. In spite of this ovenvhelming vote against the 
constitution it was sent to Washington and was transmitted by President 
Buchanan to the Senate who urged the admissioa of Kansas under it, thus 
starting the great contest which divided the Democratic party, the election 
of Abraham Lincoln as President, and the final (nerthrow of the slave party. 
The bill to admit Kansas under this constitution failed, but a bill finally 
passed Congress, under the provisions of which the constitution was again 
submitted to the people August 4, 1838, with the result that there were 
1,788 votes cast for it and 11,300 votes cast against it. 

The convention which framed the Leavenworth constitution was pro- 
vided for bv an act of the Territorial legislature, passed in Februar)-. 1838, 
at which time the Lecompton constitution was pending in Congress. The 
Leavenworth constitution was adopted by the convention April 3, 1838. and 
by the people May 18. 1838. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUXTY 63 

Tlie W'yandotte constitution was adopted by the con\enlion whicli 
framed it July 29, 1859, and adopted by the people October 4, 1859. It was 
under the Wyandotte constitution tiiat the State was admitted into the Union 
January 29, 1861. 

In this last convention Atchison county played a very important part. 
Three members were sent from this county: Caleb May, to whom reference 
has been made before, a fanner, born in Kentucky, and residing near the now 
abandoned townsite of Pardee : John J. Ingalls, a lawyer at Sumner, who ar- 
rived in Kansas from Massachusetts, October 4, 1858, exactly one year pre- 
vious to the adoption of the constitution by the people of the Territory, and 
Robert Graham, a merchant at Atchison, who was born in Ireland. John A. 
Martin, the editor of Freedom's Chauipion, the successor to the Squatter 
Sovereign, at Atchison, was secretary of the convention. 

Caleb May remained a successful fanner and leading citizen of the 
county for many years after this convention, subsequentlv drifting to the 
Indian Territory, where he died. 

John J. Ingalls became United States senator from Kansas, where he 
remained for eighteen years, part of the time as president protempore of 
that body. 

John A. Martin became one of the leading military heroes of Kansas, 
and ser\ed as governor of the State from 1886 to 1888. He played an im- 
portant part as an officer of the convention, as also did Mr. Ingalls, who, 
Samuel A. Stinson says, was the "recognized scholar of the convention, and 
authority on all questions connected with the arrangement and phraseology 
of the instrument." For this reason he was made chairman of the committee 
on phraseology and arrangements. Robert Graham was chairman of the 
committee on corporations and banking, and on the ballot to locate a tem- 
porary capital of the State .Atchison received six votes. Topeka received 
twenty-nine and was chosen as the temporary capital and afterwards became 
the permanent capital of Kansas. 



CHAPTER VI. 



ORGANIZATION OF COUNTY AND CITY OF ATCHISON. 



ONE OF THE THIRTY-THREE ORIGINAL COUNTIES THE CITY OF ATCHISON 

LOCATED- — TOWN COMPANY SALE OF LOTS INCORPORATION OF TOWN 

EARLY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES ORGANIZATION OF COUNTY COMMER- 
CIAL GROWTH FREIGHTING FIRST OFFICERS FREE STATE AND PRO- 
SLAVERY CLASHES HORACE GREELEY VISITS ATCHISON ABRAHAM LIN- 
COLN MAKES A SPEECH HERE GREAT DROUTH OF 1860 CITY OFFICIALS. 

Atchison was one of the thirtj^-three original counties created by the first 
territorial legislature, which convened at Pawnee, July 2, 1855. and subse- 
quently adjourned to Shawnee Mission, July 6. 1855, and was named for 
Senator David R. Atcliisun. I'nited States senator from Missuuri. concerning 
whom much has been said in previous chapters. The county was surveyed 
in 1855 and divided into three townships, (Irasshopper township comprising all 
that section lying west of the old Pottawatomie road ; Mount Pleasant town- 
ship, all east of tiie old Pottawatomie mad, and south of Walnut creek, from 
its confluence with the Missouri river to the source of the creek and a parallel 
line west to the old Pottawatomie road, and Sliannon townshi]), all tliat section 
of the county north of Mount Pleasant township. Subsc(]uently, this sub-di- 
vision was further divided into eight townships, now comprising the county, 
to-wit: Grasshopper, Mount Pleasant. Shannon, Lancaster, Kapioma, Cen- 
ter, Walnut and Benton. The county is located in the extreme northeastern 
part of Kansas, save one, Doniphan county, by wliich it is Ixmndcd on the 
nortii, together with Brown county, and on the west by Jackson county, and 
on the south by Jefferson and Leavenwortli counties. It has an area of 409 
square miles, or 271,360 acres. 

The site of tlie citv of Atchison, the first town in ihc count\-, was selected 

64 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 65 

because of its conspicuovts geographical location on the river. Senator Atcli- 
ison and his associates attached great importance to the fact that the river bent 
boldh- inland at this point. They felt that it would l>e of great commercial 
advantage to a town to be thus located, so July 4, 1854, after a careful consid- 
eration of the matter, in all of its phases. Senator Atchison and his Platte " 
county, Missouri, friends dedicated the new town. They felt that they had 
located the natural gateway through which all the overland traffic to Utah,' 
Oregon and California would pass. After ihey had settled with George Mil-/ 
lion, the first known white settler of the territory, and attended to other unim- 
portant preliminaries Dr. J. H. Stringfellow made a claiin just north of the 
Million claim, and with Ira Norris, James T. Darnell, Leonidas Oldham,'' 
James B. Martin, George Million and Samuel Dickson, agreed to form a town 
company, and theyreceived into their organization David R. Atchison, Elijah ^ 
Green, E. H. Norton, Peter T. Abell, B. F. Stringfellow, Lewis Burnes, Dan- 
iel D. Burnes, James N. Burnes, Calvin F. Burnes and Stephen Johnson. A 
week later these men gathered under a large Cottonwood tree, near Atchison 
street, on the river, and organized by electing Peter T. Abell, president ; Dr. J. I 
H. Stringfellow, secretary, and Col. James N. Burnes, treasurer. Peter T. ' 
Abell, president of the town company, was an able lawyer, and a S outhern 
man, with pronounced views on the question of slavery. But he was a man of 
judgment, and a natural boomer. He was a very large man, being over six 
feet tall and weighed almost 300 pounds. When he became president of the 
town company he was a resident of Weston, Mo., and lived there until a year^ 
after Atchison had been surveyed. Subsequently, Senator Atchison assigned 
his interests in the town company to his nephew, JanTes_ Headley, who after- 
wards became one of the leading lawyers of the town. Jesse Morris also be- 
came a member. 

The town company, having been regularly organized, tlie townsite was 
divided into 100 shares. Each of i'ts members retained five .shares:^ 
the balance of thirty being held for general distribution. Abell, B. F. String- 
fellow and all of tlie Burnes brothers were received as two parties. Henry 
Kuhn. a surxeyir, sun'eyed 4S0 acres, which comprised the original townsite. ' 
Mr. Kuhn and his son returned to Atchison forty-five years later, and for a 
short time ran the Atchison Champion. On September 21, the first sale of 
town lots was held, amidst great excitement and general interest. It was a 
gathering which had both political and business significance. Senator Atch- 
ison, from Missouri, with a large number of his constituents, was there, and 
Atchison made a speech, in whicli one rc])orter (|uotes liim as ha\ing said: 



66 



HISTORY or ATCHISON COUNTY 



"People of every quarter should be welcome to the Territory, and treated 
with ci\ility as long- as they showed themselves peaceable men." 

Someone in the crowd called out. "What shall we do with those wlm run 
off with our negroes?" "Hang "em." cried a voice in tlie crowd. To this Mr. 
Atcbison rejilied. "Xo, I would not hang them, but I would get them out of 
the Territory — get rid of them." One version of the speech was to the effect 
that Senator Atchison answ-ered his questioners by saying, "By G — d. sir, 
hang every abolitionist you find in the Territory." But the best account of the 
meeting was printed in a Parkville, Mo.. news])aper. and was reported by an 
eve witness, wlio said: 




A \ 



Tiial Street, Looking Eat^t. Ai. 



"We arrived at .Atchison in the forenoon. .Among the company was 
our disting^iishcd senator, in honor of whom tlie new city was named. There 
was a large assemblage on the ground, with i)lcnty of tables set for dinner, 
where the crowd could be accommodated with bacon and bread, and a drink at 
the branch, at fifty cents a head. The survey of the town had just been 
completed the evening before. Stockholders Iield a meeting, to arrange par- 
ticulars of sale, and afterwards, as had been previously announced. General 
-Atchison mounted an old wagon and made a speech. He commenced by men- 
tioning the bountiful country that was beginning to be settled: to some of the 
circumstances under which a territorial government was organized, and .in the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 67 

course of his remarks, mentioned how Douglass came to introduce the 
Nebraska bill, with a repeal clause in it. He told of how Judge Douglass 
requested twenty-four hours in which to consider tiie question of introducing a 
bill for Nebraska, like the one he had promised to vote for, and said that if, at 
the expiration of that time, he could not introduce such a bill, which would not 
at the same time accord with his own sense of right and justice to the South, 
he would resign as chairman of the territorial committee, and Democratic 
caucus, and exert his influence -to get Atchison appointe<l. At the expiration 
of the given time. Judge Douglass signified his intention to report such a bill. 

"General Atchison next spoke of those who had supported and those who 
had opposed the bill in the Senate, and ended by saying that the American 
people loved honesty and could appreciate the acts of a man who openh- and 
above-board voted according to the will of his constituents, without political 
regard or favor. He expressed his profouufi contempt for abolitionists, and 
said if he had his way he would hang e\'eryone of them that dared to show 
his face, but he knew that Northern men settling in the Territory were sensi- 
ble and honest, and that the right feeling men among tiiem would lie as far 
from stealing a negro as a Soutliern man would. 

"When Senator Atchison concluded his remarks, the sale of town lots ) 
began, and thirty-four were sold that afternoon, at an average of $63.00 each. ) 
Most of those that were sold were some distance back from the river, and 
speailators were not present, so far as it could be determined, and lots that ^ 
were sold were bought mostly by owners of the town. Prices ranged from ^ 
$35.00 to $200.00." 

At this meeting the projects of building a hotel and establishing a news- 
paper were discussed, and as a result, each of the original 100 shares I 
was assessed $25.00, and in the following spring the National Hotel. ' 
corner of Second and Atchison streets, was built. Dr. J. H. Stringfcllow and 
Robert S. Kelley received a donation of $400.00 from the town company, to 
buy a printing office and in February, 1855, the Squatter Sovereign, which 
subsequently did so much for the pro-slavery cause, was born. 

The town company required each settler to build a house at least sixteen 
feet square upon his lot, so that when the survey was made in 1855 many ^ 
found tliemselves upon school lands. Among tiiose who put up homes in 
1854 and 1855 were James T. Darnell, Archibald Elliott, Thomas J. C. Dun-'? 
can, Andrew W. Pebler, R. S. Kelley, F. B. \Vilson, Henry Kline and William 1 
Hassett. The titles to the lands owned by these residents remained unsettled 
uiUil 1857. when titles to all lands within the townsite and fjpen to settlement ' 



68 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

were acquired from the federal government, and subsequently the title to 
school lands was secured by patents from the Territory, and in this way the 
town company secured a clear title to all lands which they had heretofore con- 
veyed, and re-conveyed the same to the settlers and purchasers. Dr. J- H. 
/ Stringfellow, proprietor of North Atchison, an addition to the city of Atchi- 
I son, employed J. J. Pratt to survey that addition in October, 1857. It con- 
sisted of the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 36, township 
5, range 20. Samuel Dickson, who was the proprietor of South Atchison, had 
that addition platted in May, 1858, and John Roberts, who was the proprietor 
of West .Vtchison, had his addition surveyed in February, 1858, a few months 
before Samuel Dickson surveyed South Atchison. C. L. Challiss' addition 
was surveyed about the same time. Other additions to the corporate limits of 
Atchison have been made, and are as follows : Branchton, Bird's addition, 
Rrandner's addition, Bakewell Heights, Batiste addition, Florence Park, For- 
est Park. Goodluie Place. Garfield Park, Highland Park, Home Place, How- 
ard Heights, LaGrande addition, Lincoln Park, Llewellyn Heights, Lutheran 
Church addition, Mapleton Place, Merkles addition, Parker's addition. Park 
Place, Price Villa addition. River View addition. Spring Garden, Style's ad- 
dition, Bellvue Heights, and Talbott & Company's addition. 

Atchison was incorporated as a town by act of the Territorial legislature, 
I August 30. 1855, but it was not incorporated as a city until Februarj- 12, 1858, 
after which the charter was approved by the people by special election, March 
2, 1858. In the fall of 1856, Atchison had obtained a great many advantages 
over otlier towns along the river, by a judicious system of advertising. The 
Squatter Sovereign printed a circular Xo\ember 22, 1856, which was scat- 
tered Ijroadcast. The circular was as fnUows: 

"To the public, generally, but particularly to those persons living north 
of the Kansas river, in Kansas Territory : 

"It is well known to many, and should be to all interested, that the town 
of Atchison is nearer to most persons living north of tlie Kansas river, tlian 
any other point on the Missouri river. The countn', too, south of the Kansas 
river above Lecompton, is also as near Atchison as any other Missouri river 
town. The roads to Atchison in every direction are very fine, and always in 
good re])air for wagon and other modes of travel. The countrv opposite 
.•\tchison is not excelled by an section of Missouri, it being portions of Buch- 
anan and Platte counties, in a high state of cultivation, and at a considerable 
distance from any important town in Missouri, making grain, fruit, provisions 
and all kinds of marketing easily procured at fair prices; a matter of no small 
consideration to settlers in a new countrv. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 69 

"The great fresh water lake, from wliich the fish markets of St. Josepli 
and Weston are supplied, is also williin three miles of Atchison. 

"Atchison is now well supplied with all kinds of goods: groceries, flour, | 
corn, meal, provisions and marketing of all kinds are abundant, and at fair 
prices. To show the compatibility of Atchison to supply the demands of the 
country, we here enumerate some of the business houses, viz : Six large dry r '^' 
goods and grocery stores, wholesale and retail ; six family grocery and pro- 
vision stores, wholesale and retail ; one large clothing stQre ; one extensive fur- 
niture store, with mattresses and bedding of all sorts ; one stove, sheet iron and 
tinware establishment, where articles in that line are sold at St. Louis prices ; 
several large warehouses sufficient to store all the goods of emigrants and trad- 
ers across the plains, and to Kansas Territory ; one weekly newspaper — The 
Squatter Sovereign — having the largest circulation of any newspaper in 
Kansas, with press, type and materials to execute all kinds of job work ; two 
commodious lintels, and several boarding houses; one bakery and confection- 
er}' ; three blacksmitli shops; two wagon makers, and several carpenter shops: 
one cabinet maker ; two boot and shoe maker shops, and saddle and harness 
maker shops; one extensive butcher and meat market; a first rate ferry, on 
which is kept a magnificent new steam ferry boat and excellent horse toat, 
propelled by horses; a good flat boat, and several skiffs; saw mills, two pro- 
pelled by steam and one by horse-power ; two brick yards, and two lime kilns. 

"A fine supply of professional gentlemen of all branches constantly on 
hand equal to the demand. 

"A good grist mill is much needed, and would make money for the owner." ' 

The first business house in Atchison was established by George T. Chal-' 
liss, at the corner of the Levee and Commercial streets, in August, 1854. The 
National Hotel was not built at that time, so Mr. Challiss established a tem- 
porary camp, and his workmen were accommodated under an elm tree near the 
river. The Challiss store building was torn down in 1872. George T. Chal- 
liss and his brother, Luther C. Challiss, were clerking in a dry goods store at 
Booneville, Mo., in the spring of 1854. George T. Challiss returned to his 
old home in New Jersey on a visit, and upon his return, in August, he came 
direct to Atchison. He came by boat to Weston, Mo., where he met P. T, 
Abell, president of the town company, and Abell prevailed upon him to come 
to Atchison in a buggy, crossing the river here on George Million's ferry.) 
Mr. Abell donated Mr. Challiss the lot upon which he built his store, and he ^ 
went to Rushville and bought enough cottonwood lumber to build it. When 
he arrived in Atcliison, he had $4.50 in money, but later on borrowed $150.00 ' 



70 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

^ from his brother, Luther C. Challiss, at Boonville. He enjoyed a good busi- 
ness from the beginning, and carried a large stock of both dry goods and 
groceries. 

The town of Atchison was the one big outstanding factor in Atchison 
county when the territory was organized, but at the same time that Abell and 
Stringfellow and others "were shaping up the town," others were busy organ- 
izing the county. As the city was named for General Atchison, so likewise was 
the county at the time of its creation by the first Territorial legislature that 
assembled at Pawnee. The first board of county commissioners was selected 
and appointed by the Territorial legislature, August 31, 1855. and was com- 
V posed of William J. Young, James ^I. Givens and James A. Headley. The 
first meeting of the board was held September 17, 1855, at the home of O. B. 
Dickerson, in the city of Atchison. At this meeting Ira Norris was appointed 
clerk and recorder; Samuel Dickson, treasurer; Samuel Walters, assessor. 
William McVay had received an appointment as sheriff of the county prior 
to the meeting of the board, direct from the governor, to fill the office tem- 
porarily until his successor was subsequently appointed and qualified. On 
the i8th of September, 1855. being the second day of tlie session of the first 
board of county commissioners, Eli C. Mason was appointed as sheriff to 
succeed McVay, and Dudley McVay was appointed coroner. Voting precincts 
were estaljlished in three townships preparatory to an election of a delegate 
to Congress, which was to take place the first Monday in October, 1855. At 
the October meeting of the toard of county commissioners, block 10, in what 
•., is now known as Old Atchison, was accepted by the board as a location upon 
which to erect a court house. This property was offered to the county by 
' tlie Atchison town company for the purpose of influencing the board to make 
Atchison tlie county seat. The conditions of the gift were that the court house 
was to be built of brick and to be at least forty feet square. In the following 
spring ihe town company donated fifty town lots, and the proceeds of these 
lots were to be used in the construction of the court house. In June, 1857, the 
court house was ordered built and it was to be two stories high, the first story 
to l)e of rock and tlie second story of wood. It was 24x18 feet square: how- 
ever, the plans were subsequently changed, aiul, liecause of the gift of an 
"^ additional fourteen lots by the town company, of a value of $6,000.00, a more 
pretentious building was erected in 1859. with a county jail adjoining it. 
Prior to the erection of the court house, there was a spirited contest between 
Mt. Pleasant, Monrovia, Lancaster and Sumner over tlie (juestion of the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY Jl 

countv seat. In an election to determine the location, Atchison received a, 
majority of 252 votes over all competitors for tlie county seat. The estimated 
total population of the county at the time was 2,745. 

In the next few years Atchison grew rapidly and the dreams of Senator 
Atchison and his associates hade fair to he realized on a large scale. The popu- 
lation of the town was ahout 500, and yet there were eight hardware stores. / 
twelve dry goods stores, eighif^-holesale grocery stores, nineteen retail grocery 
stores, and twenty-six law firms. The banking business was controlled by 
the contracting firms of A. Majors & Company and Smoot, Russell & Com-f' 
panv. The Atchison branch of the Kansas Valley Bank was the first in 
the State to be formed under the legislative act, authorized February 19, 1857, 
with a capital stock of $300,000.00. In the act, John H. Stringfellow, Joseph / 
Plean and Samuel Dickson were named to open subscription books. An or-( 
ganization was effected in the spring of 1858. and the capital stock of the 
local organization was $52,000.00. The board of directors was composed of 
Samuel C. Pomeroy, president ; W. H. Russell, L. R. Smoot, W. B. Waddell. ^ 
F. G. Adams, Samuel Dickson and W. E. Gaylord. There was considerable 
rivalry between Sumner and Doniphan at the time, and shortly after the organ- 
ization of the bank, a rumor, which was supposed to have started in Sumner, 
to the effect that the bank was about to suspend, caused the directors to pub- 
lish a statement of its condition, showing that its ^lesets were $36,638.00 and 
its liabilities $20,118.00. S. C. Pomeroy resigned as president before the year 
was out and was succeeded by William H. Russell. The bank subsequently 
had its name changed by the legislature to the Bank of the State of Kansas. 
Mr. Russell, the second president of the bank, make his home in Leavenworth-- 
and was an active pro-slavery man, being treasurer of the executive commit-!''' 
tee in 1856 to, raise funds to make Kansas a slave State. This bank continued 
until 1866, when it went into voluntary liquidation and its stockholders wound ' 
up its affairs. ^^» 

One of the most imjiortant institutions in .\tchison in the early days was »<^'''tl ^ 



yf 



the Massasoit House, opened for business September i, 1858, in charge of .w^ 



Tom Murphy, a genial proprietor, who conducted it for many years. At the 
same time there were three other hotels in operation in the city. Reference 
has heretofore been made to the National Hotel, which was elected in 1855 In- 
popular subscription. It was a plain log structure on the north side of Atchi- 
son street, just east of Second, overlooking the river. The Tremont House 
was a two-story frame structure at the southeast corner of Second and Main, 
v,an(l the Planters' House was at the southwest corner of Commercial and Sixtii 



A' 



M 



72 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Streets on the site now occupied by the Exchange National Bank, but the Mas- 
sasoit House was the leading hotel of this section and it was a substantial, 
somewhat imposing frame building erected at the northwest corner of Second 
and Main streets on the site now occupied by the Wherrett-Mize Wholesale 
Drug House. It was three stories high with a basement and was handsomely 
furnished. It did a large business and was the lieadquarters for the overland 
staging crowds. All the lines, which ran in every direction, out of Atchison at/^ 
that time departed from the Massasoit House. It was a favorite place for 
political gatherings, and from its balconies many speeches were made by leaders 
of the political parties of that day. It at one time was the hiding place for a 
number of slaves who had been secreted in the liotel by their master. Horace 
Greeley, the famous editor of the Xcic York Tribune, ate liis first dinner in 
' Kansas at this hotel, and Abraham Lincoln was a guest on the day that John 
Brown was executed at Harper's Fern-. 

Some idea of the magnitude of the merchandising that was carried on in 
Atchison in 1858 may be gathered from the fact that during the summer of 
, that year twenty-four trains comprising 775 wagons. 1,114 men, 7,963 oxen, 
I 142 horses, 1,286 mules conveyed 3.730,905 pounds of merchandise across 
the Rocky mountains and California. One single train that was sent out that 
year consisted of 105 wagons. 225 men, i.ooo oxen, 200 mules, fifty horses and 
465,500 pounds of merchandise. During the latter part of 1859 and the early 
months of i860, forty-one regtilar traders and freighters did business out of 
Atchison. During nine months of one of those years, the trains outfitted 
from Atchison were drawn by mules and cattle and comprised 1,328 
wagons, 1,549 men, 401 mules and 15,263 oxen. The Pike's Peak gold mines, 
which were discovered in 1858, and the. prospecting in that region were the 
causes of the larger part of this enormous business. Denver at that time had a 
population of about 2,500, and was the center of the mining region around 
Pike's Peak. In the period just mentioned, thirty-three of the trains that left 
Atchison were destined for Denver. One of these trains was composed of 
125 wagons, carrying 750,000 pounds of merchandise. It extended from the 
levee on the river far beyond the western outskirts of the city. The outfit 
was managed by fifty-two men, twenty-two mules and 1,542 oxen. Several 
of the trains for Denver had from twenty to fifty wagons. One, sent out by 
Jones & Carlwright, had fifty-eight wagons and carried over 3,000 
pounds of merchandise. Among the trains that left Atchison during the 
latter part of 1859 were, one for Santa Fe, N. M., another for Colorado City, 
Colo., two for Green River, Wyo., and four for Salt Lake City. The big- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 73 

gest overland outfit was owned by Irwin. Jackson & Company, who were 
Government freigliters. During one season this firm sent out 520 wagons. 
650 men, 75 mules and 6,240 oxen. This firm had a good contract fur sup- 
plying the military posts on the plains, including Forts Kearr.ey, Laramie. 
Bridger. Douglas, and Camp Floyd, a short distance from Salt Lake City. 
In addition to these larger dverland staging concerns there were a number of 
lesser outfits sent out h\ jirivate parties in Atchison, with one. two or three 
wagons each. ]\Iost of the freight conveyed across the plains in wagons was 
brought to Atchison in steamboats, which unloaded at the levee extending 
along two or three blocks, beginning at about Atchison street and running 
south. Yerv frequently loaded nx trains nearlv a mile in length were seen 
on Commercial street, and some of the prairie schooners would be loaded with 
hardware or some other dead weight, drawn by six to eight yoke of cattle ; 
and more wagon trains were loaded and departed from Atchison than from any 
other point on the Missouri river. 

The act of the Territorial legislature of Kansas incorporating the city 
of Atchison was approved February 12. 1858, and it provided for the election 
of a mayor and councilmen. The charter was voted upon and accepted by 
the people at a special election held ]\Iarch 2, 1858, and the first ma^nr ami 
council were elected at a special election March 13. 1858. The charter pro- 
vided for an annual city election at that time to be held on the first ^londay 
in September, and consequently the first mayor and councilmen of the cit}-, 
elected in March, held their offices only until the following September. Sam- 
uel C. Pomeroy was the first mayor of the city, holding his office from March, 
1858, until May, 1859. Pomeroy was one of the prominent Free State settlers 
and was one of its most popular citizens. His election as mavor was the 
result of the toss of a coin. A temporary truce having been effected between 
the Southerners and the Free State men, it was agreed that a compromise in 
local affairs would be beneficial to the community. By the toss of a coin the 
Free State men won the mayor and three councilmen, and the pro-slaver}- men 
had four councilmen. Pomeroy was named by tlie Free State men as mayor. 
Pomeroy subsequently became actively identified with the Massachusetts Emi- 
grant Aid Association, in the distribution of aid to the stricken people of 
Kansas following the great drouth of 1S60. and it was largely because of 
his identification with this organization that he was enabled to place aid where 
it would do the most good, and he subsequently became one of the first I'nitcd 
States senators from Kansas. When he was a resident of Atchison he lived at 
the corner of Xorth Terrace and Santa I""e streets, but later he moved to a 



74 HISTORY OF ATCHISOX COUNTY 

tract of land near IMuscotali. and during the twelve years he was senator he 
claimed tlie latter i)lace as his home. It was when he asked for a third term 
as United States senator that he was exposed on the floor of the State senate 
by Senator York, who arose in his place and, advancing to the secretary's desk, 
placed $7,000.00 in cash thereon, which he alleged Pomeroy had given him to 
influence his vote. Many have always believed that Senator Pomeroy was 
greatly wronged liy this act of York. Ex-Go\enior George \\'. Glick. him- 
self a Democrat and a leading citizen of Atchison in the early days, was a very 
warm friend of Pomeroy and always expressed indignation when he heard 
Pomeroy abused, not only about his conduct in connection with the Emigrant 
Aid Association, but also in connection with liis downfall politically. It was 
the contention of Governor Glick that Pomeroy's fall was the result of a con- 
spiracy and not because of general bribery. However, Pomeroy never rose to 
political prominence after this incident and ended his days in Washington, 
D. C, wliere he lived for a number of years prior to his death. 

Associated with Pomeroy as the first mayor of Atchison, were tlie follow- 
ing citizens: John F. Stein. Jr. register; E. B. Grimes, treasurer: Milton R. 
Benton, marshal; A. E. Mayhew, city attorney; W. O. Gould, city engineer: 
M. R. Benton, by virtue of his office as marshal, was also street commissioner; 
H. L. Davis, assessor: Dr. J. \\'. Hereford, city physician. Tlie board of 
appraisers was composed of Messrs. Petfish. Roswell and Gaylord. The first 
councilmen were William P. Childs. O. F. Short. Luther C. Challiss. Corne- 
lius E. Logan, S. F. Walters. James A. Headley, Charles Holbert. John F. 
Stein, who was register, resigned his office in August, and R. L. Pease was 
appointed to succeed him. In the following August the city was divided into 
three wards, tlie first ward I)eing entitled to four councilmen. the second ward 
to two. and the third ward to three. At the first meeting of the council, 
which was held March 15. 1858. an ordinance was adopted providing for a 
special election for the purpose of submitting a proposition to take $100,000.00 
of stock in a proposed railroad from St. Joseph, Mo., to some point opposite 
Atchison on the Missouri river. The election was held and the stock was 
subscribed for. Mayor Pomeroy was appointed agent of the proposed road, 
which Tvas to be known as the Atchison & St. Joseph Railroad Company. A 
further account of the development of railroad building from Atchison will 
occur in a subsequent chapter. The council at this session also fixed tlie sal- 
ary of the mayor, and in spite of the freedom of those days, saloons were 
ordered to be closed on Sunday, and other stringent re.gulations were passed 
in connection with the li(|Uor traffic. The first financial statement of the 
city, of date September 5, 1859, is as follows: 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 75 

General city tax, 1858 $ 5,927.70 

Fines imposed by mayor's court 186.50 

Dray and wagon licenses 192.00 

Dram shop licenses 1,787.76 

Beer house licenses ioi-33 

Shows 130.00 

Billiard tables 225.00 

Registry of dogs 50.00 

Assessment on C street from River to Fourth. . 3,381.00 

Total $12,008.29 

Amount of scrip and orders issued on general 

fund to December 15, 1858 $ 6,317.17 

Amount of scrip and orders issued on general 

fund to September 5, 1859 3,140.53 

Scrip issued toward building jail 1,675.00 

Scrip issued for grading streets, curbing, etc.. . 10.105.39 

Total $21,238.09 

General deficit $ 9,229.79 



The fact that Mayor Pomeri)y had strongly urged in his inaugural address 
, the importance of grading and improving the streets of the city "especially 
Atchison, Second and Fourth streets, and the levee," possibly accounts for 
the indebtedness of the city at so early a date. There was a general inclina- 
tion among the citizens of Atchison to build a modern city in accordance with 
the standards of tiie times, and therefore they were anxious to follow tlie 
mayor's advice to put their streets and alleys in order. 

One of the most interesting and at the same time one of the most diffi- 
cult tasks in tracing the settlement of a community, is to correctly catalogue 
the establishment of the first settler, the first house, the first business insti- 
tution, and the first of everj'thing, and it could with safety be said that this 
is not only an interesting and difficult task but it is well nigh an impossible 
one. This is not to be wondered at when we take into account the rush and 
confusion which always attend the settlement of a new community. How- 
ever, it has now become an established fact that George M. Million was the 



yd HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

first white settler in the Territory, with Samuel Dickson a close second. There 
was some dispute about who built the first house in the town of Atchison, but 
we have resolved all doulit in favor of Dickson, just as we have decided that 
George T. Challiss established the first business house. The Challiss brothers, 
George. Luther and William all played an important part in the very early 
history of the county. They were in business and in the professions, and 
they were all land owners, selecting the choicest tracts "close in" and holding 
onto them, none too wisely or too well, for their tenacity in this respect 
later resulted in their undoing. The leading lawyers in the county during 
those days were j\I. J. Ireland, A. G. Otis, Isaac Hascall, James A. Headier, 
A. E. Mayhew, J. T. Hereford, P. H. Larey, Joseph P. Carr and B. F. String- 
fellow. Horton, Foster, Ingalls, and General Bela M. Hughes came later. 
Hascall carried a card in the Squatter Sovereign, advertising his legal head- 
quarters as the Border Ruffian Law Office. 

In addition to the names of mercliants and professional men heretofore 
given, "Andreas' History of Kansas" gives the following list : Grafton Thom- 
assen, the slave owner, ran a sawmill. Thomassen's name appears in the 
records of Atchison county in connection with land transfers as Grafton 
Thomason; Luther C. Challiss, who occupied a store on the levee, 45 by 100 
feet which he filled with dn*- goods and groceries, and advertised "such an 
assortment as was never before offered for sale in the upper country" ; Samuel 
Dickson, a merchant and politician and also an auctioneer, on the north side of 
C street ; Lewis Burnes, M. P. Rively and Stei)hen Johnson carried stocks of 
assorted merchandise ; A. J. G. Westbrook, a grocer, and Patrick Lauglilin, 
who fled from Doniphan on account of the murder of Collins, the Free State 
man, was a tinner ; William C. Null and Albert G. Schmitt operated a ware- 
house and carried a general stock of merchandise at the corner of Second and 
C streets; Charles E. ^^'oolfolk and Robert H. Cavell had a large store and 
warehouse at the steamboat landing ; George M. Million operated the Pioneer 
Saloon ; John Robertson conducted a saddlery and harness business ; Messrs. 
Jackson & Ireland were a contracting firm with a shop over Samuel Dickson's 
store; Uncle Sam Clothing Store, at the corner of C and Third streets, was 
conducted by Jacob Saqui & Company ; Giles B. Buck sold stoves on C street ; 
O. B. Dickson was proprietor of the Atchison House: Drs. J. II. Stringfellow 
and D. M. McVay were the leading physicians : and it is interesting to note 
that Washburn's Great American Colossal Circus, which was the first in 
Kansas, gave two exhibitions in Atchison, July 31, 1856. This aggregation 
carried three clowns, a full brass and string band and an immense pavilion, and 
many other novel and attractive features. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISOX COUNTY yj 

Fully lift}- new buildings were erected during the spring and summer 
of 1856. 

During this period in the historj" of the count}'. Free State people began , 
to come into their own. They grew bolder, following the compromise with 
the pro-slaven.- citizens, over the question of the distribution of citi.- officers 
and because of other concessions that were made by the pro-slaver}" citizens for 
the general good of the commimity. It was not strange, therefore, that some 
of the less tactful and politic Free Stale leaders should over-reach themselves 
at such a time. \\'hile the "Reign of Terrorism" under the Stringfellow 
regime was on, the Free State men in Atchison count}- considered discretion 
the better part of valor. They were ver}- quiet, with few exceptions, of whom 
Pardee Butler was a conspicuous exam.ple, but they were nevertheless _quite 
numerous in the coimt}", and particularly was this the case in and around Mon- 
rovia. Eden and Ocena ; in fact, there was an organization of Free State men 
in the coimt}- as early j s 1857, and several quiet meetings Were held that vear : 
and at Monrovia a society \\:as_formed, of which Franklin G. Adams was the 
chief officer and spokesman. 

Early in May. 1857. Senator Pomeroy and the Free State men bought 
the Squatter Sozxreign from Dr. Stringfellow. and Mr. Adams and Robert 
McBratney became its editors. Mr. Adams was just as ardent a Free State 
man as Dr. Stringfellow was the other wa}". so the policy of tlie paper was 
completely reversed. Judge Adams was a lawyer and partner of John T- 
Ingalls for a while. He represented Atchison count}- in the constitutional 
convention that met in Mineola March 23. 1858 and which subsequentlv ad- 
journed to Leavenworth. Caleb May, G. M. Fuller, C. A. Woodwonh and 
H. E. Baker were the other delegates from Atchison coimt}-. Judge Adams 
was later one of the useful men of Kansas, and at the time of his death he 
was secretar}- of the State Historical Societ}-. which position he filled with 
credh and honor for many years. On August 22, 1858. following the local 
compromise with the pro-slavery leaders. Judge Adams concluded the time 
was ripe to invite James H. Lane, the great Free State leader, to Atchison, to 
make a speech. He consequently served notice in his paper that Lane would 
be in Atchison October 19. As soon as it was generally kno\\-n that Lane had 
been inrited to speak in Atchison a number of the more rabid pro-slaver\- men 
concluded that the speaking would not take place. On the other hand. Judge 
Adams was just as determined that Lane would have a public meeting in 
Atchison. For the purpose o f insuri ng order on that occasion Adams in- 
vited a number of strong and reliable Free State friends from Leavenworth 



78 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

to come up to Atchison and see that fair play was done. The invitation to 
the Leavenworth Free Soilers was accepted with alacrity and they arrived on 
the moming of the day Lane was billed to make hi's speech and brought with 
them their side arms as a matter of precaution. They made the office of 
Adams, Swift & Company their headquarters while here. Shortly after the 
arrival of the Leavenworth contingent and while sitting in his office Judge 
Adams noticed a crowd gathering on Commercial street, near Fifth. Sus- 
pecting that the crowd had gathered for no good purpose, Judge .Adams 
and six of his friends started for the scene of what appeared to him to be 
a disturbance. On their way they met Caleb A. Woodworth, Sr., hatless 
and apparently in trouble. As Judge Adams stopped to make inquiries of Mr. 
Woodworth regarding his trouble somebod}^ from the rear assaulted him 
with a heavy blow on the cheek. Instead of following the Biblical injunc- 
tion he did not turn his other cheek, but swung quickly in his tracks and lev- 
elled a pistol at his assailant, who was accompanied by a crowd of his friends, 
all armed and with blood in their eyes. As Judge Adams was alx)ut to pull 
the trigger of his gun a friend of Judge Adams siiouted, "Don't shoot yet !" 
following which admonition all of the crowd displayed cocked revolvers and 
aimed them in the direction of Judge .Adams and liis crowd. Observing that 
I the Free Soilers meant business, the pro-slavery men discreetly withdrew 
' without further trouble, and the Free Soil men returned to the office of Judge 
vXdam.s. It was then detemiined that the meeting should he an out-of-door 
one, and as tliey passed out into the street, again the pro-slavery advocates 
mixed freely with the Free Soilers. A. J. W. Westbrook, of the "Home 
Guards," mounted on a prancing horse, rode among the crowd, flourishing 
a cocked gim, apparently seeking to kill Judge Adams at the first favorable 
opportunity. It has been doubted that Westbrook meant business, but his 
conduct had the effect of stirring up his followers who avowed that Jim 
Lane should not speak in Atchison that night. His threatening attitude ap- 
parently had the desired effect, for the Free Soil men decided that it was not 
necessarj- for the existence of their cause that Jim Lane should speak and 
therefore postponed the speaking. Judge Adams was not altogether pleased 
but he was finally prevailed upon to return liome without attempting further 
trouble. Later in the day a party of Free Soil men met General Lane on the 
outskirts of the city, returning from Doniphan where he had been speaking, 
and prevailed upon him not to come to Atchison. This was not the first 
attempt of Lane to visit Atchison county. He was entertained at dinner in 
1855 at the home of Dr. J. H. Stringfeliow, whose house occupied the site 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COLXTY 79 

where the home of Ex-Gk)vernor W. ]. Bailey now stands. The fact that 
Lane was a guest of Dr. Stringfellow will appear strange to those who knew 
nothing of the Stringfellow family. While they were belligerent pro-slavery 
advocates, the}- were always high class men with decent instincts and there- 
fore it would not be unu.sual for them to open their home to so violent an 
opponent of theirs as Lane was. The eastern papers, in giving an account 
of Lane's entertainment at the Stringfellow home, stated that the dinner was 
a very elaborate one, mcluding oysters, plum pudding, terrapin and cham- 
pagne. Mrs. Stringfellow told E. W. Howe in 1894 that Lane came to the 
house about 1 1 o'clock in the morning attended by a body-guard of four 
men and inquired for Dr. Stringfellow. The Doctor was away at the time, 
but was expected about noon. The men said that they would wait, where- 
upon Mrs. Stringfellow knew that she would probably have them for dinner. 
Her girl was just getting ready to go somewhere on an errand and was 
asked to remain at the house. Dr. Stringfellow came in about noon and 
when the two men met in the yard Stringfellow asked Lane if he was not 
afraid to call at his house. "I am not afraid," Lane re]jlied. "to call on a 
gentleman anywhere." This gallantiT cajitured Mrs. Stringfellow's admira- 
tion and she invited Lane and his body-guard to dinner, which, contrar}- to 
the report in the eastern papers, was a very simple one. Mrs. Stringfellow, 
in her inten-iew with Mr. Howe, said that it was as follows: Coffee, hot 
biscuits and butter, cold pie, preserves and milk; no terrapin, no oysters, no 
champagne, no plum pudding. Lane called at the house on a matter of busi- 
iness and Mrs. Stringfellow said that Lane and his body-guard were very 
Icindly genteel men. Two or three weeks later, when Mrs. Stringfellow 
was alone in the house, she saw a wagon pass in the road with three or four 
men lying down in it. Presently another wagon, similarly loaded, attracted 
her attention. Then came four men and a woman on horseback and sev- 
eral men on foot. The people came from down town, or from southwest of 
town. The circumstances were peculiar, and Mrs. Stringfellow climbed on 
top of a table and watched the men through the upper sash of a window. They 
stopped in a little glade northeast of the house, when the woman dismounted 
from the horse, took off the skirt and turned out to be Jim Lane. He stood 
beside the horse and talked possibly half an hour. Mrs. Stringfellow is cer- 
tain the speaker was Lane, because she had seen him only a few weeks be- 
fore, and he rode the white horse he had ridden when he stopped at her 
house, and the same four men composed the body-guard. Lane had threat- 
ened to make a speech in the town but had been warned not to,*as he had been 



8o 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



warned two years earlier. He made his speech in spite of the warning, but 
his audience was composed of his friends only. A half hour after Lane dis- 
appeared over the hill toward the farm then owned by John Taylor, some 
distance south of the Orphans' Home, forty mounted southerners appeared 
looking for him. Mrs. Stringfellow knew John Scott, the leader, and told him 
of the incident. The men laughed and then gave three rousing cheers for Jim 
Lane, who had outwitted them. 




Forest Park, Atfliison, Kansas 



While there was a tremendous traffic across the plains from Atchison 
in 1857, 1858 and 1859. and for a number of years later the "town was alive 
with business," it is only fair to record that the town itself was not a thing 
of beauty and a joy forever, in spite of the efforts of Mayor Pomeroy and 
the city fathers who put the city in debt to the extent of 89,000, September 
5. 1859, for public improvements. 

Frank A. Root in his admirable book, "The Overland Stage to Cali- 
fornia." published in 1901. has this to say in part upon his arrival here in 
November, 1858: 

"It was in November, 1858, that I first set foot on the levee in Atchison. 
I stepped from the steamer. 'Omalia.' which boat was discharging its cargo 
of freight at the ffiot of Commercial street. At that time the place was a 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 8l 

\ery small town. I took up my residence in Atchison the following spring, 
having this time come up the river on a steamboat from Weston where I had 
been employed as a compositor in the office of the Platte Argus. On land- 
ing at Atchison I had a solitarv dime in my pocket, and. after using that to 
pay for my lunch, I started out in search of a job. A sign over the office 
which read: 'Freedom's Champion, John A. Martin, Editor and Publisher,' 
attracted my attention. It hung above the door of the only newspaper office 
in the city at that time, but preparations were then being made by Gideon O. 
Chase, of Waverly, N. Y., to start the Atchison Union, which was to be a 
Democratic paper. I secured a place in the Champion office, beginning work ' 
the following morning. As I walked about the town I remember of hav- 
ing seen but four brick buildings on Commercial street. A part of the second 
stor}' of one of them, about half a square west of the river, was occupied by 
the Champion. The Massasoit House was the leading hotel. The Planters, 
a two-story frame house, was a good hotel in those early days, but it 
was too far out to be convenient, located as it was, on the corner of Com- 
mercial and Sixth streets. \\''est of Sixth there were but few scattering 
dwellings and perhaps a dozen business houses and shops. The road along 
Commercial street, west of Sixth, was crooked, for it had not been graded 
and the streets were full of stumps and remnants of a thick growth of under- 
brush that had previously been cut. A narrow, rickety bridge was spanning 
White Clay creek where that stream crosses Commercial street at Seventh 
street. Between Sixth and Seventh streets, north of Commercial street there 
v/as a frog pond occupying most of the block, where the boys pulled dog- 
grass in highwater, and where both boys and girls skated in winter. The 
Exchange hotel on Atchison street, between Second and the Levee, built of 
logs — subsequently changed to the National — was the principal hotel of Atch- 
ison, and for more than a quarter of a century stood as an old familiar land- 
mark, built in early territorial days. 

"Atchison was the first Kansas town visited by Horace Greeley, ft was 
Sunday morning, May 15, 1^59, a few days before beginning his overland 
journey across the continent l)y stage. He came through Missouri bv the 
Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, thence down the Missouri river from St. 
Joseph on the 'Platte Valley,' a steamer then running to Kansas Cit\- in 
connection with trains on the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railmad. It was in 
the old Massasoit House that Greeley wrote on Kansas soil, his first letter to 
the Tribune. During the latter part of the afternoon he was driven over the 



82 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

city in a carriage, John A. Martin being one of the party. The city was a 
favorite place of Albert D. Richardson, the noted correspondent of five 
eastern newspapers. 

"It was at Atchison that Abraham Lincoln, on his first visit to Kansas, 
spoke to a crowded house on 'The Issues of the Day,' December 2. 1859, 
the date that old John Brown was executed in Virginia. Lincoln spoke in 
the Methodist church, which then stood on the hill at the comer of Fifth and 
Parallel streets. The little church was a frame building, dedicated in May, 
'-1859, and overlooked a considerable portion of the city. The liouse after- 
wards became quite historic, for during the early part of the Civil war, the 
patriotic Rev. Milton Mahin, a stanch Union man, from Indiana, in a 
patriotic speech, soon after the Civil war broke out, had the nene, and was 
the first minister of the Gospel in Atchison, to raise the Stars and Stripes 
over his house of worship." D. W. Wilder, in his "Annals of Kansas," one 
of the most wonderful books of its kind ever published, says that .Miraham 
Lincoln arrived in Ehvood, which is just across from St. Joseph, December 
I, 1859. and made his speech there that evening. He was met at St. Joseph 
by M. ^^'. Delahay and D. \\'. Wilder. The speech that Lincoln delivered 
at Elwood and at Atchison was the same speech that he subsequently delivered 
at the Cooper Institute, New York City, and was considered as one of the 
ablest and clearest ever delivered by an American statesman. 

Atchison county was making forward strides at a rapid pace and the fu- 
ture held out every promise of prosperity, but in 1859 "a great famine fell upon 
the land." It did more to depopulate Kansas than all the troubles of preced- 
ing years. The settlers in the Territory were able to fight border ruffians 
with more courage than they could endure starvation, and during all of their 
earlier troubles they confidently looked forward to the time when all of their 
political difficulties would be settled and prosperity, peace and contentment 
would be their share in life. During the years of 1855, 1856 and 1857 the cit- 
izens of the Territory were unable to take advantage of the then favorable 
seasons to do more than raise just sufficient for their immediate needs. Dur- 
in the next year immigration to Kansas was large and the new settlers had 
but little time, in addition to building their homes, to raise barely enough 
for home consumption, so in 1859 Kansas had only enough grain on hand to 
last until tlie following harvest. The drouglit commenced in June, and from 
the nineteenth of that month until November, i860, not a shower of rain fell 
of any consequence. By fall the ground was parched and the hot winds that 
blew from the south destroyed vegetation and the wells and springs went 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 83 

ihy. There were a few localities on bottom lands along the Missouri river 
where sufficient crops were raised to supply the immediate population, but 
over 60,000 people in Kansas faced starvation in the fall of i860. Thirty 
thousand settlers left the Territory for their old homes, from which they 
came, abandoning their claims and all hope of success in Kansas. An end- 
less procession crossed the border from day to day. About 70,000 
inhabitants remained, of whom it was estimated 40,000 were able 
to go through the winter. As soon as the news of this situation reached the 
East, movements were inaugurated for the relief of the sufferers in Kansas. 
S. C. Pomeroy was appointed general agent of northern Kansas. He did 
much to raise liberal contributions in New York, Wisconsin. Indiana, Illinois 
and Ohio, and the contributions were all sent to Atcliison, from which place 
they were distributed to the different counties of the State. The total re- 
ceipts of provisions for distribution up to March 15, 1861, were 8,090,951 
pounds, and the total distribution at Atchison, exclusive of liranch depots, 
was 6,736,424 pounds. In spite of all of this assistance over 30,000 
settlers in Kansas that year suffered privation and almost starvation. 

It was during this frightful travail that Kansas as a State was bom. 
On January 21, 1861, Jefferson Davis and a number of other snuthern sen- 
ators left the United States Senate and on that dny the bill for the admission 
of Kansas under the Wyandotte constitution, which had been laid before the 
House of Representatives in February, i860, was called up by W. H. Seward, 
and passed the Senate by a vote of thirty-six yeas to sixteen nays. One week 
later the bill came up in the House on motion of Galusha A. Grow, of Penn- 
sylvania, who introduced the first bill for the admission of Kansas into the 
Union, and while the motion was out of the regular order, it was passed by 
a vote of 119 yeas to forty-two nays. On January 29 the bill was signed 
by President Buchanan, and free Kansas joined the Union. 

The following are the names of the cit}- officials of Atchison March i, 
1916: Dr. C. C. Finney, mayor; Victor L. King, city clerk; Walter E. Brown, 
city attorney; C. A. Wright, city treasurer; Frank S. Altman, city engineer; 
D. S. Beatty, police judge; William H. Coleman, chief of police; John Comp- 
ton, fire marshal ; Jerome Van Dyke, street commissioner ; Owen P. Grady, 
meat inspector and license collector; Fred Stutz, sanitan^ sergeant; Frank J. 
Roth, building commissioner; John Compton, purchasing agent; Dr. T. E. 
Horner, city physician. Councilmen : Louis Weinman, president: first ward, 
Louis Weinman, F. F. Bracke ; second ward, Joseph Schott, C. A. Brown ; 
third ward, H. M. Ernst, John R. Schmitt ; fourth ward, W. C. Linville, Fred 
Snyder; fifth ward. Fay Kested, Walter North. 



CHAPTER VII. 



TOWNS, PAST AND PRESENT. 



SUMNER, ITS RISE AND FALL OCENA LANCASTER — FORT WILLIAM ARRING- 

TON MUSCOTAH EFFINGHAM HURON OLD MARTINSBURG BUNKER 

HILL LOCUST GRO\^ HELENA CAYUGA KENNEKUK KAPIOMA 

MASHENAH- — ST. NICHOLAS CONCORD PARNELL SHANNON ELM- 
WOOD CUMMINGS\aLLE EDEN POSTOFFICE POTTER MOUNT PLEAS- 
ANT lewis' point FARLEY'S FERRY. 

One of the most interesting subjects for the local historian is tlie rise and 
fall of town companies and towns, within the confines of Atchison county. 
Perhaps no county in the State, or for that matter, no county in the United 
States, has been immune from the visitations of town boomers. It is difficult 
in this enterprising age, with all the knowledge that we now have at liand, to 
understand how it was possible for anybody, though lie was ever so enthusias- 
tic, to conceive tlie idea that there was any future for many of the "towns" 
that were born in Atchison county in the early days. Yet, it is found that 
there was in the breasts of many promoters a feeling that Atchison county 
offered unlimited possibilities for the establishment and growth of towns and 
cities. One need only search the records on file in the office of the register of 
deeds in this county to discover numerous certified plats of towns which were 
born to blusli unseen and waste their fragrance on the desert air. In some in- 
stances the records are quite complete and autlientic, and contain much infor- 
mation with reference to the origin, growth and final decay of these nascent 
municipalities. In other cases nothing has come down to posterity, save the 
merest fragmentary data, of which the plat, containing the name of the town 
and of its organizer, its location and the number of blocks, streets and alleys, 
constitute the major part. 

Reference has heretofore been made to the founding and the organization 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 8$ 

of the city of Atchison, which became and now remains the county seat of 
Atchison county. The city played such an important part in the early history 
of the county that its story has been woven into the general fabric of this 
history, and therefore further reference to the city of Atcliison will not be made 
in this chapter. 

SUMNER. 

Perhaps the m<ist important, although not the oldest, town established in 
Atchison county outside of the city of Atchison was Sumner. A peculiar 
aroma of legendary glory still clings to this old town, which was located three ' 
miles below Atchison, on the Missouri river. 

Its founder was John I\ Wheeler, a }-oung man who came to the Terri- 
tory when about twenty-one }ears of age, and who has been described as "a 
red-headed, blue-eyed, consumptive, slim, freckled enthusiast from Massachu- 
setts." 

Atchison at this time was a strong pro-slaver>' town, and no abolitionist 
was a welcome settler in her midst. For this reason Sumner sprang into 
existence. It was a dream of its founder to make Sumner an important for- 
warding point, one of its claims being the fact that it was the most westerly 
of any of the Missouri river towns in Kansas. 

In 1856 the site was surveyed and platted, and the name "Sumner" given 
the new town, in honor of George Sumner, one of the original stockholders, 
and not for his brother, the Hon. Charles Sumner, United States senator, of 
Massachusetts, as many people suppose. 

To bring Sumner before the public Mr. Wheeler engaged an artist named 
Albert Conant to come out and make a drawing of it, and this was later taken 
to Cincinnati, and a colored lithograph made from it. which was widely cir- 
culated. From copies of this lithograph still extant it must be admitted that 
the artist did not slight the town in any particular. 

In the fall of 1857 the Sumner Town Company began the erection of a 
large brick hotel. Samuel Hollister had the contract, his bid being $16,000. 
The brick used in the construction were made on the ground, and the lumber 
used in the construction work came by steamboat from Pittsburgh, Pa. The 
hotel was completed in the summer of 1858, and at last accounts the town 
company still owed Mr. Hollister $3,000. Some years later the brick used in 
the hotel were gathered and cleaned and hauled to Atchison and used the con- 
struction of a building owned by the late John J. Tngalls, located at 108-110 
South Fourth street. 



86 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

In the fall of 1857 Cone Brothers (John P. and D. D.) brought a print- 
ing outfit to Kansas, and were induced to locate in Sumner, where they sliortly 
begun the publication of The Sumner Gazette, the first issue of which appeared 
on September 12. During the political canvass that fall they also issued a 
daily. The Gazette was issued until 1861 when it suspended, its publishers 
' believing that it was the only paper in Kansas that outlived the town in which 
it started. 

Among those engaged in business in Sumner on October i. 1857, the 
Daily Gazette shows the following : 

John P. Wheeler, attorney and counsellor at law, commissioner of deeds, 
dealer in real estate, etc. 

Kahn & Fassler, general store, on Front street, between Washington ave- 
nue and Chestnut street. 

Mayer & Rohrmann, carpenters and builders. 

Barnard & Wheeler, proprietors of the Sumner Brick Yard. 

^^'m. M. Reed, contractor, Atchison and Sumner. 

John Armor, steam saw mill, in the city. 

Butclier & Brothers, general store on Front street, between \\'ashington 
avenue and Olive street. 

Allen Green, painter and glazier. 

S. J. Bennett, boot and shoe store, corner of Washington avenue and 
Fourth street. 

Arthur M. Claflin, general land agent, forwarding and commission agent. 

J. P. Wheeler and A. M. Claflin, lumber, office with the Sumner 
Company. 

H. S. Baker, proprietor of Baker's Hotel, corner of Front and Olive 
streets, near steamboat landing. 

A. Barber, general merchandise. Front street, between Washington ave- 
nue and Olive street. 

Lietzenburger & Co., blacksmiths, wagon makers, etc.. Cedar street, be- 
tween Third and Fourth streets. 

D. Xewcomb, M. D., office in postoffice building, corner of Third street 
and Washington avenue. Mr. Newcomb also dealt in lime, and on September 
24, received a large and select stock of hardware, stoves, etc. 

When the Territorial legislature of 1858 met, a bill was introduced, incor- 
porating the Sumner Company, Cyrus F. Currier, Samuel F. Harsh, J. \N. 
Morris, Isaac C. Losse and Jolm !'. Wlieelcr, their associates and successors, 
constitutin gtlie company. The act also provided that the corporation should 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 8/ 

have the power to purchase and hold, and enter by preemption and otherwise, 
any quantity of land where the town of Sumner is now located, not to exceed 
one thousand acres, etc. 

A ferry at Sumner was also incorporated by the legislature of 1858, J. \A'. 
Morris. Cyrus F. Currier and Samuel Harsh being the incorporators. This 
boat plied between Atchison and Sumner and the Missouri side. 

In 1S58 Samuel Hollister built a steam sawmill, adding a gristmill later. 

By the end of 1858 Sumner had outstripped its rival, Atchison, in popula- 
tion. ■ and steps were taken looking towards the incorporation of the town. 
Early in the beginning of the legislature of 1859, articles of incorporation were 
passed and received the approval of Governor Samuel Medary on February 9. 
These articles of incorporation were later amended by an act passed by the 
first State legislature, which was approved June 3, 1861. 

The decline of Sumner began with the drought which started in the fall- 
of 1859 and prevailed through the year i860. In June, i860, a cyclone struck 
the town and either blew down or damaged nearly every building, this calamity 
being followed in September by a visitation of grasshoppers, all of which were 
potent factors in wiping- Sumner off the map. Some of the houses which 
could be moved were taken to Atchison, and some to farms in the immediate 
vicinity. 

One of the most interesting accounts that appeared about Sumner was 
written by H. Clay Park, an old citizen of Atchison, who for many years was 
editor and part owner of the Atchison Patriot. It would not be just either 
to Mr. Park or to Sumner, were this account not perpetuated in this volume, 
and it, therefore, appears in full as follows : 

"the rise and fall of SUMNER. 

"Three miles south of Atchison, Kansas, is the site of a dead city, whose 
streets once were filled with the clamor of busy traffic and echoed to the tread 
of thousands of oxen and mules that in the pioneer days of the Great ^\'est 
transported the products of tiie East across the Great American Desert to the 
Rocky mountains. It was a city in which for a few years twenty-five hundred 
men and women and children lived and labored and loved, in which many lofty 
aspirations were born, and in which several young men began careers that 
became historical. 

"This city was located on what the early French voyagers called the 'Grand 
Detour' of the Missouri river. No mure rugged and ])icturesque site for a 
city- or one more inaccessible and with mure vuipropitious environ- 



88 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

ments could have been selected. It was literally Ijuilt in and on the everlast- 
ing hills, covered with a primeval forest so dense that the shadows chased the 
sunbeams away. It sprang into existence so suddenly and imperceptibly it 
might almost have been considered a creation of the magician's wand. It was 
named Sumner in honor of the great Massachusetts senator. Its official motto 
was 'Pro lege et grege" (For tlie law and tlie people). This would, in the 
light of subsequent events, have been more suggestive: 'I shall fall, like a 
bright exhalation in the evening.' 

"Sumner's first citizens came mostly from Massacliusetts, and were im- 
bued with the spirit of creed and cant, self-reliance and fanaticism that could 
have been born only on Plymouth Rock. Tliey had come to the frontier to 
make Kansas a free State and to build a city, within whose walls all previous 
conditions of slavery should be disregarded and where all men born should be 
regarded equal. The time — 1856 — was auspicious. Kansas was both a great 
political and military battlefield, upon which the question of the institution of 
slaver}- was to be settled for all time. 

"The growth of Sumner was phenomenal. A lithograph printed in 1857 
shows streets of stately buildings, imposing seats of learning, church spires that 
pierced the clouds, elegant hotels and theaters, tlie river full of floating pal- 
aces, its levee lined with bales and barrels of merchandise, and the white smoke 
from numerous factories hanging over the city like a banner of peace and 
prosperity. To one who in that day approached Sumner from the east and 
saw it across the river, which like a burnished mirror, reflected its glories, it 
did indeed present an imposing aspect. 

"One day the steamboat Duncan S. Carter landed at Sumner. On its 
hurricane deck was John J. Ingalls, then only twenty-four years old. As his 
eye swept the horizon his prophetic soul uttered these words: 'Behold the home 
of the future senator from Kansas.' Here the young college graduate, who 
since that day became the senator from Kansas. lived and dreamed until Sum- 
ner's star had set and Atchison's sun had risen, and then he moved to Atchison, 
bringing with him Sumner's official seal and the key to his hotel. 

"Here lived that afterwards brilliant author and joumalist, Albert D. 
Richardson, whose tragic death some years ago in the counting room of the 
New York Tribune is well remembered. His 'Beyond the Mississippi" is to 
this day the most fascinating account ever written of the boundless West. 

"Here lived the nine-year-old Minnie Hauk, who was one dav to Ijecome 
a renowned prima donna and charm two continents with her voice, and who 
was to wed the Count \\'artegg. Minnie was born in poverty and cradled in 
adversity. Her mother was a poor washerwoman in Sumner. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISOX COUNTY 89 

"Here lived John E. Remsburg, the now noted author, lecturer and free- 
thinker. Mr. Remsburg has probably delivered more lectures in the last 
thirty years than any man in America. He is now the leader of the Free- 
Thought Federation of America. 

"Here Walter A. \\'ood, the big manufacturer of agricultural implements, 
lived and made and mended wagons. Here Lovejoy, 'the Yankee preacher," 
preached and prayed. Here lived 'Brother' and 'Sister' Newcomb, from whom 
has descended a long line of zealous and eminent MethocTists. Here was 
born Paul Hull, the well known Chicago journalist. 

"And Sumner was the city tliat the Rev. Pardee Butler lifted up his hands 
and blessed and prophesied would grow and wax fat when the 'upper landing' 
would sleep in a dishonored and forgotten grave, as he floated by it on his 
raft, clad in tar and feathers. The 'upper landing' was the opprebrious title 
conferred by Sumner upon Atchison. The two towns were bitter enemies. 
Sumner was 'abolitionist;' Atchison was 'border ruffian.' In Atchison the 
'nigger' was a slave; in Sumner he was a fetich. It was in Atchison that the 
'abolition preacher.' Pardee Butler, was tarred and feathered and set adrift on 
a raft in the river. He survived the tortures of his coat of degradation and 
the 'ciuick-holes' of the Missouri river and lived to become a prohibition fanatic 
and a Democratic Presidential elector. 

"Jonathan Lang, alias 'Shang,' the hero of Senator Ingalls" 'Catfish Aris- 
tocracy,' and the 'last mayor of Sumner,' lived and died in Sumner. When all 
his lovely companions had faded and gone 'Shang' still pined on the stem. 
The senator's description of this type of a vanished race is unicjue : 

■ " 'To the most minute observer his age was a (juestion of the gra\'est 
douljt. He might have been thirty ; he might have Ijeen a century, witli no 
violation of the probabilities. His hair was a sandy sorrel, something like a 
Rembrandt interior, and strayed around his freckled scalp like the top laver 
of a hayrick in a tornado. His eyes were two ulcers, half filled with pale 
blue starch. A thin, sharp nose projected above a lipless nioulh that .seemed 
always upon the point of breaking into the most grievous lamentations, and 
never opened save to take whiskey and tobacco in and let oaths and saliva out. 
A long, slender neck, yellow and wrinkled after the manner of a lizard's 
belly, bore tin's dome of thought upon its summit, itself projecting from a mis- 
cellaneous assortment of gent's furnishing goods, which covered a frame of 
unearthly longitude and unspeakable emaciation. Thorns and thongs sui)plied 
the place of buttons upon the costume of this Bnmimel of the bottom, coarsely 
patched beyond recognition of the original fabric. The coat had been con- 



go HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

structed for a giant, the pants for a pigmy. They were too long in the waist 
and too short in the leg, and flapped loosely around his shrunk shanks high 
above the point where his fearful feet were partially concealed by mismated 
shoes that permitted his great toes to peer from their gaping integinnents, like 
the heads of two snakes of a novel species and uncommon fetor. This princely 
phenomenon was topped with a hat which had neither band nor brim nor 
crown : 

" 'If lliat could shape be called which shape has none. 

" 'His voice was high, shrill and querulous, and his manner an odd mix- 
ture of fawning servility and apprehensive effronteiy at the sight of a "damned 
Yankee abolitionist," whom he hated and feared next to a negro who was 
not a slave.' 

"The only error in the senator's description of 'Shang' is that 'Shang' 
was 'abolitionist' himself, and 'fit to free the nigger.' 

'Shang' continued to live in Sumner until every house, save his miser- 
able hut, had vanished like tlie baseless fabric of a vision. He claimed and 
was proud of the title, 'the last mayor of Sumner.' He died a few years ago, 
and a little later lightning struck his cabin and it was devoured 1)y flames. 
And thus passed aw^ay the last relic of Sumner. 

"In tlie flood tide of Sumner's prosperity, 1856 to 1859 — fnr Jiefore that 
it was nothing, after that nothing — it had ambition to become tlie county seat 
of the newly organized county of Atchison. J. P. Wheeler, president of the 
Sumner Town Compan)-, was a member of the lower house of the Territorial 
legislature, and he 'logrolled' a bill through that body conferring upon Sumner 
the title of county seat, Init the Atchison 'gang' finally succeeded in getting 
the bill killed in the senate. Subsequently, October, 1858, there was an 
election to settle the vexed question of a county seat. Atchison won ; Sumner 
lost. 

, "About this time Atchison secured its first railroad. Tlie smoke from 

the locomotive engines drifted to Sumner and enveloped it like a pall. The 
decadence was at liand, and Sumner's race to extinction and oblivion was rapid. 
One dav there was an exodus of citizens ; the liouses were torn down and the 
timbers thereof cartered away, and foundation stones were dug up and carried 
hence. Successive summers' rains and winters' snows furrowed streets and 
alleys beyond recogniiiDn and filled foundation excavations to the level, and 
ere long a tangled mass of briers and brambles hid away the last vestige of the 
once busy, ambitious city. The forest, again unvexed by ax nr saw. asserted 
liis dominion once more, and tuday. beneath the shadow cast by mighty oaks 
and sighing cottonwoods. Sumner lies dead and forgotten." 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 9I 

In the above article, reference is made 1j\- Mr. Park to Jonathan Lang, 
and it is important in this connection to print herewith an excerpt from the 
Atchison Daily Globe, December, 1915, relating to this interesting character, 
which follows : 

"The reunion of the Thirteenth Kansas infantry at Hiawatha Tuesday 
recalls that the late Jonathan G. Lang, self-styled 'Mayor of Old Sumner,' 
and hero of John J. Ingalls' 'Catfish Aristocracy,' was a soldier in this regi- 
ment, and was the butt of many jokes on the part of his comrades in camp as 
he was in the days of civil life at old Sumner. Thomas J. Payne, a sergeant 
in the Thirteenth, now living in California, relates an amusing story of 'Old 
Shang,' as Lang was generally called by his comrades : When the regiment was 
mustered into service on September 28, 1862, and the newlv assigned officers 
^^■ere reviewing their troops at Camp Stanton, in Atchison, tlie tall, gaunt form 
of Lang (for he was nearly seven feet tall and very angular) towered above the 
rest of the men like the stately cottonwood above the hazelbnish. Riding up 
and down the lines, and scanning the troops with critical eye to see that there 
was no breech of ranks or decorum, the gaze of Colonel Bowen could not help 
but fall upon the lofty and lanky form of Lang, rising several heads above 
any of his comrades. The colonel paused, and pointing his finger at the 
grenadier form in the ranks, shouted in thunderous tones, 'Get down off that 
stump.' A ripple of suppressed laughter immediately passed along the lines, 
and when Colonel Bowen saw his mistake he promptly revoked his order with 
a hearty chuckle and rode on towards the end of the column. And not until 
twenty years later, when all that was mortal of old Lang — his nearly seven 
feet of skin and bones — was laid way to moulder with the ruins of old Sum- 
ner, did he finally 'get down off of that stump.' He rests at the entrance of 
the Sumner cemetery and his grave is marked with one of those small, regula- 
tion slabs such as are furnished by the Government for the graves of dead 
soldiers and bears this simple inscription : 'J. G. Lang, Co. K. 13th Kansas In- 
fantry.' There are two other members of the Thirteenth Kansas buried at 
Sumner. They are, John Scott, of Company D, and Albred Brown, of Com- 
pany F." 

Another article relating to Old Sumner, which is entertaining and instruc- 
tive, was written by E. W. Howe, and is taken from the Historical Edition of 
the Atchison Daily Globe, issued July 16, 1894: 

"The founder of Sumner was Jolin P. Wheeler, a red-headed, blue-eyed, 
consumptive, slim, freckled enthusiast from Massachusetts. He was a sur- 
veyor by profession, and also founded the town of Hiawatha. He was one 



92 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of the adventurers who came to Kansas as a result of the excitement of 1855- 
'56, and was only twenty-one years old when he came West. ^lost of the men 
w^ho had much to do with early Kansas history were young. 

"The town was not named for Charles Sumner, as is generally supposed, 
but for his brother, George Sumner, one of the original stockholders. At that 
time Atchison was controlled by Southern sympathizers — P. T. Abell, the 
Stringfellows, the ^^IcVeys. A. J. Westbrook and others — and abolitionists 
were not welcome in the town. It was believed that a city \\ould be built 
within a few miles of this point, as it was favorable for overland freighting, 
being farther West than any other point on the Missouri river. On the old 
French maps Atchison was known as tlie "Grand Detour," meaning the great 
bend in the river to the westward. 

"Being a violent abolitionist, John P. Wheeler determined to establish 
a town where abolitionists would be welcome, and Sumner was the result. 
The town was laid out in 1856, and the next year \\'heeler had a lithograph 
made, whicli he took East for use in booming his town. 

"Among others captured by means of this lithograph was John J. Ingalls. 
Wheeler and Ingalls were both acquainted with a Boston man of means named 
Samuel A. Walker. Wheeler wanted Walker to invest in Sumner, and as 
Walker knew that Ingalls was anxious to go West, he asked him to stop 
at Sumner and report upon it as a point for the investment of Boston money. 

"Mr. Ingalls arrived in Sumner on the 4th of October. 1858, on the 
steamer Duncan S. Carter, which left St. Louis four days before. The town 
then contained about two thousand people, five hundred more than Atchison ; 
but Sumner was already declining, and Mr. Ingalls did not advise his friend. 
Walker, to invest. 

"A hotel building costing $16,000.00. had been Iniilt by Samuel Hollister. 
A famous steamboat cook had charge of the kitchen in the old days, and the 
stages running between Jefferson City and St. Joe stopped there ever\- day for 
dinner. Jefferson City was then the end of the railroad — the Pacific Railroad 
of Missouri, now the Missouri Pacific — which runs through the deserted site 
of Sumner, and directly over the foundation of the wagon factory built by 
Levi A. Woods. This wagon factory was one of the results of Wheeler's 
audacious lithograph, and few wagons were actually manufactured. The 
factory was heavily insured, and burned. 

"Albert R. Richardson was a. citizen of Sumner, when Mr. Ingalls arrived 
there ; also James Hauk, the father of Minnie Hauk, who has since become 
famous as a singer in grand opera. James Hauk was a carpenter, whose wife 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 93 

* 

operated a boarding house. Minnie Hauk waited on the table, and was noted 
among the boarders as a smart Httle girl with a long yellow braid down her 
back, who could play the piano pretty well. The next year Hauk made a 
house boat and floated down the river to New Orleans. 

"When John J. Ingalls went to Sumner, a young man of twenty-four, 
he took great interest in sucli characters as Archie Boler and Jonathan Grander 
Lang. Lang was a jug fisherman in tlie river, melon raiser, truck patch 
farmer and town drunkard. Ingalls says that Lang was reall}- a Ijright fellow. 
He had been a dragoon in the Mexican War, and his stories of experiences 
in the West were intensely interesting. Ingalls used to go out in Lang's 
boat when he was jugging for catfish and spend hours listening to his talk. 
Finally Ingalls wrote his 'Catfish Aristocracy,' and Lang recognized himself 
as the hero. He was very indignant and threatened to sue Ingalls, having been 
advised by some jackleg lawyer that the article was libelous. Lang lived on 
a piece of land belonging to Ingalls at the time, and Ingalls told the writer of 
this the other day that it was actually true that he settled wih Lang for a sack 
of flour and a side of bacon. Lang served in the Civil war, and long after its 
close, when his old friend was president of the United States Senate, he secured 
him a pension and a lot of Ijack ])ay. But this he squandered in marrying. 
His pension money was a curse to him. for it only served to put a lot of 
wolves on his trail. 

"When the war brnke <:iut tiie Atciiisun men who objected to abolitionists 
settling in their town were driven out of the country, and this attracted a 
good many of the citizens of Sumner. But its death blow came in June. iS6o, 
when nearly eveiy house iii the place was either blown down or badly dam- 
aged by a tornado. This was the first and only tornado in the history of 
this immediate section." 

Reference is made in both of these articles to John J. Ingalls, who arrived 
in Sumner from Boston, Mass., October 4, 1858. Mr. Ingalls was a graduate 
of Williams College a sliorl time before, and at the time he decided to go West 
he was a student in a law office in Boston, where his attention was first called 
to Sumner by an elaborate lithograph of the town displayed by Mr. Wheeler, 
the promoter. Tiie impressions of Mr. Ingalls upon his arrival in Sumner 
are, therefore, ]jertinenl and convey some idea of the shock he received when 
he landed at the Sumner levee. In a letter which lie subscquenth' wrote describ- 
ing the event, he said ; 

"That chromatic trium])li of lithographed mendacity, supplemented b\- the 
loquacious embellishments of a lively adventurer who has been laying out lown 



94 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

sites and staking off corner lots for some years past in Tophet, exhibited a 
scene in which the attractions of art, nature, science, commerce and religion 
were artistically blended. Innumerable drays were transporting from a fleet 
of gorgeous steambooats vast cargoes of foreign and domestic merchandise 
over Russ pavements to colossal warehouses of brick and stone. Dense, wide 
streets of elegant residences rose with gentle ascent from the stores of the 
tranquil stream. Numerous parks, decorated with rare trees, shrubbery and 
fountains were surrounded with the mansions of the great and tlie temples of 
their devotion. The adjacent eminences were crowned with costly piles which 
wealth, directed by intelligence and controlled b}^ taste, had erected for the edu- 
cation of the rising generation of Sumnerites. The only shadow upon the 
enchanting landscape fell from the clouds of smoke that poured from the tower- 
ing shafts of her acres of manufactories, while the whole circumference of 
the undulating prairie was white with endless, sinuous trains of wagons, slowly 
moving toward the mysterious region of the Farther West." 

OCENA. 

Ocena was laid out in Atchison county in 1853, and for a time it gave 
promise of becoming an important place. Ocena was located on the northeast 
bank of Stranger creek, on what is known as the McBride farm, in the south 
half of the northeast quarter of section 22, township 6, range 19, about a mile 
north of the present site of Pardee. The first postoffice in Center township, 
and one of the first in Atchison county, was establislied at Ocena with William 
Crosby as postmaster in August, 1855. In 1856, T. C. McBride was appointed 
postmaster, and served until the office was removed to Pardee in 1858, when 
S. G. Moore was appointed postmaster. 

T. C. McBride was one of the early settlers of Center township, having 
arrived there in March, 1856, and settled on the land on wliich the town of 
Ocena was built. He was one of the early merchants of the place, having a 
small store, in which he kept the postoffice. The mail was caried from Atchi- 
son to Ocena by stage. McBride was a Tennesseean, born in 1826. In the 
fall of 1857, in a grove on the McBride farm, the first church service in that 
section was held. It was of the Methodist Episcopal denomination. 

Ocena was the first important stopping place west of Atchison. The old 
Sqttatter Sovereign, of Atchison, in its issue of December 5, 1857. contained 
the following advertisement of the town : "The tnith plainly told will show 
that Ocena is alreadv a citv. The surface of the earth was so moulded bv 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 95 

the plastic hand of tlie Creator tliat a few jioints in the witle expanse of Nature 
were destined to ecHpse all otiiers. Ocena is one of tliose points. Located 
as it is, on the northeast bank of Stranger creek, in the county of Atchison, 
where roads leading from Doniphan and St. Joe to Lecompton are intersected 
by roads leading from Atchison to Grasshopper Falls and Osawkee ; and also 
being upon the great thoroughfare running up and down the valley of the 
Stranger, it offers more inducements for a large and ]jrosperous inland town 
than any other place in Kansas Territory. All persons anxious to thrive and 
desirous of obtaining a home on reasonable terms will do well to settle in 
Ocena. For further particulars in reference to the town apply to Isaac S. 
Hascall, president, or M. C. Finney, secretary." 

Freedom's Champion, in its issue of July 3, 1858, says of the town : 
"Ocena, besides having the most musical name, is one of the most beautiful 
places in Kansas. A postoffice has been established there and several new 
buildings are being erected. It is destined to be a thriving little place." 

Ocena was killed by Pardee, a town which was started a short distance 
to the south of it, but neither amounted to much from a municipal and busi- 
ness standpoint. Pardee is now only a country village. It was first platted as 
a town by James Brewer, in the string of 1857, and was named in honor of 
Pardee Butler, of border warfare fame. In the winter of 1856 Mr. Butler 
preached iiis first sermon in Pardee, the services being held in the sciiool 
house, which had been completed during the previous fall, and opened by 
James Brewer in December. Caleb May, the first settler in Center township, 
was the first president of the Pardee Town Company. Pardee Butler was 
afterwards president; Milo Carleton, secretary; Wm. J. May, treasurer; S. G. 
Moore, A. Elliott and W. Wakefield, trustees. Mr. Moore opened the 
first store in Pardee in 1858, and became the first postmaster as aforestated. 
Mr. Carleton put a wind gristmill in operation at Pardee at an early day, 
but it was destroyed by a storm. 

LANCASTER. 

Lancaster is one of the oldest towns in the county. In the issue of 
October 16, 1858, of Freedom's Champion, the following advertisement with 
reference to Lancaster appears : 

"LANCASTER. 

"Lancaster City is the name of a new town just springing into existence. 
It is located 10 miles direct west of our city (Atchison) Atchison county, K. T., 
on the east half of Section 32, Township 5, Range 19, the great military road 



g6 HISTORY OF ATCHISON" COUNTY 

to Fts. Kearney, Laramie, Bridge, and to Santa Fe, Utah, Washington Ter- 
ritory, Gadson Purchase, CaHfornia, Xew Mexico, etc., passes through the 
town site. Also roads leading from Nebraska City, St. Joseph, Doniphan, 
and to Grasshopper Falls, Topeka, Lecompton and Lawrence. 

"A more beautiful situation for a large and prosperous city could not be 
found in the Territory, or the Great \\'est. Its site is rolling and dry, climate 
healthy and salubrious as heart could wish for. The surrounding country 
cannot be surpassed for its magnificent undulating prairies, being one of the 
most fertile agricultural regions in the whole country. 

"Excellent coal, building stone and timber, within two, and two and a 
half miles. This town has been under way but little over two months, and 
notwithstanding the hard times, quite a number of buildings are already 
erected, among which will be found a large and commodious hotel, a good 
store, blacksmith and carpenter shops, post office, etc., etc. Arrangements 
are made for the erection of several more dwelling houses, also for the erection 
during this montli. of a Union church, Tthe first in the county ) and with liberty 
heretofore unequalled in Kansas, Mr. J. W. Smith, the President of the Com- 
pany, authorizes us to say that he will give good lots gratis to mechanics, lab- 
orers, and others, who will apply for them soon, or who will erect improve- 
ments on them in six months, worth S200 or more. This, we think, a good 
chance for men who want a comfortable home in the best section if our coun- 
try. The company now offer to sell lots or shares at reasonable rates, and are 
prepared to make warrantee deeds for the same, having purchased the site 
and obtained the title for the same of the Government of the United States 
on the 26th day of June, 1858. Persons wishing to live in an interior town, 
will do well to visit Lancaster before investing elsewhere." 

While this little town did not prove to be all that its promoters expected 
of it, it continued as a good trading point for many years, and in 1916 remains 
one of the prosperous communities of the county. In addition to the one bank 
which it supports, reference to which has already been made, Lancaster, in 
1915, has seven stores, a two-room public school, three churches, one eleva- 
tor, one lumber yard, a good hotel and a garage. In 191 5 its enterprising citi- 
zens built an electric high tensioned line connecting with the Effingham line 
out of Atchison, to supply the town with electric lights, and its citizens are now 
enjoying all the benefits of electricity. 

About 80,000 bushels of grain, and an average of seventy-five cars of 
live stock are shipj)ed out of Lancaster annually. Its merchants are enter- 
prising and prosperous, and many comfortable and commodious homes have 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 97 

been built in this little town. It is located in one of the finest agricultural 
sections of the county, and the surrounding country is in a state of high culti- 
vation, and peopled by prosperous and thrift)- farmers. 

PORT WILLIAM. 

In the Squatter Sovereign of March ii, 1S56, publisiied at Atchison, ap- 
peared the following advertisement of Port William : 

"This new and beautiful town site is situated on the Missouri river, in 
Kansas Territory, three or four miles above tlie town of latan, in the heart of 
the most densely populated part of Kansas ; surrounded b_\- the finest soil 
and timber in that Territory, with a permanent landing, commanding a \iew 
of the river for several miles above and below. The principal part of said 
town is located on a bed of stone coal of the liest quality. Arrangements are 
being made to have said stone coal bed opened and wrought 1)y a joint stock 
company early in the spring, at which time there will be a sale of lots. There 
is now in course of erection a good steam saw mill, which will be in successful 
operation in a few weeks ; also, a large and commodious tavern is in process of 
erection, wliich will be opened for the accommodation of the public in a short 
time. Persons wishing to procure lots immediately will have opportunity of 
so doing by calling on Henry Bradley or Jonathan Hartman, both of whom are 
authorized agents to sell and dispose of lots, and one or both may at all 
times be found on the premises ready to accommodate purchasers upon the 
most liberal terms. H. B. Wallace, Amos Rees, Henry Debard, H. C. Brad- 
ley, H. B. Herndon, James G. Spratt, W. C. Remington. James W. Bradley, 
P. J. Collins, trustees." 

Of the above named trustees Judge James G. Spratt, W. C. Remington 
and Henry Debard were prominent citizens of Platte county, Missouri, and 
members of the town company that incorporated Port William in 1855. James 
M. and Henry Bradley and H. B. Herndon were also members of this 
comi)any. Henry Deliard was a Kentuckian, jjorn in Clark county, November 
24, 1801, and came to Platte county at an early day, later removing to Kansas. 
He was a prominent Mason, and took an active ])art in Masonic work in 
Missouri for many years. He was a cat)inet maker, l)ut did not work much 
at his trade. He died in Platte City, October 5, 1875. 

Amos Rees was born at Winchester, Va., December 2, 1800, and came to 
Missouri at an early age, locating in Platte county, March i, 1845. For many 
years he was a prominent attorney of that county. He moved to Kansas in 

7 



9$ HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

1855, and died, December 29, 1885. Dr. H. B. Wallace, who was interested in 
Port William, was a physician at Platte City, and a member of the town 
board in 1858. He invested largely in St. Jose, and the war reduced him 
almost to poverty. He died, February 24, 1863. Judge Paxton, in his 
"Annals of Platte County," simply mentions him as having married the 
"beautiful and accomplished Ann E. Owen." 

J. Butler Chapman arrived in Kansas in the spring of 1854, made a trip 
over the tcrritor\-, and then published a small volume, entitled "History of 
Kansas and Emigrant's Guide." He refers to Port William as "Williamsport, 
a prospective town a short distance above Kickap<Jo." "Tlie bluffs," lie con- 
tinues, "are high and precipitous, and the land broken until you reach the 
high rolling prairie back some three miles. The whole country is settled on 
with a view of preemption." 

A company known as the Port William Sharp's Rifles, numbering eighty- 
one, rank and file, was formed at Port \\'illiam, in October, 1856. The com- 
missioned officers elected were James Adkins, captain; Henry C. Bradley, 
first lieutenant; James M. Bradley, second lieutenant; S. Bowman, third lieu- 
tenant. The company was enrolled, or was intended to be enrolled, in the 
first regiment, first brigade, northern division of the Kansas militia, and 
applied for arms and commissions. The Port W'illiam Town Company was 
incorporated by an act of the Territorial legislature in 1855 and the town 
company was composed of William C. Remington, James G. Spratt, Henr>- 
Debard, James M. Bradley, Henry Bradley, Horace B. Herndon and William 
B. Almond. 

General William B. Almond, one of the incorporators of Pt. \\'illiam. was 
a noted man in the West in the early days. He was a Vir^nian, whtj came 
to Platte county, Missouri, when the Platte Purchase was opened, and settled 
near the Buchanan county line. At a very early period he had been connected 
with the American Fur Company, and as a mountaineer had many adventures. 
During the thirties he was a brigadier genera' of the State militia in Missouri. 
He was one of the foremost "Forty-niners" to California, leading a company 
to the land of gold, among whom was Ben HoUaday, afterwards famous as 
the originator of the "pony express" and other \\'estern enterprises, \\liile in 
California General Almond distinguished himself as a I'erritorial judge in San 
Francisco. Returning to Platte county in 1851 he was elected circuit judge, 
was a candidate for lieutenant governor, and filled other offices and places of 
distinction and prominence. He was also connected with mercantile, milling 
/ and other enterprises. He li\ed for some time in Topeka and Leavenworth, 
and died at the latter place in i860. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 99 

Judge James G. Spratt, anotlier of the promoters of old Port William, 
was also a man of some prominence. He came to the West from Smith 
county, Virginia, where he was born, 1826, and, like General Almond, settled 
in Platte county at a very early day. In 1843 he was appointed a justice of 
the peace in Platte county, and was afterwards deputy county clerk, probate 
judge and held other positions. For some time he was engaged in the prac- 
tice of law, and was in partnership with Hon. Joseph E. Merryman, in Platte 
City. In 1864 he went to Montana where he became a mine speculator. He 
died November 13, 1881, and his remains were brought back to Platte for 
burial. W. H. Spratt, a brother of Judge Spratt, was at one time sheriff 
of Platte county. 

William C. Remington was another pioneer of Platte, like General Al- 
mand and Judge Spratt, a A'irginian by birth, who came west at a very early 
day. He was one of the early assessors of Platte county, and subsequently 
was elected circuit clerk. He was one of the trustees of the Platte City Town 
Company when it was incorporated in 1843. He was also a memlier of the 
compan}- that laid off the town of St. Mary's at the mouth of Bee creek in 
1S57, but no lots were ever sold. Mr. Remington was one of the early mer- 
chants of Platte City, one of the proprietors of the Platte City Weekly Atlas, 
and was interested in various other enterprises. His handsome brick resi- 
dence in Platte City was among those burned by federal orders in July, 1864. 
He died December 20, 1864, in Omaha, where he was operating a hotel. 

Of Plenry Debard, another member of the PYirt William Town Company, 
the writer has not yet found any record. The Bradleys lived in Platte county, 
opposite Port William for many years, moved over to the Kansas side early in 
1854, and with Squire Horace B. Hemdon started the old town. The Brad- 
leys opened a general store and James M. Bradley was appointed postmaster 
when the postoffice was established in April, 1855. Squire Plerndon was one 
of the earliest justices of the peace in Kansas, and had much business in his 
court in the early days, as Port William was one of the roughest of the 
l)order towns. 

Port William was located eight miles below Atchison. It is one of the 
most interesting localities from a historical standpoint in Atchison county and 
northeastern Kansas. It is one of the oldest settlements in Kansas, ami for 
a time in the early days was one of the promising villages of the territory. 
In fact, it was of enough importance, not in size, but as a prospecti\-e po])ulace, 
lo be mentioned by travelers of that time, as one of the [irincipid towns of 
Kansas. Father Pierre Jean de Smet, the Jesuit missionary, in a letter written 



I(X) HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

F"ebruary 26, 1859, says : "A great number of towns and villages have sprung 
up as if by enchantment in the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska. The prin- 
cipal towns of Kansas are \\ yandotte. Delaware, Douglas, Mar\-sville, lola, 
Atchison, Ft. Scott, Pawnee. Lecompton, Neosho, Richmond, Tecumseh. 
Lawrence, Port William. Doniphan, Paola, Alexandria, Indianola, Easton, 
Leavenworth and others." The history of old Doniphan, Sumner and Kick- 
apoo has long l>een well established, but that of Port William has been neglected 
and has remained obscure. Port \\'illiam never was much of a town, as were 
its rivals, Doniphan. Sumner and Kickapoo, but it was proposedly in the race 
for municipal supremacy in the pioneer days, and though its star may never 
have attained the ascendency, its story is at least worthy of preser\-ation in the 
archives of Atchison county history. 

Port William was started in 1856 by Henry and James M. Bradley. John 
T. and Albred Bailey, and Jonathan Hartman. The two Bradleys and John 
T. Bailey composed the town company. The Bradleys conducted a general 
store, and a postoffice was established in April, 1855. with Henry Bradley as 
first postinaster. This was the first postoffice in \\'alnut township. Jona- 
than Hartman owned and operated a sawmill, the first in Atchison county, 
in 1854, and made the first lumber ever sawed in the county. There were 
several saloons, and later a blacksmith shop, a carpenter shop and other small 
industries were started. It has been surmised by someone that Port Williams, 
as it is sometimes called, was named for a Missouri river steamboat captain 
named Williams, as steamboats often tied up at the place in the early days. 
There are others who believe it was so called for the late "Uncle Frank" W'\\- 
liams, one of the fathers of the colored settlement which was started in that 
vicinity at a later day. The correct name of the place, however, is Port 
\\'illiam, instead of Port Williams, and it is known that it was so named more 
than fifty years ago, or nearly twenty years before "Uncle Frank" Williams 
settled there. The correct origin of the name is probably given by the late 
W. J. Bailey, of Atchison, who was one of the very first settlers of that 
vicinity. He said that in 1854 a man named William Johnson came across 
from the settlement about latan. Mo., and took up the claim on wliich Port 
William was afterwards built. It was a likely claim and Johnson soon had 
trouble on his hands in holding the property. Several men tried to chase him 
off with gims. but Johnson managed to make sucli a good defense as to repel 
them. He stayed in his cabin a week, not daring to come out for fear of being 
sliot. He won out and held the claim. Tiie other fellows tlien referred to 
his cabin as Fort William (that was his first name). Soon after Jake Yunt, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY lOI 

from Missouri, established a liand ferryboat, and b_\- and by steamboats began 
to land there. Then the name was changed to Port William, and this is the 
proper name of the place, although on the Alissouri Pacific statit)n board now- 
standing there it is marked "Port Williams." 

There are but few men who came to Atchison county earlier than W. J. 
Bailev. of Atchison. He crossed the river from Platte county on June 12, 
1854, and settled at Port \\'illiam, and, with the exception of a few years" resi- 
dence in Colorado, has lived in this county ever since. Luther Dickerson, 
who was generally known as the "oldest inhabitant," came here the same month 
that Mr. Bailey did. \\'lien Mr. Bailey first arrived at Port ^^'illiam he built 
a one room cabin on his claim near that place, and to do so was obliged to drag- 
logs with one horse a distance of a mile and a half. In 1853 he brought liis 
cattle over. He said the grass all over this county was ankle deep and afforded 
fine pasturage. There was no town at Atchison then, but Challiss Bros, con- 
ducted a store on the river bank, and George Million operated a hand ferry- 
boat. ^Ir. Bailey worked for Million three years. 

"Those were happy times," said Mr. Bailey, "we met aroui-id among 
neighboring cabins and had parties. When we had a fiddle we danced." For 
several years Mr. Bailey was with afreighting crow between Ft. Leaven- 
worth and Ft. Kearney, most of the time as a wagon-master. They gener- 
all\- drove twentv-si.x wagons w-ith six yoke of oxen to each wagon and hauled 
Government supplies. Once they were surrounded by Indians and were in 
imminent danger of being annihilated, when General Harney with a company 
of troops came to their rescue and chased the red-skins to Ash Hollow, near 
Ft. Kearney, where a bloody skirmish took place and the Indians were routed. 
Speaking of old Port ^^'illiam, Mr. Bailey said: "Although laid out as an 
investment, the town was a failure. The little creek flowed through the center 
of the tow-n, dividing the stores and saloons from the sawmill, blacksmith 
shop and carpenter shop. No city government encased the stream with cement 
tilii-ig, and the best bridge the town ever afforded was built by felling a cotton- 
wood tree across the stream." Port William had its "tow-n bullies" and fights 
were of frequent occurrence. Mr. Bailey said that the "town bullies" were 
Dan McLoud, Bill Pates and Bob Gibson. "It was common," he said, "for 
farmers to go to Port William every Saturday afternoon to witness the fights 
and drunks." On one occasion a man was badly shot u]) and .uiotiicr jumped 
into the river and swam across. Mr. Bailey said the first election there con- 
tained 250 ballots, although only sixty people voted. There were two ballot 



I02 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

boxes, one controlled by the pro-slavery and the other by the Free State people. 
Eight or ten men stood around the balloting places with guns, and people voted 
five or six times, though under different names. 

The "village blacksmith" of old Port Wiliam, and one of the early 
justices of the peace of Walnut township, was Thomas J. Payne, later living 
at Canyon City, Colo. Mr. Payne settled at Port William. March i8, 
1855. and was one of the pioneer blacksmiths of Kansas. He operated black- 
smith shops at three of the old towns of Atchison county. Port \\'^illiam, Sum- 
ner and Mt. Pleasant. He was appointed a justice of the peace by Governor 
Shannon, in 1856. The office of "county squire" was of more importance 
in those stirring times than it is now. Mr. Payne's son, Charles Sumner 
Payne, was the first child born at old Sumner. His birth occurred September 
25. 1857. He was named by the to\vn company, who made out and pre- 
sented to him a deed for a lot in the once thriving city. Another son was 
bom at Sumner on the day that John Brown was hanged, and was named 
for the great abolitionist. A third son was named for Jim Lane. Thomas J. 
Payne enlisted as a private in Company F, Thirteenth Kansas infantry, al 
Atchison, August 20, 1862. and was later promoted to orderly sergeant. He 
was discharged at Ft. Smith, Ark., October 29, 1864. Then he was imme- 
diately appointed by the secretary' of war first lieutenant of Company B, First 
Regiment of Kansas infantry, colored. He took part in many engagements, 
and was mustered out in August, 1865. He was born in Georgetown, Ohio, 
the town in which General Grant was born. There are few men in Kansas 
who have served as a justice of the peace longer than Mr. Payne. He held 
the office in Atchison county for a number of years, at Robinson. Kan., for 
eighteen years, and later at Horton, Kan., for several years. 

The old Horace B. Herndon farm at Port \\'illiam, now owned and occu- 
pied by Frank Bluma, Sr., was known as the "Old Indian farm," in the early 
days. According to W. J. Bailey it was socalled because an Indian known as 
"Kickapoo John" located on it previous to the settlement of Kansas bv the 
whites and was still living there with numerous other Indians when Mr. Bailey 
first came to that locality. Mr. Bailey said that the butts of tepee poles could 
be seen sticking in the ground on the site of Port \\'illiam for some time after- 
wards. In 1854 Horace B. Herndon preempted the "Old Indian farm," 
built a cabin thereon at the southwest corner of the field near the creek, 
and put an old negro slave in it to hold the claim for him. The old darkey 
died and was buried in the family burying ground on the farm about 1855. 
He was probably the first colored man who ever lived and died in what after- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY IO3 

wards became famous as the "Port William colored settlement." This was 
about twenty years before this community became generally settled by colored 
people. The old Herndon family residence, one of the landmarks of this 
region, is still standing and is occupied by Frank Bluma and family. There 
is evidence that the "old Indian farm" was occupied by Indians long before 
"Kickapoo John's" time for the old field is strewn with various fragments 
representing the stone age and prehistoric times. Mr. Herndon died a number 
of years ago. He was another of the early justices of the peace of \\'alnut 
township and was generally known as "Squire" Herndon. He was also a 
public administrator for Atchison county, and was one of the most prominent 
citizens of the southern part of the county for many years. He was the father 
of Mrs. Henry King and James Herndon. residents of Round Prairie. Mrs. 
King, then Miss Virginia Herndon, was the "belle" of the old town of Port 
William, and was a social favorite throughout this section of the county. 

Another early settler of Port William was Henry Luth, the veteran car- 
penter, who moved from Atchison to Leavenworth. Mr. Luth lived in Port 
William for several years in the early fifties, remo\'ing to Atchison in 1857. 
He built many of the first houses in this section of the country. A large wal- 
nut cupboard and other furniture in Mr. Luth's home he made from walnut 
timber cut at Port William and sawed into lumber at the old Hartman saw- 
mill at that place. Mr. Luth had a little shop at Port \\^illiam in wliich he 
made furniture. Henry Hausner. Atchison's well known commission mer- 
chant, took a claim at Port William in 1855, but was cheated out of it. Andy 
Brown, for many years an Atchison flagman, was an early settler of Port Wil- 
liam. ^^'ith Thomas Taylor, now living at Perry, Kan., he crossed the river 
to Kansas on Jake Yunt's ferry just above Port William in 1854. Mr. 
Brown's father had taken a claim at Port ^^'illiam and Ta_\lor one adjoining it. 
The latter helped Samuel Dickson build his caljin shanty on the site of Atchison 
in the fall of 1854. 

Ex-Sheriff Fred Hartman, of this county, now deceased, lived at Port 
William in the early days. His father, Jonathan Hartman, in 1854, put into 
operation at that place one of the very first sawmills in the Territory. It 
furnished lumber for many of the first houses in this section. The lumber was 
sawed from the fine timber which grew along Little Walnut creek. Fred 
Hartman said that in 1856 Bob Gibson brought his famous "Kickapoo Rang- 
ers" to Port William for the purpose of lynching his father, Jonathan Hart- 
man, on account of his most avowed Free Soil principles. They stayed around 
a while, and as Mr. Hartman did not seem to be the least bit intimidated, they 



I04 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

finally left and never molested him again. It was during this time that Pardee 
Butler was placed on a raft at Atchison and set adrift in the river. He landed 
just above Port William, and went at once to Mr. Hartman's for assistance. 
Not deeming it safe for Mr. Butler to remain in Port William, JN'Ir. Hartman 
took him out to the home of Jasper Oliphant, about two miles west of the vil- 
lage, where he stayed at night and finally reached his home in safety. Jasper 
Oliphint was anotlier of the earliest settlers of tliis locality. He was assassi- 
nated some vears ago Ijy Bob Scruggs, a desperate character, who at the same 
time sliot and killed julin ( iroff, another prominent Walnut township citizen, 
and Scruggs was captured and hanged to a tree near Oak ]\Iills. The tragic 
deaths of two such substantial citizens as Mr. Oliphint and Mr. Groff produced 
a profound sensation throughout Walnut township. In tlie spring of 1857 
Jonathan Hartman sold his sawmill and mo\ed tn a I'arm near the present site 
of Pamell, where he died. Fred Hartman sen-ed during the war in the Thir- 
teenth Kansas with Thomas J. Payne, mentioned elsewhere. 

The wagon road leading from Port William westward to the "old military 
road." bears the unique distinction of crossing the same creek fourteen times 
in a di.stance of less than three miles. It is not believed that there is another 
creek in Atchison county that is crossed an equal nunil)er of times by one 
road. Little W'alnut creek, which empties into the Missouri river at Port 
William, has its source near the Leavenworth county line. It flows nurtlnvard 
through a heavilv timbered country, and is one of the prettiest little streams in 
.Atchison county. It was formerly called Bragg's creek, after "Jimmy" 
Braesfs, an earlv-dav Missouri Pacific section foreman, who lived on its banks. 
Braggs afterward moved to Holton, where he died and tlie name of the creek 
was changed to Little Walnut, after its neighbor. Walnut creek. wlu"ch empties 
into the river at Dalby, about two miles above. 

ARRINGTOX. 

Arrington is located on the Union Pacific railroad in the southwest part 
of the county. This town was platted August 20, 1884. and its original pm- 
moters were R. A. Van Winkle, D. S. Henecke, John Ballinger, D. D. High, 
D. A. Benjamin, J. M. Roberson, Michael Baker. J. S. Hopkins, Ira Tabor and 
George W. Drake. Its streets are numbered one to four, and its cross streets 
are called Fountain avenue, Delaware street and h'orest avenue. Arrington 
has three general stores, one elevator and a bank. During good crop 
vears, as high as 125 cars of grain and live stock are shipped from its station, 
and its stores do a good business, rendering fine service to the surrounding 
territorv. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY IO5 

At one time prior to 1890 medicinal springs were locattd at Arrington 
and it was quite a resort during the summer munllis for people living in Udrlh- 
eastern Kansas. The town has a good hotel, and in addition to its merchandise 
establishments it supports a physician and se\eral churches. 

For many years a mill was conducted on the Delaware ri\er u])on which 
Arrington is located, operated by water jiower. This mill was built by John 
Reider in 1867, who also operated it both as a sawmill and as a grain mill. In 
1874 W. H. Stockton joined Mr. Reider. and these two men built a two-story 
frame mill, liut they operated it rmly one day, as it was mysteriously burned 
the following night. Shortly thereafter Mr. Reider, undismayed and undis- 
couraged, associated with himself Albert Ingler, and remembering his previous 
disastrous experience with fire, 'Sir. Reider built a stone mill. This fimi con- 
ducted a successful business for a number of years, drawing patronage for a 
distance of sixty miles, but in 1879, Mr. Ingler met an untimely death, by 
drowning as he was crossing the river, a few feet below where the Arrington 
ftridge stands. Mr. Reider sold his interest to D. S. Heneks, who ran the 
mill until 1906. when John W. Young became its owner. He subsequently 
turned it over to George W. Stone, since which time it has been in possession 
of various owners, and in 19x6 is owned by Burt ^NlcCulley. It has not been 
operated since 1908, and stands in ruins. 

A history of Arrington would be incomplete without the mention of 
the name of Ransom A. Van Winkle, who was the first settler in Kapioma 
town.ship, and the founder of the town. Captai'n Van Winkle was born 
November 25, 1818, in Wayne county, Kentucky. He was a Hollander bv 
descent, and at one time his great-grandfather, Michael Van \\'inkle, owned 
an interest in 13,000 acres of land within twelve miles of New York Citv, 
which was sold just prior to the Re\olutionary war, for twentv-fi\e cents an 
acre. Van \^'inkle recei\ed the rudiments of his education in a Kentucky log 
school house, but was for two years a cadet at West Point and received a 
good education. He was married twice and had a varied experience in busi- 
ness, at one time owning a large interest in coal lands in Kentuck\-. He 
removed U> St. Joseph, Mo., in 1849, and i'n September, 1855, came to Kan- 
sas and built the first claim cabin on the Grassho])per, or wlial is now the 
Delaware river, above Valley Falls, in Kapioma township. He also built 
the first steam sawmill; sawed the first lumber, and built ihe first frame 
house, and taught the first sclmol in Kapioma townshi]). and was the first 
po.stmaster at Arrington. He always took an active part in ])olilics in the 
county and was a stanch Republican. He was a prominent P'ree State man 



I06 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

in the early struggle in Kansas and contributed liberally to the cause and 
worked hard in its Ijelialf. He was a justice of the peace in Papioma 
township for fourteen years : postmaster five years ; trustee of Kapioma 
township eight years; a member of the legislature in 1861 and 1862 and 
county commissioner of Atchison county for six years. He was patriarchal 
in appearance and was a conspicuous figure for many years in Republican 
conventions in Atchison county. 

MUSCOTAH. 

The name of "Muscotah" is of Indian origin, but when, why and by 
whom it was applied to a town, seems to be a question. "Andreas' History 
of Kansas."' in a brief historical mention of the town of Muscotah, says : "The 
name ^luscotah. written in Indian style, Musco-tah, signifies 'Beautiful 
Prairie,' or "Prairie on Fire.' " Andreas does not give any authority for 
this statement, but on page 1343 in a biographical sketch of \\'illiam D. 
Barnett. one of tlie earliest settlers of Muscotah, he says that Mr. Barnett 
did not name the town, but that it was named by Paschal Pensoneau. the old 
Kickapoo trader and interpreter. Mr. Kessler was a blacksmith among the 
Kickapoos at an early day. 

Maj. C. B. Keith was one of the founders of Muscotah, and an early 
agent fnr the Kickapoo Indians. In a letter under date of December 8, 1908, 
Mrs. Keith, the widow of Major Keith, wrote that Muscotah was named by 
her husband and her two brothers, William P. and John C. Badger. She 
corroborates Andreas in his statement that the name signifies "Beautiful 
Prairie," or "Prairie on Fire." and says that Muscotah should be accented 
on the last syllable. She further says that Paschal Pensoneau may have 
suggested the name, and incfdentally adds : "He was interpreter for my 
brother, William P. Badger, who was Indian agent under President Buch- 
anan, and later for my husband under Lincoln. He was a good friend for 
both of my brothers and Major Keith, and accompanied my husband to 
Washington with the head chiefs when they made their treaty. The original 
Muscotah was on a fine site and justified the name." 

There is a town i'n the old Kickapoo country-, in Illinois, named Mas- 
coutah, and believing it to be synonymous with the Atchison county name, 
though slightly different in orthography and pronunciation, Milo Custer, 
of Heyworth. 111., the well known authority on the Kickapoos. wrote: "As 
to the meaning of the names Muscotah and Mascoutah, they are synonymous 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



107 



witli the old .Algonquin word, Masko-teh, meaning 'prairies.' The Kick- 
apoo word for prairies was one among others that I failed to get when I 
visited the tribe in Kansas in October, 1906. However, I am of the opinion 
that the word was originally derived from Ma-shi 0-shkoo-teh, meaning 
'Big Fire,' and that it referred to the great prairie fires which swept over 
the country. In fact I have seen the opinion advanced b}- some other author- 
ity, but cannot now recall the name." When the Kickapoos lived in Illinois 
there was a band called the Mas-cou-tins, which Maj. FI. W. Beckwith, the 
highest authority on the Illinois tribes, says was the Indian name for "Indians 
of the Prairie." Hence it is evident that the name Aluscotah is at least a 
derivation of the word "prairie," whether a "beautiful prairie" or "prairie 
of fire." 

The plat <>f the Muscotah Town Company was filed Ijy W. P. Badger, 




Scene on Main Street, Muscotah, Kansas 



one of its proprietors, June 5, iS^j, and the town is located in section 34, 
township 5, range 17, on the Central Branch railroad, near the western edge 
of the county. Its streets run from one to thirteen, and its cross streets are 
named Pawpaw, Flm, Vine, \Valnul, Mulberry, Hickory and Oak. Follow- 
ing the construction of the Central Branch railroad William Oslxtrn filed 
another plat of the town, and several amendments have since been made 
to it. Muscotah has ahvavs been an important trading point, and one of the 
prosperous (owns of ihe county. In 1916 there were three general stores. 



io8 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUXTY 




New Muscotah School Building. Erccteil I'.Hii. at a cost of $-20,0(Mt. 

one hardware store, two banks, two elevators, one kiniber vard. two cream 
stations, two barber shops, one harness shop, two drug stores, two res- 
taurants, a hotel, private boarding house, two garages and blacksmith shops. 
The town also has four practicing physicians, including an osteopath, and one 
dentist. The first general store was established by Xels Brown in 1868, and 
a year later Watson & Guy put in a general hardware store. Hagerman & 
Roach conducted a grain business in 1865, and the first elevator was built 
in 1874. Several serious fires have destroyed much property in Muscotah, 
the largest being known as the Watson fire, which occurred in 188,:;. de- 
stroying much property. The first mayor of the tow'n was Dr. William P. 
Badger, who was eelcted in 1882. All>ert Harrington was the first post- 
master, in 1866. The first physician to locate in the present limits of Mus- 
cotah was Dr. L. N. Plummer, who came there hi T86g. Tn 1868 a Dr. 
Heath located a few miles out from Muscotah, but never lived in the town. 
Dr. S. M. Riggs came in 1872 and he and Dr. Plummer are both active 
physicians in the practice in 19 16, together with Dr. O. O. Barter and Dr. 
F. A. Bermen. Years before Muscotah was established there was a small 
settlement nearby where there were a few houses and a postoffice located 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY IO9 

about where the Robert Russell farm is. John Keeley, an enterprising early 
settler, built a flouring mill on the Grasshopper ri'\-er, now known as the 
Delaware, in 1869. Mr. Keeley did considerable business with the farmers 
in the surrounding territory, Init business finally fell off and the mill was 
washed away by high water in 1895. 

Muscotah is an important shipping point, and the annual shipment of 
grain amounts to $150,000 to $200,000. Much live stock is also shipped 
from Muscotah, and during the year 191 5 fifty-two cars of cattle, hogs and 
horses were shipped to the Kansas City and St. Joseph markets. 

Muscotah is also a city of churches and schools. The Congregational 
church was established in 1866. The pastor of this church in 1916 is Rev. 
Fred Gray, who preaches to a congregation of about 150. \Mien this church 
was organized its members worshipd in the home of Robert Russell, which 
was at that time in the depot, and the church edifice which is now occupied 
was built in 1914. 

The Methodist Episcopal church was established about 1876; it now has 
a membership of 120, and its pastor is Rev. Rollo J. Fisher. 

The Advent Christian church was organized in 1889, and its first pas- 
tor was Rev. Marshall McCollough. 

^Mission Hall is maintained by unattached and unorganized Christians. 
It holds meeting several times a week, including two services on Sunday. 

The public school system of Muscotah includes an accredited high school, 
in which two foiu^-year courses are offered, together with a general and col- 
lege preparatory course. R. E. De\-or is superintendent of schools, and the 
officers of the school board are: J. F. Thompson, president; W. D. Roach, 
treasurer: R. A. Allison, secretar}-. The first school house within the pres- 
ent limits of the town was built in 1870, but was subseciuently destroyed by 
fire when another school was built in 1885. A six room school was erected, 
and it was also destroyed by fire in January, 1916. A movement is now 
under way to build a new, handsome, modern school building, to accommo- 
date twelve grades, together with manual training, domestic science and a 
gymnasium. 

Muscotah is supplied with electricity by high tension line from Atch- 
ison, and in 1916 it has forty-two street lamps and fiftv-five private con- 
sumers. 

In addition to being a town of churches and schools, Muscotah also has 
several active lodges. The Masonic lodge was organized December 20, 
1871, by E. D. Hillyer, of Grasshojiper Falls, on a dispensation issued by 



I lO HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the grand edge; the charter was issued October 17, 1872, and the officers 
installed November 16, 1872. The first officers were: Ben F. Freeland, 
Willi'am X. Kline, Thomas H. Phillips, B. G. Merrill. D. M. Stillman, \V. 
Bullock and I. C. Archer. 

Purity Council No. 293, Knights and Ladies of Security, was chartered 
July 6, 1895, with John Edward Lewis, president. It had ten charter mem- 
bers and in 1916 there was a membership of seventy, with George W. Rork, 
president, and Mrs. Carl Rork, secretary. 

Modem Woodmen was chartered in August. 1898. The present offi- 
cers are W. F. Murray, V. H. Little and G. W. Harris. There are also 
active lodges of the Mystic Workers. Eastern Star and Royal Neighbors. 

Muscotah's new combination grade and high school, which will take 
the place of the one destroyed by fire, will cost approximately $20,000, and 
will be a fire-proof structure of brick and concrete. When completed it will 
be one of the best school buildings of its kind in any town the size of Mus- 
cotah in the State. The present city officials of INIuscotah are : William 
Buckles, mayor; R. A. Hillyer, J. G. Burbank, W. D. Roach, R. H. Trial 
and R. A. AUison, councilmen ; H. M. Turner, city clerk; E. M. Hicks, 
police judge, and S. B. Liggatt, marshal. 

EFFINGHAM. 

Effingham, the seat of Atchison county high school, is an incorporated 
town, located sixteen miles west of Atchison, on the Central Branch rail- 
road, and was first platted by William Osborne April 4. 1868, who built the 
first hundred miles of the Central Branch railroad, and is located on a part 
of the southwest quarter of section 15 and the northwest quarter of section 
22, township 6, range 18. The original plat contained only eight blocks 
and was subsequently cancelled. February 6. 1871, Major W. F. Downs, 
land commissioner of tlie Central Branch railroad, filed another plat in 
which one block was dedicated as a public park and the streets numbered 
from one to ten, with cross streets as follows : Elizabeth, Seabun,-, Howard, 
George, William, and John. At the opening of the Central Branch railroad 
Effingham enjoyed quite a boom and it has remained one of the finest towns 
in northeastern Kansas ever since. 

There was a settlement around Effingham for a number of vears prior 
10 the location of the townsite, and it was quite a trading point. Effingliam 
is located on a broad sweep of prairie land, but there is very little of romance 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



III 



or legend connectetl with tlie town. There is one thing', linwever, for which 
it has ahva\s lieen noted, and to this extent Effingham occui)ies an nnique 
place in the tow ns, not only of Atchison county, but of Kansas, namely : It 
lias never been without a good liotel. The original hotel was known far and 
wide throughout the country and was conducted by Aunt Betty Benton, a 
famous cook, who n^t imly gave her guests good things to eat, Init made 
of her hotel a favorite stojiping place fur the tra\'eling ])ul)lic on account of 
the hospitable way in which she ran it. L'ncle Jack Martin succeeded Aunt 
Betty and for many }ears thereafter kept up tlie liigh standard set by her. 
Then came Thomas F. Cook, whose kindly welcome made friends for him 





rl, L.I 



ciiiu Wi-st. I'.i I iH;i!i;iiii, Kansas 



among the Iiundreds of visitors that came to Effingham from vear to year, 
and who never left his hotel without a full meal. Mr. Cook was succeeded 
by Mrs. Frank Pitman, and she in turn was succeeded by Mrs. Davis, who, 
in 1915, is conducting the hotel at Effingham and maintains the high stan- 
dard of excellence of food and iiospitality set by her predecessors. 

Among the early merchants of Effingham was Hon. Milton R. Benton, 
who was born in Madison county, Kentucky May 3, 1815. Tie immigrated 
to Kansas in 1857; located in Atchison, where he resided until 1867, during 
which year he moved to his farm in .\tchison county, near Effingham. He 
was the first marshal of the city of .\tchison, having been elected in 1858. 
In 1863 he was elected mayor of the city, and in 1864 was elected a member 



I 12 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



of the council. He served as a member of the senate in the Territorial coun- 
cil of 1859; in the State legislature in 1864, and for three years as trustee of 
Center township. Benton township, in which Effingham is located, was 
named for him. He was educated as a Democrat, but before he cast his 
fi'rst vote identified himself with the anti-slavery movement and became a 
Free State man in Kansas, 1uit in after years he supported Horace Greeley 
and became identified with the Democratic party. In addition to farming 
he was in the real estate business in Effingham. 

.\. I-". Achenbach was one of the early liverymen of Effingham, and also 
was George P. Allen, who was a dealer in hardware and grain ; Ball & Her- 




Presbyterian Cluircli. Rffhi^'liaiii. K.insa.s 



ron, dealers in harness : Joel M. Ketch, hardware merchant : J. E. McCor- 
mick. butcher: .\lonzo Spencer, grocer; James Xesbitt. lumber dealer, and 
Simeon Walters, contractor and carpenter. 

P. J. O'Meara was a pioneer merchant of Effingham, and was a native 
of Ireland, having been born in the county of Tipperary March 27. 1820. 
He first settled in Miami county, where he received his education, and in 
1865 he moved to Atchison and went into the grocerv business on Com- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY II3 

mercial street, between Third and Fonrth, later mo\ing to Effingham when 
the townsite was located, and huilt one of the first store buildings. He did 
a large and paying business, and his popularity was shown by the people 
of Effingham in electing him their first mayor. 

Effingham in 1915 had two hardware stores, one drug store, four gen- 
eral stores, two banks, two garages, two barber shops, one cream station, 
one clothing store, three restaurants, one hotel, one livery, and two elevators. 
Effingham is also a city of churches having one Catholic church, one Pres- 
byterian church, Methodist church. Christian church and Lutheran church. 
Its citizens are enterprising and progressive, and in 19 14 the city council 
secured a twentv-four hour electric light service over high tension line from 
Atchison. The elevators are owned by the Farmers' Mercantile xA-Ssociation, 
and Snyder, Smith & Company. Tom Tucker and Beckman & Thomas are 
big live stock shippers, and they ship from ninety-five to one hundred cars 
of live stock out of Effingham every year, and the elevators ship over one 
hundred cars of grain every year. 

The ]iresent city officials who have been so diligent and faithful in their 
services to Effingham are as follows : 

J. W. Wlallach, mayor: A. J. Sells, city clerk: G. M. Snyder, council- 
man: L Ebert, councilman; D. Richter, councilman; James F^arrell, council- 
man ; E. J. Kelley, councilman ; J- W. Atcheson, marshal ; J. A. Harman, 
city treasurer. 

HURON. 

Huron is located on the Omaha branch nf the Missouri Pacific railway, 
in Lancaster township, seventeen miles northwest of Atchison. The town- 
site was originally the property of Col. D. R. Anthony, of Leavenworth. 
Mr. Anthony donated the railroad company twenty acres of land and the 
right nf way for one mile. The surveys were made and the town named 
and platted on May 18, 1882. Within six weeks after completion of the sur- 
veys five dwellings were erected and the business interests of the town were 
well represented. W. D. Starr was the first postmaster, and by the end of 
the first year there were rn'er fifty dwellings in the town, and among the 
first buildings to be erected were the Presbyterian and Baptist cb.urches. 
Colonel .\nthnny donated lots upon which to build the churches. J. D. Car- 
penter opened the fi'rst hotel in Huron. Mr. Carpenter came to Kansas in 
1874 and located on a farm near Huron, and when the town was organized 
he moved there and opened his hotel. \^^ C. Rucker was one of the earlv 

8 



1 14 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

lumber dealers of Huron. He came from Corning, where he was engaged 
in the general merchandise business, and moved to Huron when the town 
was platted. Capt. George W. Stabler, for many years a resident of Huron, 
was one of the prominent politicians and characters of the county. He was 
bom at Stablersville, Baltimore county. Maryland, in 1839, w^here his ances- 
tors had lived for over 200 years. He moved to Kansas in 1858. set- 
tling in Lancaster township. He enlisted as a private in Company D, Second 
Kansas infantry, in 1861, for 100 days, and at the expiration of that time 
he re-enlisted in the Second Kansas calvary; was made sergeant and was 
mustered out in 1865 and returned to his farm, subsequently moving to 
Huron. In 1866 he was elected to the legislature, and in 1871 and 1872 
served as deputy United States marshal. He had been justice of the peace, 
at the time of his death, a few years ago. for over twenty years. 

Old Huron was tlie original settlement near the present townsite of 
Huron, and was an important trading point for many years prior to the 
establishment of the new townsite following the laying of the railroad to 
Omaha. There were many early settlers of importance in and around Huron, 
among whom was Capt. Robert AV'hite. Captain White came to Kansas in 
1857 and bought the squatter rights of Charles Morgan and preempted a 
quarter section of land in Lancaster township, near Huron. 

The birth of the first white child in Atchison county, of which there is 
any record, occurred in Lancaster township. The child was Miss Frances 
Miller, who was bom Alay 9. 1855. Her father was the late Daniel Miller, 
an Ohioan by birth, and lived near DeKalb, Mo., in 1841. In 1854 he looked 
over northeastern Kansas and settled on Independence creek, twelve miles 
north of Atchison, early in 1855, near the northeastern corner of Lancaster 
township. Mr. Miller sold his quarter section in 1858, after he had proven 
up on it, to Thomas Butcher, a new arrival in Kansas from Brownville, Pa., 
for $3,000. Mr. Butcher built a flouring mill on this land, which was run 
by water from Independence creek. Butcher subsequently sold the plant to 
A. J. Evans, who ran it as a "custom mill" until August. 1865, when it was 
destroyed by high water, caused by heavy rains. 

Samuel \\'ymore, for whom Wymore, Nebraska was named, was a res- 
ident of Lancaster township, near Huron, in the fifties and early sixties, 
and ran a sawmill by horse power, about three miles north of I^ncaster, 
in 1858. Mr. \\'ymore sold his first bill of lumber to Captain Robert White 
for $100 in gold, and at that time it was more money than Wymore had 
ever .seen at one time, and he was so nervous during the following night that 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY II 5" 

he could not sleep and continually stirred the fire in the stove so that he 
could count the money from the light that it made. Wymore was unedu- 
cated. He could neither read nor write, and he was said to have been worth 
over $150,000 before 1875. 

Isaac E. Kelly, a young man from Pennsylvania, taught one of the first 
schools in Lancaster township, in one of the settlers preemption cabin, near 
Eden postoffice in i860. He went to war in 1861 and marched with Sher- 
man to the Sea. 

The first mowing machine in Atchison count)' was brought to Lancas- 
ter township, two miles west of where Huron now is, by Joel Hiatt, in 1859, 
who sold it to Capt. Robert White, who cut hay with it several seasons. 
The machine was a Ball, and a crude affair. The first reaper to harvest 
grain in the county was owned by the late M. J. Cloyes, who also lived in 
Lancaster township, not many miles from Huron. Mr. Cloyes bought the 
reaper in the early sixties. The grain was raked off by a man lashed to 
a post on a platfoiTn four or five feet to the rear of the cycle. This reaper 
was a Buckeye machine, and was sold by J. E. Wagner, the hardware mer- 
chant of Atchison. 

The forty acre tract of land upon which the home of Edward Perdue 
stands, a few miles east of Huron, was traded for a mowing machine by the 
owner in 1865. 

Bethel church, located southwest of Huron, is supposed to be the oldest 
church in the county, outside of Atchison. It was built by the Methodist 
Episcopal church (South), about 1870, and is still in use in 19 15. 

Thus it will be seen that Huron is located in the midst of a very inter- 
esting part of Atchison county, and while the town did not reach the pro- 
portions that its original promoters had hoped for it, it is one of the good 
towns of the county. The following are the business houses in Huron in 
19LS: 

J. M. Delany — General merchandise. 

E. P. Perry — General merchandise. 

W. E. English — Hardware, implements and furniture. 

H. T. Harrison — Grocer. 

Dr. Wiley Jomes — Drug store. 

John L. Snavly — Restaurant and postmaster. 

Mrs. Alta Wilson — Hotel. 

C. E. Mathew — Lumber. 

Loren Horton — Meat market. 



Il6 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

A. F. Allen — Grain, coal, live stock and automobile supplies. 
Baker-Corvvell — Grain company. 
A. Morehead — Barber. 
W. Hildman — Blacksmith. 
Riley & Son — Livery bam. 

Over 200,000 bushels of grain are shipped from Huron annually and 
the a\erage shipment of live stock amounts to about forty cars. 

OLD MARTINSBURG. 

Martinsburg was laid out near the present site of Potter in the early 
days. It is not generally known, even among the old settlers, that there 
was such a place. George Remsburg said that this was due probably to 
the fact that Martinsburg was born dead. It was conceived in the town 
craze of early territorial times, but it came a still-bom infant and its pro- 
moters succeeded in viewing it only long enough for it to give a feeble gasp 
and fall back dead again. Though this proposed municipal enterprise of 
pioneer days did not materialize, it was, nevertheless, an interesting and im- 
portant fact of local history, hitherto unrecorded, that such a town was 
actually staked off and laid out in Atchison county at a very early period. 
The only old-timers wlio remembered it were James B. Low, of Colorado 
Springs, formerly of Mount Pleasant, "Uncle Joe" Potter, and \\'. J. (Jack) 
Bailey. All three settled in the southern part of Atchison county in 1854. 
Mr. Low settled with his parents in Walnut township in the fall of that year, 
and says that Martinsburg was laid out tliat fall. It was situated in what 
is known as the Mercer bottom, on land Ijelonging to Felix Corpstein and 
P^red Poss, in the west half of section 24, a little nortlieast of the present 
site of Potter,' or immediately adjoinitig it. What is known as the Mercer 
spring, one of the finest in this section, was included in the town site. Mr. 
Low and his brother went out to look at the place in the fall of 1854 and 
decided to spend the winter there. It consisted at that time of a few liuts 
and a small store, and never amounted to any more than a village, if it could 
be called that, although Mr. Low says the town site originally comprised 
about 100 acres, and a few lots were actually sold. The store was a small 
frame building, erected by one Alex Hayes, wlio had pre\iously taken a 
claim on Plum creek, near Kickapoo. Mr. Low thinks this was the first 
frame building in Atchison county. Hayes carried a small stock of goods. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY II7 

Tliis was long before the town of Mt. Pleasant, in the same vicinity, was 
ever dreamed of, and even before Tom Fortune opened a store there. It 
seems that the chief promoters of Martinsburg were two brothers named 
Martin : hence the name. Not much is known concerning them, or what 
became of them. "Uncle Joe" Potter says that one of them came to h-is 
house on one occasion wlien he and his brother, Marion Potter, were mak- 
ing rails. Martin stood around a while and finally insinuated that they 
were foolish for working so hard, , and ih a confidential way, "just the same 
as told them," as Mr. Potter expressed it, that they could make lots of money 
and make it easy stealing horses, whereupon Marion Potter promptly or- 
dered him off of the place, and told him never to return. James Low's father 
bought the town site of Martinsburg in the fall of 1855 and moved onto it 
in the spring of 1856, converting it into a farm. Thus perished Martinsburg. 
Even the name did not survive in the memory of the settlers, and it was 
only by accident that it was recently recalled after a lapse of fifty-four 
years. At an early day the locality became known as Mercer's Bottom, after 
Joe Mercer, one of the earliest settlers, and it is known by that name today. 
It is not known \\hat became of Mercer. James Low sa}-s the last time he 
saw him was in Den\'er. in 1S5Q. ]\Iercer was a queer character. It is told 
of him that he lived in a little cabin and sulisisted principally on mussels, 
which he found in Stranger creek. Alex Hayes, the Martinsburg store- 
keeper, has also been lost trace of, but Dick King says there was an old- 
timer named Alexander Hayes, who died many years ago and was buried 
in the Sapp graveyard at Oak Mills. The town site of Martinsburg was a 
favorite camping place for soldiers and emigrants passing over the old 
Military road in the early days on account of the fine spring, the large 
meadows and the protection of the hills around it. To catch this tide 
of emigration was, in all probability, the object of those pioneer town pro- 
jectors in selecting this site. 

BUNKER HILL. 

There appears to be nn data available which enables the historian to 
determine exactly where this town was located, but a prospectus publica- 
tion March 18, 1858, in Freedom's Champion, states that it was on Inde- 
pendence creek, within ten miles of Atchison and twenty-five miles of St. 
Joseph. Its chief promoter was Dr. Charles F. Kob, of Atchison. Dr. Kob 
was a German physician and surgeon, who located in Atchison at an early 



Il8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

date. He had been a surgeon in the anny, and a member of the Massachu- 
setts and Connecticut medical societies. He hved and practiced medicine in 
Boston for some time. About the only advantage for Bunker Hill, set forth 
in the prospectus, was that coal was found around the place, but Bunker 
Hill never seemed to have any coal in her bunkers. She failed to flourish 
and no Bunker Hill monument perpetuates her memory. 

LOCUST GROVE. 

Locust Grove was never laid out as a town site. It was a stopping 
place on the old stage route to Topeka, and the postoffice from Mount 
Pleasant was moved there in 1862. 

HELENA. 

Helena was located and named in this county, and the plat thereof was 
filed March t8, 1857, by James L. Byers, one of the proprietors of the town 
company, and was located on the north half of section 28, township 5, range 
r8, on the Little Grasshopper river, in Grasshopper township, at the cross- 
ing of the old Military' road, five miles north of the present site of Effing- 
ham. The town appears on an old township map of eastern Kansas, pub- 
lished by Whi'tman & Searl, of Lawrence, in 1856. It shows it to have 
been on the east branch of Grasshopper river, about fifteen miles west of 
Atchison, and north of the Ft. Laramie and California roads. 

CAYUGA. 

Cayuga was laid out by a New York colony in 1856, and was named 
for Cayuga, N. Y. It was also in Grasshopper township, on the old 
Military road, one and one-half miles from Lancaster township line on part 
of the east half of section 18, township 3, range 18. It was sun-eyed by 
Dr. A. C. Tator, and the plat was filed October 9, 1857, by George L. Will- 
son. Provision was made in the town site for a public park and a young 
ladies' seminary. It was claimed that it had at one time 400 inhabitants. 
Among the members of the town company were Messrs, Smooks, Fuller, 
Higby, Athcrton, Ontis, Meeker, WMlliam Adams, Chase and Dr. Taylor. 
The land on which the town was located was "junked" as a claim by a Mrs. 
Place, and thereafter the town gradually went out of existence. It i's said to 
have had a good two-storv hotel and a number of business houses. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY II9 

KENNEKUK. 

In the plat which Royal Baldwin, president of the town company, filed 
April 6, 1859, the name of this town is given as Kennekuck. It was located 
on the southeast quarter and the southwest fractional quarter of section 3, 
township 3. range 17. Its streets were sixty feet wide, except Broadway, 
which was 100 feet wide, and Market street, which was eighty feet wide. 
One block was donated for a market house, and another block for a park, 
for religious and educational purposes. The streets were numbered from 
I to 10 and the cross streets were named as follows: Elm, Linn, Cedar, 
Poplar, Broadway, Market, Walnut, Weld, Perry and Baldwin. The town 
site was vacated by the board of county commissioners December 15, 187 1. 
Kennekuk was a station on the Overland stage route, twenty-four miles west 
and north of Atchison. During the overland stage days Thomas Perry ran 
an eating station there, and Mrs. Perry, who was a grand cook, always had 
a smoking hot dJnner ready with the best of coffee, for the occupants of the 
stage coaches. In the early days dances were held in the Perry home, and 
Hon. D. ^^^ wilder, the author of the celebrated "Annals of Kansas," used 
to trip the light fantastic toe there, and it is said that he courted the girl 
who afterwards became his wife, in the Perry home. 

Frank .A. Root, who was an express messenger on the overland stage, 
says, in his book, that Kennekuk was the first "home" station out from Atch- 
ison, and the drivers were changed there. In 1863 it was a little town of 
perhaps a dozen houses with one store and a blacksmith shop. The Kick- 
apoo Indian Agency was one of the most prominent buildings there, and was 
located near the old road in the northwestern part of the town. The town 
was laid out by William H. Wheeler, a surveyor and speculator, and was 
named for the Kickapoo chieftain, John Kennekuk. George Rcmsburg says 
that the town was platted in June, 1854, but the dedication on the original 
plat in the court house would indicate that it was platted on the date first 
mentioned in this sketch. 

Hon. A. J. White, the son of Capt. Robert White, and at one time a 
meml)er of the legislature from this county, and one of the leading farmers 
of the county, claims that Royal Baldwin was the first white settler in Ken- 
nekuk, and that he was appointed Indian agent for the Kickapoos there by 
President Pierce before Kansas was opened for settlement. Mr. Remsburg 
also says that many noted travelers stopped at Kennekuk, including Mark 
Twain. 



I20 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

KAPIOMA. 

According to Captain Elberhant. of Golden. Colo., the Kickapoo Indians 
once had a village on the Grasshopper river in Atchison county, called Ka- 
pioma. after the chief of the band, and it is from this source that Kapioma 
township took its name. Captain Berthoud says that Father Duerinck, a 
native of Belgium, who was probably the first Jesuit priest in Atchison 
county, gave the pronunciation of the name of his Atchison county station 
as Kah-pi-oma, accent on the syllable "Kali." 

In an affidavit of H. H. Skiles, volume 69, page 63, in the records of 
the office of the register of deeds of Atchison county, Kansas, the following 
appears : 

"This affiant further states that there was in 1857 and 1S58 a com- 
panj' formed, called and known as the Kapioma City Company, and the in- 
dividuals composing that company were B. Gray. S. C. Russell, W. \V. Wes- 
ton. H. H. Skiles and W. Y. Roberts, who united themselves together for 
the purpose of laying out, locating and establishing a town called Kapioma, 
on what was then known as Grasshopper creek, just north of its confluence 
with Straight creek, in the western borders of Atchison county. Kansas. 
The entire- purpose and scheme in laying out and establishing a town fell 
through and was wholly and totally abandoned by all and every person con- 
nected with it without prejudice to any one, and the title to the land in- 
tended by the company to become town property reverted to the original 
owner. The law required to establish a town was never complied with." 

MASHENAH. 

r^Iashenah. apparently, was to be a rival town of Kennekuk. The cold 
and quiet records now on file in the court house would convey the idea that 
Royal Baldwin must have fallen out with the original promoters of Kenne- 
kuk and decided to establish a town of his own, so, accordingly, he filed a 
plat of this town Septemlx;r 21, 1857, showing it to be located in the north- 
east quarter and the northwest quarter of section 2, township 5, range 17. 
One block was set aside for a college and another for a park. Its streets 
were numbered i to 21, and the cross streets were named as follows: Oak, 
Pine. Plum, Vine, Elm. Linn and Cedar. 

ST. NICHOLAS. 

The only record that can be found of this town is that Thomas Poteet 
filed a plat thereof .April 20, 1858, showing it to be located in the southwest 
corner of section 6, township 7, range 20. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 121 

CONCORD. 

This is another town about which there is httle information available. 
The plat was filed June 20, 1857, by James R. Whitehead and shows it to 
have been located in the west half of section i, township 5, range 17. The 
streets were numbered from i to 18, and the cross streets were named Buch- 
anan, Emily, Mary, Carolina, Jefferson, St. Joseph, Ell wood, Able, Alex- 
ander, and there were two public squares, called North and South. 

PARNELL. 

The plat of Parnell was filed December 24, 1883, by J. C. Hotham, and 
shows the town site to be located in the southwest corner of the southeast 
quarter of section 20, township 6, range 20. It is located on both the Santa 
Fe and the Missouri Pacific railroads. The station was named for a hero 
of the Civil war, James L. Parnell, a private soldier in Company F, Thir- 
teenth Kansas volunteer infantry, who was killed during the skirmish at 
Haare Head, Ark., August 4. 1864. Parnell was the original settler on the 
site of Parnell and was one of the first citizens of Atchison county to re- 
spond under President Lincoln's call of July, 1862. He enlisted in the 
Thirteenth Kansas. Ex-Sheriff Frank Hartin was a comrade of Parnell in 
Company F and married into the Parnell family. 

SHANNON. 

Shannon was platted by G. W. Sutliff February 22, 1883, and is located 
in the northwest comer of the northeast quarter of sectitm i, township Ti, 
range 19, about eight miles \\est of .Xtcliison, on the Parallel road. Tb.e 
town consists of one store building, in which the ])ostoffice is located, and 
a few residences, together with railroad station and a small elexator. 

ELM WOOD. 

Elmwood was platted by Anna liokc and J. .S. Hoke .^pril T2, 1873. and 
was located on the south half of the northeast quarter of section 2, township 
6, range 20. This was a "paper" town, and the only record now available 
of it is the plat on file in the court house at Atchison. 



122 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

CUMMINGSVILLE. 

Cummingsville was platted by William Cummings December i6, 1872, 
and was located on the north half of the southwest quarter of section i, to^vn- 
ship 7, range 19, on the line of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railway, 
southwest of Atchison, in Center township, and took its name from the 
founder of the town. The original plat provided for two streets, Market and 
Main, but on September 21, 1883, Samuel C. King filed a plat, creating an 
addition to Cummingsville, composed of four blocks. The first settler on 
the townsite was Robert Kennish, who located there in November, 1872, and 
was appointed postmaster when the postoffice was established the following 
fall. Mr. Kennish opened the first store in Cummingsville in December, 
1872, and he for many years was station agent there, one of the oldest in the 
service of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railway. He was a much he- 
loved character. He died a few years ago at the home of liis daughter. ]\Irs. 
Nelson W. Cox, who lives in Cummingsville with her invalid husliand, Nels 
Cox, who for eight years served Atchison county in the capacity of clerk of 
the court. In April, 1873, C. D. Harrison and family located in Cummings- 
ville, and their child. Lorenzo, was the first child born on the townsite, and 
his was also the first death, Lorenzo having died March 25, 1875. In the win- 
ter of 1880-81, R. C. Ripple taught the first school, and the Methodist church 
(South) was built in 1880. Cummingsville now is a town of over 100 
residences, and in addition to its bank, it has several good stores, a cream 
station and an elevator. Much grain and live stock is shipped out of Cum- 
mingsville annually. 

EDEN p. o. 

Eden was located about eight miles northwest of Atchison, and Charles 
Servoss was appointed the first postmaster there in 1858. The postoffice 
was located on a farm adjoining the Johnson ^^'ymore farm on the south. 
Servoss resigned as postmaster in 1863 and removed to Detroit, Mich. He 
was succeeded by H. C. Lee, who kept the office on a farm adjoining the 
Wymore farm on the west. Mr. Lee was a grandfather of Miss Kate Piatt 
and Mrs. S. E. Harburger, formerly of Atchison, and the father of Mrs. 
Flora B. Hiatt. Mr. Lee held the office until 1872, when Francis Schletz- 
baum. Sr., was named as postmaster, and removed the office to his farm, 
which adjoined the old Wymore farm on the north. The postoffice remained 
there until it was discontinued upon the establishment of free nn-al delivery 
service in 1900. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY I23 

POTTER. 

Potter is pleasantly situated on a slight rise or knoll in the beautiful val- 
ley of Stranger creek, and near the southeast corner of Mt. Pleasant town- 
ship. From the first it has been the principal station on the Santa Fe rail- 
road, between Atchison and Leavenworth, being situated about midway be- 
tween the two cities. It is an attractive little town, with well graded streets 
and good cement sidewalks, and a number of attractive residences. While it 
is one of the younger towns of the county, it has made strides that make it 
compare favorably with some of its older sisters, in volume of liusiness at 
least, if not in population. 

Potter, as tlie home of the white man. dates back further than any com- 
munity in the county. Elsewhere in this history will be found an account 
of Paschal Pensoneau, the old French trader, who established himself on 
Stranger creek, near the present tox^nsite, during the early forties. 

The building of Potter is the third and the most successful attempt to 
establish a town in that vicinity. The first attempt was at Mount Pleasant. 
This was one of the first towns started in Kansas, and here was located the 
first postoffice in Atchison county. It prospered for a time and was a can- 
didate for the county seat. It gradually declined, and since the establishment 
of Potter, has been little more than a memory. In the early days, some say 
before Mt. Pleasant was started, a town was laid out near the big Mercer 
spring, just northeast of the present site of Potter, and called Martinsburg. 
It was extensively boomed, but outside of a small store and a few huts, it 
never advanced beyond the paper stage. 

Early in 1886 the Leavenworth, Northern & Southern railway, now a 
branch of the Santa Fe, and known as the "Pollywog," was built and a sta- 
tion located where Potter now stands. A town was platted and called Ben- 
nett Springs, after James Gordon Bennett, the well known eastern journal- 
ist. The mineral springs on the Masterson farm near the townsite were 
attracting considerable attention at the time, and it was thought that a pop- 
ular resort could be built up there. The medicinal properties of the water 
were discovered by Dr. Rice, a local physician, and subsequently analyzed by 
experts, who confirmed Dr. Rice's conclusions, and a number of people 
claimed to have used the waters in liver, kidney and other complaints with 
good results. Henry C. Squires, afterwards a Potter banker, conceived the 
idea of establishing a health resort here, and named it in honor of James 
Gordon Bennett, who, it was thought, would use his influence towards get- 



1-24 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



ting eastern capital interested in the project. The expected financial back- 
ing was not forthcoming, however, and the proposed development of the 
springs was never made. 

In the meantime tlie railroad people had ciiristened the town Potter, in 
honor of Hon. Joseph Potter, owner of the quarter section on wliich the town 
was laid out, and. while the name of the town still appears oii the tax rolls 
as Bennett Springs, the original name having never been legally clianged, 
the town is now generally known as Potter. Joseph Potter was the original 
settler, having preempted the land on wliich the town stands, in 1854, and 
the first sales of lots in Potter were deeded to their purchaser thirty-two 
vears later direct from tlie Government preemption owner. Tlie taking up of 





Stlful Sci-lii-. I'littiT. I\:uis:is 



the land, filing, etc.. cost .Mr. Potter about $220 for 160 acres, and when it 
was divided up into town lots it brouglit him $200 an acre. Mr. Potter 
entered part of this land with a land warrant given him for services in the 
Mexican war. 

The first lots in the town were sold to the late James Stalons, for many 
vears a justice of the peace, preacher of the Gospel and prominent citizen of 
the county. The first house on the townsite was built by Tliomas J. Potter 
in 1882, four years before the town was laid out. The house is still stand- 
ing. The first business house in the town was erected by Charles Klein, 
who operated a store there until his. death. A year or two after Potter was 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 125 

Started the postoffice was removed from i\lt. Pleasant to the place, and James 
B. Weir was the first postmaster. The first hotel was operated l)y Mrs. 
Elvira Pierce. Dr. Barnes had the first drug store, and was also the first 
physician ; Frank Blodgett. the first hardware store, and B. F. Shaw & Com- 
pany, the first furniture store. The first barber was Thomas Seever; the 
first blacksmith, Lou Chilson: the first butcher, John Yost; the first carpen- 
ter, P. H. Fleer; the first painters, George Brown and Grant Cass; the first 
stone masons, S. B. Morrow and Frank Maxwell ; the first shoemaker, Pat- 
rick Murphy; the first stock buyer, Henry Show; the first school teacher, 
Albert Limbaugh ; the first railroad agent, C. L. Cherrie; the first lumlier 
dealer, David Hudson; the first harness maker, Harry Rickets; the first rural 
mail carrier, Frank White. Frank Mayfield operated the first livery stable; 
the first elevator was built by James Hawley ; the first church 1>uilding was 
that of the Methodists. The first Methodist preacher was Rev. John W. 
Faubian, and the first Christian preacher. Rev. T. W. Cottingham. The 
first telephone exchange was operated by Charles and George Sprong. The 
first lodge was Echo Lodge, No. 103. Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The 
first bank was the Potter State Bank. Potter has had three newspapers, the 
first, the Potter Press, was established by E. E. Campbell, in 1898. In igoo 
Mr. and Mrs. Eppie Barber started the Potter Leaf. Three years later 
Charles B. Remsburg bought the Leaf's circulation and launched the Potter 
Kansan, which is now owned and published by his father, J. E. Remsburg. 

Potter is one of the most flourishing towns of its size in Kansas. Though 
its population is less than 200, it boasts of two banks, the aggregate resources 
of which amount to nearl\- a (|uartei" million dollars. There probably is not 
another town of its size in the State that has two banks. The town has 
two good elevators which during the years 1912, 1913 and 1914 handled on 
an average of 140,000 bushels of grain a year. These elevators are operated 
by Fred Ode & Sons and James Robinson. The railroad station at Potter 
does a business that amounts to something like $40,000 annually. The ship- 
ping of live stock is an important industry here. The principal buyers are 
Tinsley, Potter, and Timple Bros. Much fruit is grown around Potter, and 
as high as $20,000 has been paid out for apples during one shi])ping season. 

Potter has a rural high school, the first of its kind established in the 
State, and an $8,000 school building. 

The town has two general stores, those of W. A. Hodge and P. P. 
Knoch ; a hardware store, operated by B. F. Shaw ; a grocery store, by 
Thomas J. Potter; a furniture store, by Frank Beard; a drug store, by G. E. 



126 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



Coulter; a hotel, by Mrs. G. F. Pope; two blacksmith shops, by R. E. Brown 
and G. F. Pope; a livery stable, by H. G. Hawley; two barber shops, by 
George Brown and Frank Blankenship; a cement tile factory, by Grisham & 
Maxwell ; a millinery store, by Mrs. T. J. Maxwell ; a telephone exchange, by 
E. C. Yoakum; a newspaper. The Potter JVeekly Kdusau, by J. E. Remsburg; 
two physicians. Dr. G. W. Redmon and Dr. S. M. Myers. Dr. A. E. Ricks, 
of Atchison, has a branch dental office here ; the Lambert Lumber Company, 
of Leavenworth, has a commodious and well stocked yard here, with Samuel 
Parker as manager. There are two churches. Methodist and Christian, two 




I 



FOB 



fX^'W r^W Z9^ 

I II 



i iiif - y i ■ 










public halls, and one lodge hall. L. M. Jewell conducts an insurance, real 
estate and loan business. There is also a garage, and other business enter- 
prises in the town. 

MOUNT PLEAS.VNT. 

In 1854 Thomas L. Fortune, Jr., a Virginian, settled on the "old Mili- 
tary road" and opened one of the very earliest stores in Atchison county, 
around ^his store springing up the village of Mount Pleasant. .A postnffice 
was established here in 1855, and Mr. Fortune was appointed postmaster. 
Being an inventive genius, he finally gave up his store business and devoted 
his energies towards perfecting and building a road-wagon, to which refer- 
ence has heretofore been made, and which he thouglit would revolutionize 
the freighting business across the plains. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY I27 

The townsite of Mount Pleasant was sun-eyed in 1857 by Jolm P. 
Wheeler, agent for the Town Company. 

Michael Wilkins and James Laird were the very first settlers in the 
township, being followed shortly afterwards by Levi Bowles, Jacob Grind- 
staff, Andrew J. Peebler, Martin Jones, Chris Horn, P. R. King, W. C. 
Findley, A. S. Speck and .\mos Hamon. 

The first hotel in the town was opened by Henry Pa^-ne, who operated it 
many years. 

T. J. Payne and Philo W. Hull were the next parties to engage in busi- 
ness, Mr. Payne leaving when the new town of Sumner was started, and 
locating there. 

The next to engage in business was P. R. Khig, who established a gen- 
eral store about 1858. He remained at Mount Pleasant until after the county 
seat question had been settled, when he removed to Atchison. 

In the fall of 1858 a district school was opened. In i860 tlie Cumber- 
land Presbyterians erected a church liuilding, having held religious services 
at the homes of the members prior to this time. Rev. A. A. Moore was their 
first pastor. 

On May i, 1862, the Church of Christ was organized by Elder W. S. 
Jackson, with seventeen members, services being held in the school house. 

Mount Pleasant Lodge, No. 158, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of 
Mount Pleasant, was organized in the fall of 1868 by the following charter 
members : William J. Young, X. Klein, M. R. Benton, John Hawley, S. K. 
McCreary, Joseph Howell and Albert Hawley. Their first meeting was lield 
October 20, 1868, with the following as first officers : William Young, wor- 
shipful master; X. Klein, senior warden; A. Hawley, junior warden; S. K. 
McCreary, secretary ; M. R. Benton, treasurer. 

In August, 1862, the name of the postoffice was changed to Locust 
Grove. 

lewis' point. 

In pre-territorial times and in the steamboat days, Kansas had many 
geographical names that are not now to be found on the map. Some of them, 
where permanent settlements have sprung up, have been perpetuated, but the 
majority of them do not live even in the memory of the oldest iniiabitants. 
One of the latter is "Lewis' Point," near the present site of Oak Mills. Old 
"Cap." Lewis is long since dead, his name almost forgotten, and the rapacious 
Missouri river and "Mansell's Slide" are now about to devour the "Point," 



128 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

with which his name was coupled in our early geography. While "Lewis' 
Point" was never a place of any prominence, and not even the site of a village 
or settlement, yet it was a geographical name that was known to every steam- 
boat man running on this section of the river, and is worthy of preservation in 
our local historj-. "Lewis' Point" was at the projection of land lying im- 
mediately above Oak Mills, on the Missouri river. It took its name from the 
fact that Calvin Lewis, an old riverman. settled at this point at an early day, 
and it became a frequent stopping place for steamboats to take on wood. In 
those days there was a splendid wood supply in that vicinit)-. Lewis' house 
stood near the site of the old Champton. or William Moody, house, wlhich was 
destroyed by fire about a year ago. 

It is not generally known that a steamboat was ever built on Atchison 
county soil, much less that Oak Mills was ever the scene of the ship builder's 
craft, outside of the construction of Indian canoes and the modern skiffs built 
by Dick King or some other later-day river man. Yet. it is a fact that Calvin 
Lewis once built and launched at "Lewis' Point" a small stern-wheel steam- 
boat, and operated it on the river for several years. In 1855 the first terri- 
torial legislature of Kansas passed an act authorizing Lewis to operate a 
ferr}^ at "Lewis' Point." 

FAliLEV's FERRY. 

The same legislature that gave permission to Lewis to operate a ferrv' at 
"Lewis' Point," granted the same privilege to Ximrod Farley, to maintain a 
ferry across the Missouri river, opposite latan, Mo. Farley \vas a well 
known character in the Missouri bottoms in the vicinity of latan. Cow Island, 
and Oak Mills, in the early days. He lived near latan, but it seems that he 
owned land on the Kansas side, near Oak Mills, which offered a landing for 
his ferry. He was a brother of Josiah Farley, who laid out the to\\Ti of 
Farley, in Platte county, in 1850. George McAdow later became proprietor 
of Farley's Fern,- and operated it until it was destroyed by Jayhawkers, 
shortlv before the war. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



THE ISSUE BETWEEN EARLY SETTLERS INFLUX OF FREE STATE AND PRO- 
SLAVERY PARTISANS EARLY VOLUNTEERING MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS 

THREATENED INVASION FROM MISSOURI POLITICAL SOCIETIES JAY- 
HAWKERS — Cleveland's gang — lynchings — atchison county 

TROOPS IN the war PRICe's ATTEMPTED INVASION. 

The six years intervening between 1854 and i860 constitute a momentous 
period in the history of Atchison county. No new community was ever 
organized under more unpromising circumstances. It was not merely land 
hunger and lust for personal gain that were the impelling motives wliich 
brought men to Kansas in that day. Neither gold, nor gas, nor oil, nor 
precious gems lured men here. Kansas was then, as it is now, an agricultural 
paradise, and such an environment has ordinarily Init little charm for the dar- 
ing adventurer and the seeker after sudden riches, who toil not and spin 
less. It is true that a large numlier of peaceful, plodding home-seekers — the 
tillers of the soil — the hewers of wood and the haulers of water, immigrated 
to Kansas to take up land and build ])emianent homes, but they were in the 
minoritv prior to i860. The tremendous issue of human s1aver\- was the 
all absorbing fact, and the long struggle here wrought a complete revolu- 
tion in the political thought of the whole country. Men came to Kansas for 
the most, part for political rather than for business or agricultural reasons. 
The settlement of Kansas was an inspired political movement (if partisans. 
There was little room for neutrals, and those who were "too proud to fight" 
went elsewhere. There was little consideration on the part of the earlv 
settlers of Kansas, of any questions except slaverv and anti-slaverv. Thev 
came in large numbers fmm the .South and from the Xortli, an<l met here 
upon the frontier in a final test of strength. The Free Soilers won. but only 

129 

9 



130 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

after bitter contests in wliicli prissicjn, prejudice and bloody partisanshiji ran 
riot, and Atcbison count\- played a most conspicuous part in this great 
Ijattle. The Nation and the world looked on as tlie Ijattle lines surged for- 
ward and backward. And while the>- fought here in a last desperate strug- 
gle for supremacy, these courageous men and women on both sides fouioded 
their towns, built their court houses, then" primary schools and their churches 
with an abiding faith in the hearts of each of them that victory would finally 
crown their efforts. Atchison county made progress in spite of the fact 
that her leaders were wrong. We gave promise here of being the metropo- 
lis of Kansas, for we had many geographical and commercial advantages 
over other struggling communities of the Territory. But before the well 
laid plans of our citizens matured, before projects for the development of 
steam transportation to bring us nearer the outside world could be conclmled 
the mighty conflict which ended in four bloody years of civil w-ar, broke upon 
the Nation, and Kansas within three months after being admitted as a State 
enrolled itself on the side of the Union. Atchison county sprang 
to amis almost a thousand strong, and may it ever be said to its everlasting 
glory that few-, if any, counties in the State had a more patriotic record. 
One hundred and thirty-one .\tchison county men enlisted in the First Kan- 
sas regiment; twenty-five in the Seventh; eighty-five in the Eighth: eighty- 
six in the Tenth: 260 in the Thirteenth; 100 in the First Kansas (colored); 
twenty-five in the First Nebraska; 105 in the Thirteenth ?*Iissouri: thirty 
in the Fifteenth Kansas: forty in fhe Ninth, and fifty in the Sixteenth, or a" 
total of <)T,j men, which, together with the scattering of men in other regi- 
ments- in adjoining States, brought the total number of soldiers engaged 
during the Civil war to 1,000. The population of .\tchison county at that 
time was 7.747, and the voting population 1,133, which shows that the total 
number of voters was but slightly larger than the total number of \-olun- 
teers. At that time Atchison, by reason of its location, was subject to in- 
cursions from Confederate troops and Jayhawkers from Missouri, w-hich 
called for the organization at different periods of the war, of home guard 
companies, which are not included in the foregoing statement. .\t the out- 
set of the war .\tchison had three militia companies. .\. B and C. and a 
fourth, known as the All Hazard company, the origin of w^hose name is thus 
explained. At the city election in the spring of 1861 the issue was union 
or dis-union. The Republicans and Union Democrats united in supporting 
G. H. Fairchild for mayor. He w^as a Union Democrat who on various 
occasions announced his unwavering friendship of the Union and for the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY I3I 

maintenance of the constitution and laws "at all hazards," and when this 
company enlisted for the war [Mayor I'^airchikl was its captani and it became 
Company K of the First Kansas. It participated in the battle of Wilson's 
Creek, August lo, 1861, which was the first action in which a Kansas regi- 
ment was under fire. 

In 1861 there were constant threats of invasion from Missouri rebel 
organizations in Buchanan and Platte counties, and in that year anoliier 
home guard company was organized with the following officers : Charles 
Holbert, captain ; J. G. Bechtold, first lieutenant ; Clem Rhor, second lieuten- 
ant ; W. Becker, third lieutenant ; John Schupp, ensign. During the follow- 
ing year the danger of invasion became still more threatening and 650 men 
in sixteen companies came to Atchison to protect the town from destruction. 
Tlie Atchison county companies were commanded by Captains Holbert, Hays, 
Batsett, Evans and Vanwinkle. It was due to the thoroughness with which 
the people of Atchison organized themselves against invasion that they were 
spared from being completely annihilated. On the fifteenth day of Septem- 
ber, 1861, another company for home guard service was mustered in at I't. 
Leavenworth. J. M. Graham was captam ; J. G. Bechtold, first lieutenant; 
R. N. Bryant, second lieutenant. This company subsequentlv liecanie Com- 
pany E of tlie First Kansas Regiment Home (iuards, numbering fiftv men, 
and were ordered back to Atchison for duty, where thev were stationed 
until all danger of invasion had passed, after which the company became a 
part of the Eighth Kansas. The victories of the Union forces in 1S62 were 
frequent, and as a result many rebel sympathizers came to Atchison for 
safety, where they became very troublesome. In order to counteract the 
growing evil over the activities of these men, Mayor Fairchild issued a proc- 
lamation in which he warned them that they must not expect to be pro- 
tected in any manner by the city laws as long as thev held to the 
\'iews which they expounded at every favorable opportunity. "It would 
be absurd to suppose," the proclamation said, "that a patriotic communitv 
'could treat otherwise than its enemies, persons who are in svmpathv wit!i 
base men who ha\e lirought upon our country untold nn'serw almost un- 
limited taxation and almost inconceivable pecuniary suffering. " As a repre- 
sentative of a lo}al people I will not encourage men to return among us 
who ha\e circulated reports that they were refugees from the loyal States 
on account of their secession doctrines, nor will I give protection to men 
who unmistakably at heart belong to the Confederacy." This proclamation 
met with such favor that a mass meeting of Union men in .\tchison count v 



132 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

was held at Price's Hall March 15, 1862. The whole county was well 
represented and stirring addresses were delivered by Colonel Edge, of Doni- 
phan countv, Tom Murphy, the genial proprietor of the Massasoit House. 
Rev. W. S. W'enz, Lieutenant Price. E. Chesebrough, Mayor Fairchild, Caleb 
May, and others, after which resolutions denouncing the southern sym- 
pathizers and notifying them not to return were unanimously adopted. Dur- 
ing the latter part of the sanie year a call for aid to assist the Atchison 
countv troops met with immediate response and within a few days, com- 
mencing August 20, 1862, almost $4,000 was subscribed by tlie citizens of 
Atchison. Seven hundred and forty-five dollars came from Mt. Pleasant 
township. Among the leading contributors were Theodore Bartholow. E. 
Cheseijrough. G. W. Fairchild. J. W. Russell. W. L. Challiss, Dr. \Mlliam 
Irwin. G. W. Howe. Bela M. Hughes. William Hetherington. Otis &• Glick, 
Henry Deisbach, J. E. M'agner, Rice McCubbin, McCausland & Brown. Tom 
Murphv, \^'. A. Cochrane. Samuel C. Pomeroy. Stebbins & Company, E. 
Butcher, and William C. Smith, each of whom subscribed the sum of $50 
or over. Atchison also made a notable contribution when Ouantrell invaded 
Lawrence, sending $4,000 to assist the people of that city. In [SA^ depreda- 
tions of the Ja.\hawkers became very annoying, and a vigilance committee 
was organized and all good, peaceful and loyal citizens were called upon to 
band themselves together for the protection of their lives, homes and i)rop- 
ertv. Those who joined the vigilance committee took an oath to support the 
Government of the Ignited States and Kansas, and to do all in their powder 
to put down the rebellion, and also to keep secret 'all proceedings of the or- 
ganization. This committee did very effective work in l)ringing to punish- 
ment violators of law and also in keeping the lawless bands of Jayhawkers 
and other thieves out of Atchison county. 

The following "circular" has been unearthed by the author, and while 
it bears no date it apparently contained the constitution, by-laws, ritual and 
oath of these societies. 

"circular TO OFFICERS. 

"Be extremely careful in the selection of your members. Admit no 
one who is not of good standing in the community, and whom you have not 
good reason to believe to be firm and nncomjiromising in his devotion to the 
LTnion. and to be relied upon to assist in any emergency in maintaining the 
laws and good order in the community. This is of the first and highest im- 
portance to the order, and if any member shows symptoms of defection, watch 
him closely. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY I33 

"In all cases, deal kindly with }r)ur opponents, and strive b_\' gentle means 
to win them over to a change of sentiment. Many good men ma}- thus be 
brought within our circle who would otherwise be lost to us. 

"The first club established in your county seat will be called the County 
Club, to which all clubs in the county will report, and by those officers all such 
clubs will be established. It is important that we be frequently advised as to 
our strength in the State ; and for this purjxise each subordinate club will re- 
port weekly to the county club the number of members enrolled therein : and 

the County Club will report monthly to the Ex. Com. at the 

number of clubs and number of members in the county. These reports should 
be carefully sealed and addressed . 

"The officers of County Clubs will be supplied with a printed constitution 
and ritual, aiul they will furnish officers of subordinate clubs copies of the 
same, with a strict injunction to secrecy. 

"All correspondence must Ije secret as possible: and in order that this may 
be accomplished the monthly reports maj' consist only of the place, date, num- 
ber of clubs in the county and number of members. No signature must be 
attached. These reports will be summed up and published by the Ex. Com. 

"Strict secrecy as to the icorking of the organization is enjoined and 
promptness and vigor in its extension is very important. We must work now 
and work rapidly. No time is to be lost; our opponents are working vigor- 
ously and secretly, but it is not too late to counteract their machinations and 
utterly overthrow them. JVork! Work! Jl'ork! 

"CONSTITUTION. 

"object. 

"The object shall be to preserve and maintain the Uninn and the constitu- 
tion of the L'nited States and of the State of Kansas, and to defend Kansas 
against invasion, insurrection, civil commotion and to protect Cnion men 
against assassination, arson, robbery, prescription and all other wrongs in- 
flicted by the enemies of the Government of the United States and of this 
State upon loyal persons. 

"officers. 

"The officers shall consist of Pr.. V. P., R. S., T., M., and S.. who shall 
hold their office for three months. 



134 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

"duties OF OFFICERS. 

"The duties of officers shall be the same as in similar organizations and 
all business shall be conducted in the usual parliamentary form. 

"admission of members. 

"Persons may become members who are eighteen years of age and up- 
wards, and are citizens of the United States. 

"initiation. 

"All initiations shall take place in and with the authority of the officers 
of the club who may delegate suitable persons to initiate members from time 
to time as occasion requires outside of any regular meeting of the club. Branch 
clubs mav be formed by proper application to this club when the president may 
appoint suitable persons to establish the same. 

"withdrawals. 

"Any member may withdraw from this club by giving written notice 
of the same to the R. S. at any regular meeting: but the obligations of such 
member shall remain the same as before. 

".\MENDMENTS. 

"This constitution may be altered or amended by giving one week's notice 
thereof, by a vote of two-thirds of the executive committee of the State. Each 
county club may make by-laws for its own organization, not conflicting with 
this constitution. 

"ritu.a,l. 

"Eternal God ! Supreme Ruler, Governor and Architect of the Universe I 
We humbly beseech Thee to protect the people of the United States in general 
and especially the members of this organization. Wilt thou be pleased to direct 
and prosper all our consultations to the advancement of Thy glory, the good of 
Thy country, the safety, honor and welfare of Thy people, and may all things 
be ordered and settled by the Legislature and Executive branches of our Gov- 
ernment upon the best and surest foundation, so that peace and happiness, truth 
and justice may be established among us for all generations. Wilt Thou be 
pleased to guide and direct us as Thou didst our Fathers in the Revolution, 
With the strength of Thine almighty arm Thou didst uphold and sustain them 
through all their trials, and at last didst crown them with - victor>'. May 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY I 33 

charit}-, and brotherly love cement us ; may we be united with our principles 
founded upon the teachings of Thy Holy Word and may Thy Good Spirit 
guide, strengthen and comfort us, now and forever, Amen. 

"All candidates for membership to (his club will be required to answer the 
following questions to be propounded b\' the marslial before initiation : 

"i. Are you opposed to secession or disunion ? 

"2. Do you acknowledge that your first and highest allegiance is due 
to the Government of the United States of America? 

"3. Are you willing to take such an oath of allegiance to the United 
States of z\merica? 

"4. Are you willing to pledge yourself to resist to the extent of your 
power, all attempts to subvert or overthrow the constitution of the United 
States, or the constitution of the State of Kansas? 

"Should the candidates answer affirmatively, the marshal, after repeating 
to the president, will conduct them into the club room and present them to the 
president, who shall then address the candidates as follows : 

"Gentlemen : — We rejoice that you have tlnis voluntarily come forward 
to unite yourselves with us. The cause we advocate is that of our country ; 
banded together for the purpose of perpetuating the liberties for which our 
fathers fought, we have sworn to uphold and protect them. 

"It is a strange and sad necessity which impels American citizens to band 
themselves together to sustain the constitution and the Union ; but the Govern- 
ment under which we live is threatened with destruction. Washington en- 
joined upon us that 'the unity of the Government which constitutes us one peo- 
ple is a main pillar in the edifice of our real independence : the support of our 
tranquility at home, our peace abroad — of our safety, of our prosperity, of 
that very liberty which we so highly prize.' He charges that we should 'prop- 
erly estimate the immense value of our national Union to our collective and in- 
dividual happiness; that we should cherish a cordial, habitual and immovable 
attachment to it ; accustoming ourselves to think and sjieak of it as the palladium 
of our political safety and prosperity ; watching for its preservation with jealous 
anxiety ; discountenancing whatever may suggest even a suspicion that it can 
in any event be abandoned.' 

"He tells us again that 'to the efficiency and permanency of the ITnion, a 
Government for the whole is indispensable. No alliances, however strict be- 
tween the parts, is an adequate substitute.' 

"It is to sustain this Government we are banded togetlier, and for this pur- 
pose you are now required to take a solemn obligation. 



136 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

"Place your left hand on the National Flag and raise your right hand 
toward Heaven ; repeating after me : 

"We and each of us do solemnly swear in the presence of God and these 
witnesses to support, protect and defend the constitution and Government of 
the United States and of the State of Kansas against all enemies, foreign and 
domestic, and to maintain and defend the Government of the United States and 
the flag thereof, and aid in maintaining the laws of the United States in this 
State and to defend the State of Kansas against invasion from any State or 
States and from any other rebellion, invasion, insurrection to the best of our 
ability without any mental reservation or evasion — So help us God. 

"The members will respond. 

"To this we pledge ourselves. 

"We do severally solemnly swear and affirm that we will protect, aid and 
defend each member of all Union clubs, antl will never make known in any 
way or manner, to anv person or persons, not members of Union clubs, any of 
the signs, passwords, proceedings, purposes, debates or plans of this or any 
other club under this organization, except when engaged in admitting new 
members into this organization. 

"The president will then deliver the following address to the candidates : 

" 'The oath which you have now taken of your own free will and accord 
cannot rest lightly upon your conscience, neither can it be violated without 
leaving the stain of perjury upon your soul. Our country is now in "disorder" 
and "confusion ;" the fires of commotion and contest are now raging in our 
midst, war has come to us but we cannot, we must not, we dare not omit to 
do that which in our judgment the safety of the Union requires, not regardless 
of consequences, we must yet meet consequences : seeing the hazard that sur- 
rounds the discharge of pul)lic duty, it must yet be discharged. Let us then, 
ciieerfully shun no responsibility justly devolving upon us here or elsewhere 
in attempting to maintain the Union. Let us cheerfully partake its fortune 
and its fate. Let us be ready to perform our appropriate part, whenever and 
wherever the occasion may call us, and to take our chances among those upon 
whom the blows may fall first and fall thickest. 

" 'Above all remember the words of our own immortal Clay : "If Kentucky 
tomorrow unfurls the banner of resistance, I never will fight under that ban- 
ner. I owe a paramount allegiance to the whole L',nion. A subordinate one 
to my own State." 

" 'Be faithful, then, to your country, for your interests are indissolubly 
connected with hers; be faithful to these, your bretlnen, for your life and theirs 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY I 37 

may be involved in this contest; be faithful tn jjosterity for the blessings you 
have enjoyed in this Government are but held in trust for thee.' 

"Response by all the members — We Will! 

"The president will then present the constitution and oath to the candi- 
dates for their signature." 

Charles Metz, a notorious Jayhawker, whose personal appearance and 
characteristics are best described in an essay entitled, "The Last of the Jay- 
hawkers," contributed to the old Kansas Magazine, by John J. Ingalls. 
"Conspicuous among the irregular heroes who thus sprang to arms in 1861," 
says Ingalls, "and ostensibly their leader, was an Ohio stage driver liy the 
name of Charles Metz, who having graduated with honor from the peniten- 
tiary of Missouri, assumed for prudential reasons the more euphonious and 
distinguished appellation of 'Cleveland.' He was a picturesque brigand. 
Had he worn a slashed doublet and trunk hose of black velvet he would have 
been the ideal of an Italian bandit. Young, erect and tall, he was sparely 
built and arrax-ed himself like a gentleman in the costume of the day. His 
appearance was that of a student. His visage was thin, his complexion 
olive tinted and colorless, as if 'sicklied over with a pale cast of thought.' 
Black piercing eyes, finely cut features, dark hair and beard correctly trim- 
med, completed a font ensemble that was strangely at variance with the 
aspect of the score of dissolute and dirty desperadoes that formed his com- 
mand. These were generally degraded ruffians of the worst type, whose 
highest idea of elegance in personal appearance was to have their mustaches 
a villainous, metallic black, irrespective of the consideration whether its 
native hue was red or brown. * * * * 

"The vicinity of the fort with its troops rendered Leavenworth undesir- 
able as a base of operations. St. Joseph was also heavily garrisoned, and 
they accordingly selected Atchison as the point from which to move on the 
enemy's works. Atchison at that time contained alxjut 2,500 inhabitants. 
Its business was transacted upon one street and extended west about four 
blocks from the river. Its position upon the extreme curve of the 'Crand 
Detour' of the Missouri, affording unrivaled facilities to the interior in the 
event of pursuit. Having been princi'pally settled by Southerners it still 
afforded much legitimate gain for our bird of prey, and its loyal population 
having already largely enlisted, the city was incapable of organized resistance 
to the depredations of the m.irauders. 

"They established their headquarters at the saloon of a German named 
Ernest Renner, where thev held their councils of war and whence thcv started 



138 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

upon their forays. The winter was favorable to their designs, as the river 
closed early, enabling them to cross upon the ice. Cleveland proclaimed 
himself marshal of Kansas, and announced his determination to run the 
country. He invited the cordial co-operation of all good citizens to assist 
him in sustaining the government and ])unishing its foes. Ignorant of his 
resources and of his purposes, the people were at first inclined to welcome 
their strange guests as a protection from the dangers to which they were 
exposed, but it soon became apparent that tlie doctors were worse than the 
disease. They took possession of the town, defied the municipal autliorities, 
and committed such intolerable excesses that their expulsion was a matter 
of public safety. Their incursions into Missouri were so frequent and 
audacious that a company of infantry was sent from Weston and stationed 
at \\'inthrop to effect their capture, but to no purpose. * * * * If a man had 
an enemy in any part of the country whom he wished to injure, he reported 
him to Cleveland as a rebel, and the next night he was robbed of all he 
possessed and considered fortunate if he escaped without personal violence. 
* * * * A small detachment of cavalry was sent from tlie fort to take them, 
but just as they had dismounted in front of the saloon and were iiitching 
their horses, Cleveland appeared at the door with a cocked navy in each 
hand and told them that he would shoot the first man who moved a finger. 
Calling two or three of his followers he disarmed the dragoons, took their 
horses and equipments and sent them back on foot to reflect upon the 
vicissitudes of military affairs. Early in 1862 the condition liecame des- 
perate and the city authorities, in connection with the commander at W'in- 
throp, concerted a scheme which brought matters to a crisis. Cleveland and 
about a dozen of his gang were absent in Missouri on a scout. The time of 
their return was known, and Marshal Charles Holbert had his force sta- 
tioned in the shadow of an old ware-house near the l^ank of the river. It 
was a brilliant moonlight night in mid-winter. The freebooters emerged 
from the forest and crossed upon the ice. They were freshly mounted and 
each one had a spare horse. Accompanying them were two sleighs loaded 
with negroes, harness and miscellaneous plunder. As they ascended the 
steep shore of the levee, unconscious of danger, they were all taken pris- 
oners except Clexeland, who turned suddenly, spurred his horse down the 
embankment and escaped. The captives were taken to Weston, where they 
.soon afterward enlisted in the Federal army. The next day Cleveland rode 
into town, captured the city marshal on the street and declared his inten- 
tion to hold him ns a hostage for the safety of his men. He compelled the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY I39 

marshal to walk l)y the side of his horse a short distance, when finding a 
crowd gathering for his capture, he struck him a blow on the head wi'th his 
pistol and fled." 

Cleveland continued his exploits for a number of months after this, but 
was finally captured in one of the southern counties where he was attempting 
to let himself down the side of a ravine. He was shot by a soldier from 
above, and the ball entered his arm and passed through his body. He was 
buried in St. Joseph. Mo., and a marble head stone over his grave bears 
the following inscription, placed there by his widow : "One hero less on 
earth, one angel more in heaven." 

As the direct result of the operations of Cleveland and liis gang, the 
spirit of lawlessness grew and the people finally "took the law into tlieir 
own hands." Perhaps the best account of the lynchi'ngs that followed was 
given by Hon. Mont. Cochran March 17, 1902, at the time a Congressman 
from Missouri, but formerly a leading citizen and county attorney of Atchi- 
son. Mr. Cochran said : 

"The thieves who fell victims to Judge Lyncli, while not known as 
Cleveland's gang, operated extensively throughout the period of lawlessness, 
in which no effort whatever was made to bring the outlaws to justice. After 
the Cleveland gang had been effectively broken up, these depredatory scoun- 
drels continued their operations. Their last crime, and the one for which 
they were jibbeted, was the attempted robbery of an old man named Kelsey. 
He had received at Ft. Leavenworth $1,500 on a Government contract, and, 
upon returning home by the way of Atchison, he deposited it in Hethering- 
ton's bank. The thieves went to his house at night and demanded the money. 
Of course, he could not produce it. They tortured the old man and his wife 
alternately for hours, and when after the departure of the thieves, the neigh- 
bors were called in. Kelsey and liis wife were nearer dead than alive. The 
next morning hundreds of their neighbors, armed to the teeth, swarmed into 
. Atchison. In Third street, north of Commercial, was a little log building, 
which had been the home of an early settler, in which was a gunsmith's shop. 
Three or four of the farmers went there to have their fire arms put in order. 
When they came out one of them had a revolver in his hand. 
Two fellows standing by, seeing the farmers approaching, dived into an 
alley and started westward at lightning speed. The farmers pursued and 
at the house of a notorious character, known as Aunt Betsey, the fugitix'es 
were run to cover. The house was surrounded and they were captured. One 
of them was sterling, the fiddler and pianist of the bagnio. Other arrests 



140 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

followed until five were in durance. Then ensued probably the most extra- 
ordinar)' proceeding known to the annals of Judge Lynch. The mob took 
possession of the jail and the court house and for a week held them. The 
prisoners were tried one by one. Sterling was convicted and executed. An 
elm tree, standing on the banks of White Clay creek, in the southwest ciuar- 
ter of the town, was admirably suited to the purpose. When the wagon, 
bearing Sterling to his doom reached the ground the whole town was in 
attendance. A range of hills to the south swarmed with women. Asa 
Barnes, a prominent farmer, a man of iron resolution and unswerving hon- 
esty, was the leader of the mob. With clinched teeth and blanched face he 
ordered Sterling to take hJs place on the seat of the wagon, and, while the 
desperado was as game as a peacock, he promptly obeyed. Standing on the 
wagon seat Sterling took off his hat, banged it down and placing his foot on 
it, shook his clenched hand at the sea of upturned faces, and with a volley of 

imprecations, said : T am the best d d man that e\er walked the earth 

and if you will drop me down and give me a gun, I will fight any ten of 
you." Sandy Corbin, a great bluffer, who bore but little better reputation than 
the man with the noose on his neck, pretended that he wanted to fight Sterl- 
ing single-handed. Nobody else paid any attention to Sterling's ravings, and 
in a twinkling he was swung into eternity. The next day two others, a man 
named Brewer, a soldier at home on a furlough, and a young fellow known 
as Pony, met the same fate. There was much sympathy for Pony. He was 
a drunkard and all his delinquencies were attributed to this weakness. Just 
as they were ready to swing him up, two or three members of the mob told 
him that if he would give information as to others implicated, but who had 
not been arrested, they would save him. His reply was: 'I went into this 
thing as a man and I will die as a man.' There was a stir among those near- 
est the wagon and it was discovered that an effort was being made to save 
the boy from death. The traces were cut and the horses led away. The 
effort failed. Fifty men seized the wagon and dragged it away. The fourth 
to suffer the vengeance of the mob was an old gray-haired man named 
Moodv. At the trial he strongly protested his innocence, and promised, if 
given a respite of twenty-four hours, lie would prove an alibi. This was 
granted, liut the witnesses were not forthcoming and the next day the old 
man was put to death. .\ priest visited him in jail, which was constantly 
surrounded day and night, and when he came out after administering the 
rights of the church to the doomed man, it was remarked by those who saw 
hi'm that the priest was as pale as a ghost. The report gained currency that 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY I4I 

when asked if IMoody was innocent, he refused to answer yea or nay, and, 
although it had not then developed that Moody could not produce the wit- 
nesses he promised, the cnnduct of the priest was taken as proi)f that Moody 
w^as guilty. During the week in which these exti^aordinarv proceedings took 
place, the mob was in undisputed control of the court house and jail. Judge 
. Lynch was perched upon the wool sack and a jury of twelve men, who had 
cjualified under oath, in the usual form, occupied the jury box. Not the 
slightest effort at concealment was made by those who led or those who 
followed. In my judgment no other course was left open to the community. 
"Not less than 500 men were driven out of Kansas on the 
charge of disloyalty in 1861 and 1862, with the approval of men of excel- 
lent character, by thugs and scoundrels, who made no concealment of the 
fact that they lived by horse stealing and house breaking. From the be- 
ginning of the Civil war until peace was declared, the Kansas border from 
the Nebraska State line to the Indian Territory, was a scene of lawlessness 
and disorder. In the earlier years of the war, thieves regularly organized 
into companies, with captains whose authority was recognized by the rank 
and file, with headf|uarters in the towns and cities of eastern Kansas, mas- 
queraded as saviors of the Union, and upon the pretense that thev were 
serving the cause, thrived amazingly by pillaging the farm houses and barns 
of neighboring counties in Missouri. Atchison was the headquarters of the 
Cleveland gang — the nmst active and the lioldest of the ])anditti. The gang 
did not hesitate to cross over to Missouri and steal horses, and returning to 
Atchison sell them in broad daylight. Usually these raids were made at 
flight, but there w-as no concealment of the business they were engaged in, 
nor of the fact that hundreds of the horses sold Ijy them were stolen from 
farmers of Buchanan, Platte and Clinton counties. In the capacity of 
saviors of the Union, they took upon themselves the task of driving all per- 
sons suspected of sympathy for 'thf lost cause' out of Kansas. P. T. Abell, 
J. T. Hereford, Headley & Carr, prominent lawyers, were notified to leave 
or they would be killed. They departed. Headley, Carr and Hereford 
served i'n the Confederate army. Abell lived in exile until after the war was 
over, and then returned to Atchison. He was one of the founders of the 
town, and before tlie war was the ])artner of Gen. B. V. Stringfellow. Tom 
Ray, proprietor of an extensive blacksmitliing and wagon shop, was ban- 
ished. In a month or two he returned, but not until after he had halted at 
\\'intlirop, a village opposite Atchison and opened u]) negoli;itions which 
resulted in a grant of permission to remain i'n .\tchison long enough to settle 



142 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

up his business and collect considerable sums due from his customers. He 
registered at the old Massasoit House, but did not tarry long. Maj. R. H. 
Weightman, an early settler, who left Atchison in 1861, and accepted a col- 
onel's commission in the Confederate army, had been killed at Wilson's 
Creek. While sitting in the Massasoit House barroom, Ray was approached 
by Sandy Corbin. a somewhat notorious character, who handled most of 
the horses stolen by Cleveland's thieves. Corbin mentioned Weightman's 
death, expressing satisfaction at his untimely end. and applying all the epi- 
thets known to the abandoned, to the dead man. Ray expostulated, and 
finallv warned Corbin to desist or expect a thrashing. Corbin rushed to 
his room and returned with two revolvers, so adjusted upon his belt that 
Ray could not help seeing them. Ray, who was a giant in size, seized Cor- 
bin, threw him face downward upon a billiard table, and with a blacksmith's 
hand as large as a ham. spanked him until he was almost insensible. Then 
he hurriedlv boarded the ferrv^ boat, crossed the river and made his way to 
Montana, where he lived until his death, twenty years ago. 

"Cleveland's lieutenant, a fellow named Hartman. was the worst of the 
gang, and was guilty of so many and such flagrant outrages upon the prom- 
inent citizens that in sheer desperation, four men. all of whom are now dead, 
met and drew straws to see who would kill Hartman — (i) Jesse C.'Crall, 
during his life prominent in politics and business; (2) George T. Challis.s, 
for tliirty years a deacon in the Baptist church and a prominent wholesale 
merchant and identified prominently with Atchison affairs; (3) James Mc- 
Ewen, a cattle buyer and butcher; (4) The fourth man was a prominent 
physician. Each of these had suffered intolerable outrages at tlie hands 
of Hartman. He had visited their houses and terrified their wives by 
notifying them that unless their husbands left Atchison within a specified 
period they would be mobbed. Even the cliildren of two of the victims of 
persecution had been abused. They met at the physician's office, and after 
a prolonged conference at which it was agreed that neither would leave un- 
til Hartman had been killed, proceeded to draw straws to see which would 
undertake the work. Crall held the straws, McEwen drew tlie short straw 
and the job fell to his lot. Atchison is bi-sected by two or three brooks, one 
of which traverses the northwest section of the town and runs into White 
Clay creek. This ravine has very precipitous banks, and was crossed by 
several foot bridges. At the east approach of the bridge was a tall elm tree. 
McEwen took his position under this tree, and awaited the appearance of 
Hartman, who necessarily passed that way in going home at night. When 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



143 



Plartman was half-way across llie bridge, McEwen stepped oul. dropped lo 
his knee, leveled a double-barreled shotgun and turned loose. He filled 
Hartman with buckshot from his head to his heels, but strange to say, the 
fellow did not die for months afterward. Had either of the others drawn 
the fatal straw, no doulrt Hartman would have been killed in broad daylight, 
on the streets, but McEwen concluded to give the fellow no chance for his 
life." 

The First Kansas volunteer cavalry was the first regiment to be raised 
under the call of President Lincoln May 8, 1861. It was mustered into the 
service at Ft. Leavenworth June 3, 1861. George W. Deitzler, of Lawrence, 
was colonel, and the following men from Atchison were officers : George H. 
Faicheled, captain, Company C; Camille Aguiel, first lieutenant; Rinaldo A. 
Barker, second lieutenant ; James \V. Martin, second lieutenant of Company 
B. Within ten days of the date this regiment was mustered in, they received 
orders for active service. The regiment joined the army of General Lyon 
at Grand River, Mo., and on July 10 arrived at Springfield, where the force 
of General Sigel was gathered. Tlie united forces of the rebels, under Price 
and McCullouch, was concentrated at Wilson's Creek, twelve miles from 
Springfield, and was strongly entrenched there, where the initial engage- 
ment of the First Kansas regiment took place. This regiment went into 
the engagement with 644 men and officers, and lost seventy-seven killed 
and 333 wounded. The rebel forces were estimated to be 5,300 infantry, 
fifteen pieces of artillery, and 6.000 horsemen, with a loss of 265 killed, 721 
wounded, and 292 missing. The L'nion forces numliered about 5.000, with 
a loss of about 1,000. It was one of the fiercest and most determined bat- 
tles of the Civil war, and both officers and privates in the companies from 
Atchison displayed great bravery. First Lieut. Camille Aguiel was among 
the killed, and privates Henry W. Totten and Casper Broggs, together with 
Corporal William F. Parker, of .Atchison, also lost their lives in this engage- 
ment. 

The Seventh regiment Kansas cavalry was ordered into active service 
immediately following its organization. Colonel Daniel R. Antliony. of 
Leavenworth, was a lieutenant-colonel of this regiment, and among the line 
officers was William S. Morehouse, of Atchison, who was second lieuten- 
ant. This regiment saw a great deal of active service in the Civil war, and 
was first attacked by the rebels November ti, 186 i, while encamped in 
western Missouri, on the Little Blue river. Following a furious battle the 
regiment lost nine of its force by death and thirty-two wounded. This reg- 



144 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

iment subsequently participated in an engagement at Little Santa Fe and 
at Independence. In Januan-, 1862. the Seventh regiment went into camp 
at Humboldt. Kan., and remained there until it was ordered to Lawrence in 
the following March, and subsequently was ordered to Corinth. Miss., and 
from thence to Rienzi, Miss., where it was assigned to the First Cavalry 
brigade, of which Phillip H. Sheridan was commander, and subsequently saw 
much service in Tennessee and other points in the South, and participated 
in the various actions that occurred during General Smith's expedition to 
the Tallahatchee, after which the balance of their active service took place in 
Missouri. It was mustered out at Ft. Leavenworth Septeiuber 4, 1865. 

The Eighth regiment Kansas infantn,- was perhaps closer to the hearts 
of the people of Atchison county tlian any other regiment that participated in 
the Civil war, for the reason that its lieutenant-colonel was the beloved John A. 
Martin, editor of the Atchison Champio)!. and subsequently governor of 
Kansas. It was originally recruited and intended for home and frontier 
service. The fear of invasion, both by hostile Indians on the west, and the 
rebels on the south and east, kept fear alive in the hearts of many residents 
of Kansas, and for this purpose it was deemed desirable to have a regiment 
of volunteer soldiers close at hand. As originally organized, this regiment 
consisted of six infantn,' and two cavalry companies, but various changes 
were made during the three months following its organization. It saw active 
service throughout the South, and participated in many of the important bat- 
tles of the Civil war, but in none did it play a more conspicuous part than 
in the great battle of Mission Ridge. The following is from Colonel Mar- 
tin's official report of the part taken by the Eighth Kansas in this engage- 
ment : 

"Shortly after noon, on the twenty-fifth (November), we were ordered 
to advance on the enemy's position at the foot of Mission Ridge, and moved 
out of our works, forming in the second line of the battle, ^^'e at once ad- 
vanced steadily in line through the woods and across the open field in front 
of the enemy's entrenchments to the foot of the hill, subjected during the 
whole time to a heavy artillery fire from the enemy's batteries, and as soon 
as we reached the open field, to a destructive musketn,- fire. Reaching the 
first line of works we halted to rest our men for a few moments, and then 
advanced through a terrible storm of artillen,- and musketry, to the foot 
of the hill and up it as rapidly as ftossible. The crest of the ridge at the 
point where we moved up was formed like a horseshoe. We advanced in 
the interior, while the enemv's batteries and infantrv on the right and left. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 1 45 

as well as in the center, poured upon us a most terrific fire. But the men 
never faltered or wavered, although from the nature of the ground, regi- 
ments were mingled one with another, and company organization could not 
possibly be preserved. Each man struggled to be first on top, and the offi- 
cers and men of the regiment, without a single exception, exhibited tiie high- 
est courage and the most devoted gallantry in this fearful charge. 

"The enemy held their ground until we were less than a dozen yards 
from their breastworks, when they l)roke in wild confusion and fled in panic 
down the hill im the opposite si'de. A portion of our men pursued tiiem for 
nearly a mile, capturing and hauling back several pieces of artillery and cais- 
sons, which the enemy were trying to run off. 

"We occupied the suinmit of Mission Ridge until the night of tlie twenty- 
sixth, when we were ordered to return to camp at Chattanooga. 

"Our loss was one commissioned officer wounded and three enlisted men 
killed and thirty-one wounded. The regiment went into the battle with an 
aggregate force of 217 men and officers. 

"Where all behaved with such conspicuous courage, it is difficult to make 
distinction, but I cannot forebear mentioning my adjutant-lieutenant, Sol. K. 
Washer. Wounded at Chicakamauga, and not yet recovered from the effects 
of his wound, and suffering from a severe sprain of the ankle, which pre- 
vented his walking. lie mounted his horse and rode through the whole battle, 
always foremost in danger." 

The Eiglith infantry remained in camp at Chattanooga until it removed 
to the relief of Burnside at Knoxville, which citv was reached on Decemlier 
7. About the same time Sherman's corps arrived. The winter of 1863 was 
spent in east Tennessee, and in the following February arrived home in Atch- 
ison and Ft. Leavenworth. Tiiere was great rejoicing and celebration and 
both officers and soldiers were greeted with waving banners, ringing bells, 
booming cannon, and there was much feasting and speech making. The regi- 
ment was horhe on a furlough, and early in April the men re-assembled 
at Leavenworth and on the twelfth of that month was ordered to report 
back to Chattanooga, where it subsecjuently saw service in the Cumberland 
mountains, and throughout the State of Tennessee. 

Colonel Martin was mustered out at Pulaski November 17, his term of 
enlistment iiaving expired, and the following day he left for the North, but 
the regiment was not mustered out of service until the following January. 

The Tenth regiment, Kansas infantn, was made up of the Third and 
FourtJT and a small portion of the Fifth Kansas regiments, and among its 

10 



146 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

officers were Mathew Quigg, captain of Company D ; Selh M. Tucker, 
first lieutenant, and David Whittaker, second lieutenant, all of .Atchison. 
The activities of this regiment were largely confined to operations in Mis- 
souri and Arkansas, and afterwards in Tennessee. In December, 1864, it 
arrived at Clinton, Miss., without tents or blankets, and many of the men 
without shoes or overcoats. During January it made an expedition into 
jSIississippi, and the latter part of that month marched to W'aterloss. .\la., 
remauiing there until February 8, when it embarked for \'icksburg, where 
it remained until February 19, and subsequently operated around Mobile, 
and the men of this regiment were employed as skirmishers in the joint ad- 
vance upon the fortifications around Mobile. It was mustered out at Mont- 
gomery, Ala., September 20, 1865, and finally discharged at Ft. Leaven- 
worth, Kan. The regiment was mostly composed of veterans, who under- 
stood the life of a soldier, and realized the hardships of military campaigns. 
They did their duty, whether it was in guarding their own State from in- 
vasion, or assaulting the rebels at the siege of Ft. Blakely. 

The Thirteenth regiment, Kansas infantn,-, had more officers in it from 
Atchison than any of the regiments that participated in the Civil war. It 
was raised under President Lincoln's call of July, 1862, and was recruited 
by Cyrus Leland, Sr., of Troy, Kan., by virtue of authority from James H. 
Lane, in the counties of Brown, Atchison, Doniphan, Marshall and Nemaha. 
The regiment was organized September 10. 1862, at Camp Staunton, Atch- 
ison, and mustered into the service ten days later. Colonel of this regi- 
ment was Thomas M. Bowen, of Marxsville, and the major was Caleb A. 
Woodworth, of Atchison. Among tlie line officers from Atchison were : 
Henry Havenkorst, captain of Company B; August Langehemeken, second 
lieutenant ; Henn," R. Neal, captain : Robert Manville, second lieutenant : 
John E. Hayes, captain. Company F: Archimedes S. Speck, first lieutenant; 
William J. May, second lieutenant; Patrick McNamara, captain. Company 
K ; Daniel C. O'Keefe, first lieutenant ; Hugh Dougherty, second lieutenant. 

The regiment joined a division of General Blunt soon after the battle 
of Old Ft. Wayne, and participated in various engagements in .Vrkansas. 
.\t the battle of Prairie Grove, it was one of the first regiments to be en- 
gaged, and in ever}- attempt to capture the battery- of which this regiment 
formed the support at this battle, was successfully repulsed, with heavy losses 
to the rebels. This battle virtually finished the campaign for the winter. 
It subsequently did garrison and out-post duty in Arkansas, and in the 
Cherokee Nation. The regiment remained on dutv at Ft. Smith, .Ark., un- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY I47 

til March 3, 1865, when it was ordered to Little Kock, Ark., and on June 
26 of that year was mustered out of service. 

Among the privates of this regiment from Atchison, who were killed, 
were : James L. Pamell, of Mount Pleasant, and John Collins and Lorenzo 
Richardson, of Atchison. 

Thomas Roe, a fine, stout young man, son of a widowed mother, of 
Brownsville, Pa., was the only member of Company D, of the Second Kan- 
sas cavalry, that lost his life in battle during its nearly four years of service 
in the Civil war. This company participated in the battles of Cane Hill 
and Prairie Grove, in Arkansas, and other engagements. Roe came to Kan- 
sas with the late Thomas Butcher, for whom he worked until going into 
the war of the rebellion. 

In May, 1861, a company of home guards was organized liy Free State 
men. of Lancaster and Shannon townships, Atchison county, with a few from 
Brown and Doniphan counties, which gathered every Saturday afternoon 
for drill, altemating at the homes of Johnson Wymore and Robert \\'hite. 
Robert White, who had received military training during the Mexican war, 
having served there in 1846-48, did most of the drilling. A. J. Evans was 
captain ; Robert White, first lieutenant : John Bertwejl. of Brown countv, 
was second lieutenant. 

The pro-slavei^y people were also organized and drilling at the same 
time, consisting of South Carolinians, Virginians and Missourians, who were 
for the Confederacy and slavery. 

At a Sunday school meeting on the prairie, held in a vacant settler's 
shanty near Eden postoffice, where both sides in the neiglilwrhood wor- 
shiped on Sundays, Robert White found out on a Sunday in August, 1861, 
that a southern organization was to disarm all Free State men the following 
Tuesday. His nearest neighbor and a good friend, also a southerner, thought 
White had found this out and came and visited him a good part of Sunday 
afternoon and staying in the evening until after 10 o'clock before going 
home, \\"hite showing no excitement. Willis went home, seemingly much at 
ease, but he was watched by his friend White until safely resting at his home, 
when W'hite went and called another Free State man from his bed who 
notified half the Free State company and White the other half, causing them 
10 meet early the following Monday, when by the middle of the afternoon 
of that day every proslavery man in that part of the country had his fire arms 
taken from him, and Ijefore Tuesday evening all of them had departed for 
Missouri. 



148 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Most of the members of the Free State company enlisted in 
the following October as volunteers for three years' service in the Union 
army and became known as Company D of Second Kansas cavaliy. Robert 
White, who was commissioned as first lieutenant in Company D, was dis- 
chareed and sent home to die with a serious case of inflammatorv rheu- 
matism. but lie recovered so far that in 1863 he raised and drilled a company 
that became a part of the State militia. He was commissioned captain of 
this company and led it in the Price raid at the battle of Westport in 1864 
as a part of the regiment commanded by Col. L. S. Treat in helping keep 
Capt. \\'hite's old brigade, commanded by Gen. Sterling Price, of the Mexi- 
can war, from getting into Kansas. The late M. J. Cloyes and T. B. Piatt, 
of Atchison, were members of Captain White's company in the Price raid. 
Piatt was clerk of the company: John English was first lieutenant; W. F, 
Streeter, second lieutenant, and Francis Schletzbaum was first sergeant. 

The Seventeenth regiment, Kansas infantry, was a negro regiment, but 
with white officers. James M. \\'illiams was colonel, and George J. Martin, 
of Atchison, was captain of Company B. and William G. White and Lutlier 
Dickinson, of Atchison, were first and second lieutenants. This regiment 
played an honorable part during all the Civil war, and its service was largely 
confined to operations in Arkansas and Te.xas. It was mustered out of 
service at Pine Bluff, Ark., October 1. 1865. 

The Second regiment, Kansas colored infantry, was organized in June, 
1863, at Ft. Smith, Ark., and among its line officers was First Lieut. John 
M. Cain, of Atchison. It conducted itself with conspicuous bravery with 
the army of the frontier, and during tlie brief occupation of Camden, .Ark., 
by General Steele's forces, this regiment was employed on picket and forage 
duty. It showed conspicuous bravery around Poison Springs and Mark's 
Mills, and under the able command of Col. Samuel J. Crawford, who 
subsequently became governor of Kansas, it won for itself an enviable name 
among the regiments from Kansas, who participated in the Ci\il war. This 
regiment was finally discharged from the services at Leavenworth Novem- 
ber 27, 1865, after having proved to the Xation the fidelity of the colored 
soldier. 

It was in Septemlier, 1864, that General Sterling Price created great 
consternation by an attempted invasion of Kansas, wiiich ended in his defeat 
on the border by the Union forces, aided by the Kansas State militia. .At 
the time Price started north in his march through .\rkan.sas and Missouri, 
Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis commanded the Department of Kansas, which 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 149 

included Nebraska. Colorado and Indian Territiiry, in addition to Kansas. 
General Curtis had aliout 4.500 men, all of whom had been employed in pro- 
tecting the frontiers of Kansas and Colorado, and the overland mail route. 
At this time General Curtis was near Ft. Kearney, operating- against the 
Indians. On receipt of word announcing the movements of General Price. 
General Curtis was recalled and reached Kansas in Septemljer. A few days 
later he received word that 3,000 rebels' were marching on Ft. Scott, and 
advised Governor Car;iey to call the militia into service. At this time George 
^V. Deitzler was major-general of the State militia ; John T. Norton was 
assistant adjutant-general ; R. A. Randlett, assistant quarter-master ; Samuel 
S. Atwood, assistant quarter-master; Charles Chadwick, George T. Robin- 
son, Lewis T. \\'elmorth, John J. Ingalls, Thomas ^Vhite. Elijah G. Moore. 
H. Stein, and John A. Leffkler were all majors. Constant reports of a con- 
flicting nature were spread from day to day, regarding the movements of 
General Price, but the first point to be attacked was Pilot Knob, the engage- 
ment commencing September 27 and lasting all day. General Ewing put 
up a vigorous defense, with a force of about i.ooo men, while the militia 
commanders in Kansas made preparations for further resistance to the in- 
vasion of Price. Meanwhile General Price continued to make headway, and 
on the fourth of October an order was issued forbidding the transit of boats 
below Kansas City. When it was discovered that the rebels under Price 
had not been seriously checked in their movement westward, further efforts 
were made by General Curtis to prevail upon Governor Kearney to call out 
the militia, which the Governor seemed disinclined to do. Finally, on Octo- 
ber 9. 1864, Major General Deitzler issued an order for the State militia 
from Doniphan, Brown, Nemaha and Marshall counties to rendezvous at 
Atchison, and the militia from other counties were ordered to other points 
in the State. A few days later Leavenworth was fortified, because of a tele- 
gram which was received from General Rosecrans, stating that it was Price's 
intention to strike that point first. The militia responded promptly, and the 
following regiments reported for service at Atchison : The Twelfth regiment, 
composed of 460 men, under the command of Col. L. S. Treat, and the 
Eighteenth regiment, composed of 400 men, under the command of Colonel 
Mathew Ouigg. The total number of militia enrolled under the call of the 
governor was 12,622. of which about 10,000 were south of the Kansas river 
at the point most exposed to danger. From the eleventh until the sixteenth 
of the month there was great excitement, as the forces rapidly gathered, to 



150 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

be organized and equipped. On the staff of Genernl Deitzler there were 
two men from Atchison ; A. S. Hughes, an aide, and John J. Ingalls, judge- 
advocate, with the rank of major. 

As a result of this determined move on the part of Ctcu. Sterhng Price 
to invade Kansas, there followed in quick succession the battle of Lexing- 
ton, the battle of Big Blue, and finally the battle of Wiestport, at which, on 
October 23, 1864, the forces of Price were finally routed and his campaign 
and invasion were stopped, but not until it had causec^ the citizens of Kan- 
sas, in addition to the labor and loss of life, not less than half a million 
dollars. 



CHAPTER IX. 



NAVIGATION. 



PIONEER TRANSPORTATION EARLY FERRIES AND RATES FAMOUS RIVER 

BOATS STEAMBOAT LINES TO ATCHISON STEAMBOAT REGISTERS. 

Slight reference has been made in the early narrative of this history 
to pioneer transportation facilities, but the subject is one of so much import- 
ance and of such immense interest, that a chapter devoted to it is the only way 
in which it can be adequately treated. 

At the time Atchison county was settled, railroad transportation by steam 
was not a new thing", although it was in its primitive stages. Navigation of 
the inland waterways had reached rather a high state of development, and 
the matter of transportation then was just as essential to the purposes of civil- 
ization as in this day of the, railroad and the automobile, but it was many years 
before the steam railroads made the steamboat traffic of the Mississippi and 
Missouri rivers obsolete. The tremendous subsidies granted by the Govern- 
ment in later years for railroad building, however, and the splendid oppor- 
tunity for piling up wealth in the projection of new railroads and the operation 
of them, without Governmental restrictions, together with the advantage of 
speedier transportation facilities, completely over-shadowed the steamboat bus- 
ness, and as a result, our great inland waterway system has grown into prac- 
tical disuse. Shortly after Atchison county was organized, and the city of 
Atchison laid out. agitation was started for railroad connections witl: the 
East. One of the first ordinances passed by the city council in 1858 pro- 
vided for an election to submit a proposition to take $100,000.00 of stock 
in railroad. .At that time the only means of communication to the out- 
side world Atchison had was by steamboats to St. Louis. It was in 
October, 1855, that George M. Million, Lewis Burnes, D. D. Burnes, James 
X. Burnes and Calvin F. Burnes commenced the operation of a ferry across 

151 



152 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the Missouri river. Their dock on tlie Kansas side was at the foot of Atchison 
street. Their charter was secured from the legislature under the terms of 
which a bond of $1,000.00 was required to insure the faithful performance of 
their operations. Although there was no public utilities commission in Kansas 
in 1855. the legislature took upon itself the task of fixing the rates to be 
charged by the ferry owners, in order that the public would not be robbed. 
They were as follows : 

Two-horse wagon, or wagon and one yoke of oxen 

(loaded) $1.00 

Two-liorse wagon, or wagon and one yoke of oxen 

( unloaded) 75 

One additional pair of horses or oxen 25 

Loose cattle or oxen, per liead 10 

Sheep and hogs, per liead 05 

Man and horse 25 

Foot passengers 10 

One horse and buggy or other vehicle 50 

Two horse buggy or carriage 75 

The original promoters operated the ierry but a short time, and 

early in the following year, they disposed of their interests to Dr. William L. 

"^Challiss, and his brother, Luther C. Challiss, and Willis E. Gaylord, and the 

ferry, under Dr. Challiss, and subsequent owners, continued in operation until 

1875, when the present bridge was built. 

About the time the first ferry was established in Atchison, a number of 
Salt Lake freighters selected the town as a starting and outfitting point and 
from that time until 1866, Atchison was the eastern terminus of many of 
the leading overland mail and freighting routes. It was the natural location 
for communication with tlie West, as it was twelve miles further west in 
Kansas than any other point on the Missouri river. Freight and passengers 
were l)rought to the Atchison levee, at the foot of Commercial street, by a 
regular line of Packets plying between St. Louis and St. Joseph. It required 
eight days to make the round trip, and in tlic very early days, as many or four 
to six boats landed here in the busy season. 
i During the winter montlis traffic on the river was practically suspended, 

1 on account of the ice. These boats carried as many as 400 passengers, the. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 153 

fare from St. Louis to St. Joseph ranging from $10.00 to $15.00. which in- 
cluded meals and state rooms. The cooking was said to ha\'e heen very fine, 
and tlie passengers always enjoyed the best that money could buy. 

In addition to passengers, these boats carried from 500 to 600 tons of 
freight, and the rates were as high as $2.50 per cwt. on merchandise that 
would not cost to e.xceed fifteen cents per cwt. in these days. The crew con- 
sisted of 80 to 100 men, and the value of these Ixiats was estimated to be 
about $45,000.00 each. The river then, as now, was filled with sandbars and 
it required the greatest experience to pilot a boat safely to its destination, and 
as a result, experienced pilots would command monthly salaries ranging from 
$250.00 to $500.00. Each boat carried two pilots. A. B. Symns, for many 
years a successful wholesale grocery mercliant in Atchison, E. K. Blair, the 
miller, and George W. Bowman, who also subsequently engaged in the grocery 
business, were employees on several of the steamboats that landed at Atchison. 
Stories of gambling and revelries, by day and by night, are not uncommon, and 
it is said it was not an unusual sight to see as many as ten games of poker 
going on in the main cabins on every trip, in which real money and not mere 
chips were used. Among the famous boats on the river in the early days were 
the "Hesperian," which burned near Atchison in 1859: the "Converse," "Kate 
Kinney," "Eort Aubrey," "Morning Star," "John D. Periy," "Sioux City," 
"Omaha," "Carrier," and the "James H. Lucas," which made the record run 
from St. Louis to St. Joseph, encompassing the trip in fifty-nine hours and 
twenty-two minutes, were among the well known boats that docked at the 
Atchison levee from time to time. The leading wharfmaster of the steamboat 
days was Mike Finney, who was the father of Atchison's present mayor 
(1915). James H. Garside succeeded him and remained in the position until 
steamboat days had passed. Had the Missouri river been the beneficiary of 
of the bounty of the Government, as the railroads were in that day, it would 
still be a splendid auxiliary of our transportation system. The Missouri 
river, so far as Atchison is concerned, is in the same condition it was in when 
Mark Twain made an early trip on it from St. Louis to St. Joseph. In 
"Roughing It," he said : 

"We were six days going from St. Louis to St. Joseph, a trip that was 
,so dull and sleepy and eventless, that it has left no more impression on my 
memory than if its duration had been six minutes instead of that many days. 
No record is left in my mind now concerning it, htU a confused innihlc of, 
savage looking snags, which we deliberately walked over with one wheel or 
the other; and of reefs which we butted and Initted and then retired from, and 



154 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

climbed over in some softer place : and of sand bars which we roosted on occa- 
sionally and rested, and then got our crutches and sparred over. In fact the 
boat might as well have gone to St. Joseph by land, for she was walking most 
of the time anyhow — climbing over reefs and clambering over snags, patiently 
and laboriously all day long. The captain said she was a bully boat, and all 
she wanted was more "shear" and a bigger wheel. I thought she wanted a 
pair of stilts, but I had the sagacity not to say so." 

STEAMBOAT LINES TO ATCHISON 1856. 

From Squatter Sovereign. 
March ii, 1856. 

"A. B. Chambers," James Gormley, Master; D. Jamison, Clerk. 

"F. X. Aubrey," Ambrose Reeder, Captain ; Ben V. Glime, Clerk. 

"Polar Star," E. F. Dix, Master; H. M. Glossom, Clerk. 

"New Lucy," \Vm. Conley, Master. 

"James H. Lucas," Andrew Wineland, Commander. 
March 18, 1856. 

"Star of the ^^'est," E. F. Dix, Master. 
March 25, 1856. 

"J. M. Convers," Geo. W. Bowman, Captain; G. A. Reicheneker, Clerk. 
April 29, 1856. 

"Martha Jewett," D. H. Silver, Captain: W. McCreight, Clerk. 

"Sultan," John H. McCloy, Master; D. C. Sheble, Clerk. 

"Edinburg," Dan Able. Master. 
May 27, 1856. 

"Morning Star," \^'m. Brierly, Master. 
June 24, 1856. 

"Emigrant," Hugh L. \\"hite. Master: H. R. McDonald. Clerk. 

STEAMBOAT REGISTER. 

Reported for tlie Champion by M. C. Finney, Steamboat Agent. 

BOUND UP. 

E. M. Ryland, Blunt Monday, 8th. 

Peerless, Bissell W'edncsdav. lotli. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

John H. Dickey. Abel Saturday, 13th. 

H. H. Russell, Kenny Sunday, 14th. 

Hesperian, Kerchival Sunday, 14th. 

F. X. Aubry. GHme Wednesday, 17th. 

Platte Valley, Postill ; Wednesday, 17th. 

Wm. Campbell, Dale Thursday, i8th. 

White Cloud, O'Neil Friday, 19th. 

Spread Eagle, Lagrage Friday, 19th. 

Emma, Friday, 19th. 

BOUND DOWN. 

E. M. Ryland, Blunt Tuesday, 9th. 

Peerless, Bissell Friday, 12th. 

John H. Dickey, Abel Sunday, 14th. 

W. H. Russell, Kenney Monday, 15th. 

Hesperian, Kerchival Tuesday, i6th. 

F. X. Aubry, Glime Wednesday, 17th. 

Wm. Campbell, Dale Friday, 19th. 

White Cloud, O'Neil Saturday, 20th. 

(From Freedom's Champion, Atchison, March 20, 1858.) 

BOUND UP. 

Spread Eagle, Lagrage Friday, 19th. 

Emma, Yore Friday, 19th. 

Silver Heels, Nanson Saturday, 20th. 

Morning Star, Burk Sunday, 21st. 

Polar Star, McMuIIin Monday, 22d. 

Twilight, Shaw Monday, 22d. 

St. Mary, Devenny Tuesday, 23d. 

Carrier, Postal Wednesday, 24th. 

Sovereign, Hutchinson Wednesday, 24th. 

Omaha, W'ineland Thursday, 25th. 

F. X. Aubry, Glime Thursday, 25th. 

Minnehaha, Baker Thursday, 25th, 

John H. Dickey, Abel Friday, 26th. 

White Cloud, O'Neil Saturday, 27th. 



155 



156 HISTORY OF ATCHISOX COUNTY 

Florence, Throckmorton Saturday, 27th. 

Polar Star, McMullin Sunday, 28th. 

Hesperian, Lee Sunday, 28th. 

Star of the West, Oilman Monday, 29th. 

South ^^'estem, Dehaven Monday, 29th. 

John \\'arner, Paterson Monday, 29th. 

Sioux City, Baker Monday, 29th. 

War Eagle, White Tuesday, 30th. 

Ben Lewis, Brierly Tuesday, 30th. 

Thomas E. Tutt, Dozier Tuesday, 30th. 

J. D. Perr}-, Davis Wednesday. 31st. 

Watossa, Riclioneker Wednesday, 31st. 

Alonzo Child, Holland Wednesday, 31st. 

Wm. Campbell, Dale Wednesday, 31st. 

Kate Howard, Nonson Wednesday, 31st. 

Sk}' Lark, Johnson Thursday, April i. 

E. M. Ryland, Blunt Thursday, ist. 

Silver Heels, Xanson Friday, 2d. 

John H. Dickey, Abel Friday, 2d. 

F. A. Ogden Friday, 2d. 

Every boat on the above list except eight have passed down again, mak- 
ing in all. sixty landings at our wharf, in the short space of thirteen days. 
(From Freedom's Champion. Atchison, April 3, 1858.) 

ST. LOUIS & ATCHISON UNION LINE. 

One of the following Splendid Steamers Will leave 

ATCHISON FOR ST. LOUIS DAILY. 

Sunday Boats Peerless and Silver Heels, Alternately. 

Monday Boats, Hesperian and Morning Star, Alternately. 

Tuesday Boats, South Webster and A. B. Chambers, Alternately. 

Wednesday Boats Ben Lewis and Twilight. .\lternately. 

Thursday Boats, Sovereign 

Friday Boats, Kate Howard and Minnehalia Alternately 

For Freight or passage apply to 

G. W. BOWMAN, Agent. Atchison. 
N. B. Tickets sold through to all the Eastern and Southern Cities. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 1 57 

OFFICE on the Levee. 

(From Freedom's Champion, Atchison, Marcli 27. 1858.) 

Squatter Sovereign, Atchison, Dec. 5, 1857: 

Omaha, Andrew Wineland, Master ; J. J. Wilcox, clerk. 

Freedom's Champion, Atchison, April 3, 1858: 

Ben Lewis, T. H. Brierly, Master ; W. G. Barkley, clerk. 

Freedom's Champion, March 12, 1859: 

Alonzo Child, D. DeHaven, Master; Stanley Ryland, clerk; H. P. Short, 
clerk. 



CHAPTER X. 



OVERLAND FREIGHTING. 



ATCHISON AS AN OUTFITTING POINT FREIGHTING COMPANIES PRINCIPAL 

ROUTES STAGE LINES OVERLAND MAIL ROUTES BEN HOLLADAY BUT- 

TERFIELD'S OVERLAND DISPATCH TIME TO DENVER TABLES OF TIME 

AND DISTANCES ON VARIOUS ROUTES STATISTICAL. 

Atchison was chosen as an outfitting point for the SaU Lake freighters, ' 
in addition to many other reasons, l>ecause we had one of the best steamboat ' 
landings on the river, and had the best wagon road in the country leading 
west. Twenty-four miles west of Atchison this road was intersected by the 
old overland mail trail from St. Joseph. Leavenworth had laid out a new road 
west, over which it was planned to run the Pike's Peak Express stages in the 
spring of 1859, as well as the mule and ox teams, for Denver and the mountain 
mining camps. A branch road was also opened to intersect this route from 
Atchison in the spring of 1859, under the direction of Judge F. G. Adams.^ 
The expedition started west from Atchison in tlie spring of tliat year, over 
what is now known and was then known as the Parallel road, tlien through 
Muscotah and America City, across into the Big Blue river, near Blue Rapids, 
and westward through Jewell county. The object of this expedition was to 
open a shorter route to the mountains than the one opened b\- the Leavenworth 
company, and the route proposed did save sixty-five miles distance, and almost 
twelve hours time. E. D. Boyd, an engineer, measured the entire distance . 
from Atchison to Denver. He also made an accurate report, showing dis- 
tances and the crossing of streams, and a brief description of the entire route, 
which was published in 'the Atchison Champion, in June, 1859. According 
to that report, the distance from Atchison to Denver was 620 miles. But not- 
withstanding the advantage of this new road, it was abaudoned_immediately 
and never traveled by ox or mule trains out of Atchison, for the reason that 

158 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 159 

the old military road by Fort Kearney and along tlie Platte ri\er enjoyed 
Government protection from the Indians, and was settled at intervals almost 
the entire distance. 

During- the period of overland freighting on the plains, more trains left 
Atchison than any other point on the river. The leading firms engaged in 
the freighting business were, Stevens & Porter; Dennison & Brown; Hocka- , 
day-Burr & Company; J. S. Galbraith; George W. Howe; Brown Brothers; 
E. K. Blair ; I. N. Bringman ; Roper & Nesbitt ; Harrison Brothers ; Henry 
Reisner; J. C. Peters; P. K. Purcell; R. E. Wilson; Will Addoms; George I. 
Stebbins; John C. Bird; William Home; Amos Howell; Owen Degan, and 
a numbers of others. 

The cost-of-shipping n2erchandise_J:QjI)eiTyei^ya^s \^rv_high, as everything 
was carried by the pound, rather than by the hundred pounds rate. Flour, 
bacon, molasses, whiskey, furniture and trunks were carried at pound rates. 
The rates per pound on merchandise shipped liy ox or mule wagons from Atchi- 
son to Denver prior to i860, were as follows : 

Flour 9 cents 

Tobacco 12J/2 cents 

Sugar 13^ cents 

Bacon 15 cents 

Dry goods 15 cents 

Crackers 17 cents 

Whiskey 18 cents 

Groceries 19^ cents 

Trunks 25 cents 

Furniture 31 cents 

It has been said by those who witnessed the tremendous overland traffic 
of the late fifties and the early sixties, that those of this g"eneration can form 
no conception of the enormous amount of traffic overland there was in those 
days. Trains were being constantly outfitted not only at Atchison, but at 
other points along the river. Twenty-one days was about the time requiied 
for a span of horses or mules to make the trip to Denver and keep the stock 
in good condition. It required five weeks for ox trains to make the same dis- 
tance, and to Salt Lake, horses and mules were about six weeks making tlie 
trip, and ox trains were on the road from sixty-five to seventv davs. It was 
the ox upon which mankind depended in those days to carry on the commerce 



l6o HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of the plains. They were the surest and safest for liauhng a large part of 
the freight destined for the towns and camps west of the Missouri river. Next 
in importance to the ox, was the mule, because they were tough and reliable, 
and could endure fatigue. 

The year of 1859 was a big year in the liistory of Atchison, for in that 
year the percentage of the growth of the town was greater than any other 
year in its history. The fact that it was the best point on the Missouri river 
for the overland staging and freighting outfits, brought it in greater commer- 
cial prominence. At that time, Irwin & McGraw were prominent contrac- 
tors, who were supplying the various military posts on the' frontier. The mere 
fact that these Government trains were started from Atcliison, ga\-e the town 
wonderful prestige. 

It was nothing unusual to see two or three steamboats lying at the levee, 
discharging freight, and as many more in sight either going up the river from 
St. Louis, or down the river from St. Joe. It was not uncommon for a boat to 
be loaded at Pittsburgh, Pa., or Cincinnati, Ohio, going down the Ohio 
river and up the Mississippi and Missouri to Atchison ; it wa.s not an unusual 
sight to see a whole boat load of wagons and ox yokes, mining macliinery, 
boilers and other material necessary for the immense trade of the West. 

The greater part of the traffic out of Atchison to the West was QY£r_the 
Military ro ad, along the south bank of the Platte, and along this road teams 
of six to eight yoke of cattle, hauling heavily loaded wagons, and strings of 
four or six horse or mule teams, formed almost an endless procession. 

The liveliest period of overland trade extended from 1859 to 1866, during 
which time there was on the plains and in the mountains an estimated floating 
population of 250,000. The greater majority of the people on the plains 
produced but few of the necessities of life, and consequently they had to be 
supplied from the Missouri river. During the closing year of the Civil war, 
the travel was immense, most of the emigration going into the gold mining 
camps of the Northwest. 

\\'hile there was considerable freighting out of Atchison to die West fol- 
lowing the opening of the Territory, overland staging did not reach its heighth 
until 1 86 1. The era of overland staging from the Missouri river to the 
Pacific coast lasted altogether about eight years. The first great overland 
staging enterprise started in 1858, on what is known as the Southern or 
Butterfield route. This route ran from St. Louis and Memphis, Tenn., inter- 
secting at Ft. Smith, Ark. After l)eing in operation for nearly three vears. 
the route was succceiled b\ a dailv line on the Central route, which ran from 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY l6l 

the Missouri river five _\-ears. first starting at St. Joseph, Mo., July i, 1861, 
and then from Atchison in September of that year. On the Central route, 
the through staging came to a close after the completion of the Union Pacific 
railroad from Omaha across the continent. Originally the stage enterprise 
was known as the Overland Mail Company — the Southern or Butterfield line. 
After it was transferred north and ran in connection with the stages to Denver, 
it was known as the Central Overland California and Pike's Peak Express 
Company. After passing into the hands of Ben Plolladay, it became the 
Overland Stage Line, and finally the name was changed to the Holladay Over- 
land Mail Express Company. In 1866, the line had been consolidated with 
the Butterfield Overland Dispatch, a sta.ge company which was organized in 
1865, with headcjuarters in Atchison. 

Atchison's importance as an overland staging terminus was fixed b\ 
reason of an order of the United States Postoffice Department. Before the 
final change, making Atchison headquarters and starting point for the mail, 
the road from Atchison westward intersected the road from St. Joseph at 
Kennekuk. The distance from Atchison to Kennekuk was twenty-four miles, 
while it was about thirty-five miles from St. Joseph, and consequently there 
was a saving of about nine miles in favor of Atchison. This was an import- 
ant item, in carrying the mails, and resulted in the order of the Postoffice De- 
partment making Atchison the starting point. The distance by tlie overland 
stage line from Atchison to Placerville was 1,913 miles, and following the 
abandonment of the Butterfield or Southern route, it Iiecame the longest and 
the most important stage line in America. There were 153 stations between 
Atchison and Placerville, located about twelve and one-half miles apart. The 
local fare was $225.00, or about twelve cents per mile, and as high as $2,000.00 
a day was frequently taken in at the Atchison office for passenger fare alone. 
The fare between Atchison and Denver was $75.00, or a little over eight cents 
per mile, and to. Salt Lake City, $150.00. Local fares ran as high as fifteen 
cents per mile. Each passenger was allowed twenty-five pounds of baggage. 
All in excess of that was charged at the rate of $1.00 per pound. During the 
war. the fare to Denver was increased from seventy-five dollars to $100.00. 
and before the close of llie war. it had reached $175.00. or ncarlv twenty-se\'en 
cents per mile. 

It required about 2,750 horses and mules to run the stage line between 
Atchison and Placerville. It required, in addition to the regular supph- of 
horses to operate the stages, some additional animals for emergencies, and it 
was estimated that the total cost of the horses on this stage line was about one- 

II 



l62 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

half million dollars. The harness was the finest that could be made, and cost 
about $150.00 for a complete set of four, or about $55,000.00 for the whole 
line. The feeding of the stock was one of the big items of expense, and tliere 
were annually consumed at each station from forty to eighty tons of hay, 
at a cost of $15 to $40 per ton. Each animal was apportioned an average 
of twelve quarts of corn every day, which cost from two to ten cents a pound. 
In the Salt Lake and California divisions, oats and barley, grown in Utah, 
were substituted for com, but which cost about the same. 

There were about 100 Concord coaches which, in the early sixties 
cost about $1,000.00 each. The company owned about one-half of the stations, 
in addition to thousands of dollars' worth of miscellaneous property, at differ- 
ent places along the route. There were superintendents, general and local 
attorneys, paymasters and division agents, all of whom drew big salaries. 
Among the stage company's agents in the late fifties and early sixties were 
Hugo Richards and Paul Coburn, at Atchison ; Robert L. Pease, of Atchison, 
was also for a time agent at Denver. 

The mail was carried from Atchison west by Forts Kearney, Laramie 
and Bridges, once a week. The schedule time from the river to Salt Lake City 
was about eighteen days, and the distance was about 1,200 to 1,300 miles. 

In 1861 a daily overland mail was established out of Atchison, and with 
the exception of a few weeks in 1862, 1864 and 1865, on account of Indian 
troubles, the overland was in operation and ran stages daily out of Atchison 
for about five years. It was the greatest stage line in the world, carrying 
mail, passengers and express. It was also regarded as the safest and the 
fastest way to cross the plains, and the mountain ranges. It was equipped 
with the latest modern four and six horse and mule Concord coaches, and the 
meals at the eating stations along the route were first-class, and cost from fifty 
cents to $2.00 each. 

When Atchison was selected as the starting place for the overland mail, 
it was not certain how long it would remain the eastern tenninus of the 
mail route. The Civil war was at its height, and the rebels were doing much 
damage to the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad, which had been constructed in 
1859. They tore up the track, burned the bridges, destroyed the culverts, 
fired into the trains, and placed obstructions along the roadbed, frequently 
delaying the mail from two to six days. As a result of this condition of 
affairs, it was feared that Atchison would lose the overland mail, and the Gov- 
ernment would change the starting point to some town further north, but be- 
cause of the advantageous geographical position of Atchison, it was decided 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 163 

that it would be disastrous to make a change, so the Government placed a 
large number of troops along the entire line of the Hannibal & St. Joe, to 
insure the safety of the mails, and Atchison continued to be the point of de- 
parture for the overland mail, until 1866. 

The stage coaches used by the overland line were built in Concord, 
N. H. They carried nine passengers inside, and one or two could ride on the 
box by the driver. Some of the stages were built with an extra seat above and 
in the rear of the driver, so that three additional persons could ride there, 
making fourteen, with the driver. Sometimes an extra man would be crowded 
on the box, making as many as fifteen persons, who could ride on the Con- 
cord coach without very much inconvenience. 

This chapter on overland staging would be unfinished, unless 
some reference was made to Ben Holladay, who played such an im- 
portant part in the overland staging days of this country. Ben Holladay 
had a remarkable career. In his early days, when he resided in Weston, Mo., 
he drove a stage himself. He was a genuine westerner, having run a saloon 
and tavern in Weston as early as 1838 and 1839. He went overland to Cali- 
fornia in 1849, ''"d took a train to Salt Lake City with $70,000 worth of 
goods. He spent some time in Utah, where he made considerable monev. 

Besides operating the Overland Stage for over five years, Holladay had 
other important interests in the W^est. Among his enterprises was a fleet 
of passenger steamers, plying between San Francisco and Portland, Ore. 
At the height of his career he was a millionaire, and few men in the country - 
accumulated wealth more rapidly. He spent his money freely, and squandered 
vast sums when he was making it. After he had accumulated a fortune, he 
went to New York to live, and built a most pretentious residence a 
few miles out of New York, on. the Hudson river, which he called Ophir 
Farm. After he was awarded some good mail contracts by the Government, 
he built a mansion in Washington, which he furnished superbly, and collected 
a large classical library, with handsomely bound volumes, and also was a 
patron of art, collecting fine oil paintings of celebrated masters in Europe and 
'\merica. He also made a collection of fine bronzes and statuary, and paid 
$6,000.00 each for two bronze lions. 

It was in i860 that he came into possession of the Central Overland Cali- 
fornia Mail Line, but subsequent trouble with the Indians damaged his prop- 
erty to the extent of a half million dollars. His stage stations were burned, 
and his stock stolen, and stage coaches destroyed. Finally, in 1888, being 



164 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

broken in health and in debt, his Washington home, with its contents, was 
sold under the hammer. 

He came into possession of practically all the big overland routes by pur- 
chase and foreclosure of mortgages, and he made his vast fortune in mail 
contracts from the Government. He remained at the head of the overland 
line for about five years, taking possession of it in December. 1861, and dis- 
posing of it, including the stations, rolling stock and animals, in the latter 
part of 1866, to Wells Fargo & Company. 

Mr. Holladay died in August, 1877. in Portland. Ore., a poor man. 

butterfield's overl.vnd dispatch. 

One of tlie interesting promoters in overland staging days was D. A. 
Butterfield.' He came to Atchison from Denver in 1864, and engaged in the 
commission business in a large stone ware-house near the Massasoit House, 
and, in addition to his commission business, he was agent for a line of packets 
plying between St. Louis and .Atchison. Shortly after his arrival in Atchison 
he began the development of an overland stage line, which subsequently 
reached ver\- large proportions. His amliition was to be at the liead of an 
overland stage line, and, having selected what was known as the Smoky Hill 
route along the Kansas and Smoky Hill rivers, which was fifty miles sliorter 
than any other route to Denver, he proceeded with rhe further development 
of his plans. ?Ie was a smart, capable, ambitious and aggressive fellow, 
with ^•im, and was in touch with a number of men of large means in New 
York, whom lie soon interested in his enterprise. Early in 1865 the following 
advertisement appeared in the Atchison Daily Free Press, announcing Mr. 
Butterfield's project: 

"BUTTERFIELD'S 0\'ERLAXD DISPATCH. 

"To all points in Colorado, I'tah, Idaho ^nd Montana Territory. 
Principal office, Atchison, Kansas. Xew York Office 
No. I Vesey St. Astor House. 
"Through bills of lading given from New York, Boston. Philadelphia. Pitts- 
burgh, Chicago, St. Louis, and Burlington, Iowa. 

"D. A. Butterfield, Proprietor, Atchison, Kansas. 
"A. W. Spalding, General Agent, New York.'' 
i'.utterfield's consuming desire was to control the big end of tlie trans- 
portation business across the plains. He maintained an expensive office in 
New "^'ork City and called his line "The Butterfield Overland Dispatch." 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 165 

Conspicuous signs were displayed over the doors of his office in tlie Astor 
Honse, showing caravans of great covered wagons drawn b_\- mules ami nxen. 
which signs attracted the attention of all. During his promotion of this new- 
stage line Butterfield lived in great style and elegance in Atchison, in a liouse, 
the remains of which still stand (1915) at the southwest corner of Fifth and 
S streets. He entertained lavishly, and "champagne flowed like water" at 
his home when he gave a part}-. 

The direct route out of Atchison to Denver, chosen by Butterfield, was 
in a southwesterly direction to Valley Falls, thence across the plains to a point 
on the old Fort Riley military road a few miles northeast of Topeka. The 
Butterfield line was first operated with mules and oxen, but as the road grew 
more prosperous, four horse stages were substituted. "Dave" Butterfield, as 
he was known, was determined to mak'e Ben Holladay a pigmy in the overland 
stage business. Althongh it was known to many that there was more wind 
behind his enterprise than real money, yet in spite of the fact that his efforts 
in the staging world were more or less looked upon as a promotion scheme, 
he interested considerable capital, including the United States, American and 
the Adams Express companies. He was a great believer in publicity and 
spent large sums in newspaper advertising, but it required much mone\- to 
properly equip and operate a stage line, and Butterfield did not ha\-e enough. 
In consequence of his lack of capital, his original company failed, but was sub- 
sequently reorganized in June, 1865. Butterfield, undaunted, went east again 
and raised more money, and before his return, he capitalized a new company 
with $3,000,000.00, with one-half paid in. Branch offices were gpened in 
New York, Boston. Philadelphia, St. Louis. Cincinnati. Chicago, Atchison, 
Leavenworth, Denver and Salt Lake City. John A. Kinney, a pioneer busi- 
ness man of Atchison, who had been connected with Butterfield from the be- 
ginning, continued in charge of the Atchison office under the reorganization, 
with a salary of $2,500 per year. Shortly after the new company was 
organized, Butterfield inserted another advertisement in the Free Press, as 
follows : 

"BUTTERFIELD'S OVERLAND DISPATCH. 

"To all points in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona. Idaho. Montana 
and the state of Nevada. 

"Contracts can be made with this Coinpany through their Agents to 
transport freight from all the eastern cities to all localities in the Territories, 
the rate to include railroad and overland carriage and all commissions upon 



l66 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the Missouri River. The Company owns its own tronsportation and gives a 
through bill of lading which protects shipper from extreme East to the 
Far West. 

"express DEPARTMENT. 

"About August, 1865 the Company will have a line of express coaches 
running daily between Atchison, Kansas and Denver, Colorado; and about 
September ist, to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and as soon in the Spring as possi- 
ble, a tri-weekly between Denver and Salt Lake City over which merchandise 
will be carried at fair express rates. 

"TIME TO DENVER— EIGHT (8) DAYS. 

"INSTRUCTIONS: Mark goods for cattle and mule trains: 'But'd 
Ov'd Desp'h.' Mark goods for express : B. O. D. Express, Atchison." 

Some changes were afterwards made in the location of the route, but 
it left as before, in a southwesterly direction to Valley Falls. The business of 
the new company was very large from the start and grew rapidly. Steam- 
boats discharged great quantities of freight at the Atchison levee for shipment 
by Eutterfield's line. A large amount also came from St. Joseph by railroad. 
In one day during July, 1865, nineteen car loads of freight consigned to the 
Butterfield line at Atchison were received for transportation across the 
plains. In the following month a train was loaded with 600,000 pounds of 
merchandise for Salt Lake City. One of the early stages that left Atchison 
on this line made the run to Junction City, which was 119 miles, in less than 
twenty-four hours, or at the rate of five and one-half miles an hour, including 
all stops, but the reorganized Butterfield line was not long in operation before 
it met with many obstacles. The fact that the Smoky Hill route selected by 
Butterfield was not guarded by Government troops of soldiers, as the Fort 
Kearney route was, caused the Indians to make many raids upon the overland 
trains. A number of severe encounters with Indians were had from time to 
time, until it became necessary to operate the stages with a mounted guard in 
advance. It finally became so dangerous that it was difficult to secure mes- 
sengers and drivers to operate the line. This condition became so serious that 
the "Overland Dispatch," which in the meanwhile was becoming more finan- 
cially embarrassed from day to day, was finally obliged to retire from the 
field. During the short time that it lasted, it was widely known throughout 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 167 

the western country, and in the East it was known in most of the leading 
cities. WHiile this company, to some extent, cut down the receipts of the Holla- 
day line, traffic across the plains had become so dull in the sixties that there 
was not much profit in it for anybody. In March, 1866. Holladay took over 
the Butterfield line and the following announcement appeared in the 
newspapers : 

"NOTICE. 

"To the Employees of the Overland Distpatch Company. 

"The Overland Stage Line and the Overland Dispatch Company liave 
become one property under the name of the Holladay Overland Mail 
& Express Company. 

"The new Company guarantees payment to the employees of the 
late Overland Dispatch Company. An agent is now enroute from New 
York to pay them. 

"David Street, Gen'l Agt., 
"Holladay Mail & Express Co. 
"Atchison, Kansas, March 17, 1866." 

The business that Butterfield had worked up was continued by the new 
company, but Butterfield was hopelessly down and out. While in the midst of 
what appeared to be a prosperous freight business with many tons of ponderous 
mining machinei-y in transit across the plains to the mining camps of Colorado, 
the mining bubble broke, and great difficulty was experienced in collecting 
freight bills that were accumulating on machinery tliat was being transported 
across the plains, so it was unloaded upon the plains and there it was left to 
rust out. In less than eighteen months from the first organization of the 
Overland Dispatch. Butterfield was a financial wreck, and the consolidation 
of his company with the Holladay line was the only action that could be taken 
to conserve the property which the Butterfield line had acquired. Butter- 
field subsequently left Atchison and located in Mississippi, where he organized 
a railroad, which also proved a failure. He left Mississippi for Arkansas and 
built and operated a horse car line in Hot Springs. He finally got into a 
quarrel with one of liis employees, who struck him with a neck yoke, from 
the effects of which he died. 

OTHER ROUTES. 

Atchison was an important point for stage routes as early as 1839. There 
was a line of hacks which ran daily from Atchison to Leavenworth, and an- 
other to Lawrence, and still another by Oskaloosa and Valley Falls across the 



l68 HISTORY OK ATCHISON COUNTY 

~^Kansas river to Lecompton, Big Springs, Tecumseh and Topeka. To reach 
' Lawrence from Atchison in those days, passengers were compelled to go by 
)y Leavenworth, until a line was opened by Mount Pleasant and Oskaloosa, re- 
^ dticing the distance to forty-five miles, and the fare to $4.50. There was a 
lin^ north to Doniphan, Troy, Highland and Iowa Point. A line was also 
operated by Doniphan to Geary City, Troy and St. Joseph, and still another 
ran by Hiawatha to Falls" City, Neb. The most important route, whicli had 
its headquarters at that time in Atchison, was a four mule line. The Central 
Overland California and Pike's Peak Express, which with its speedy Concord 
stages, crossed the plains twice a week. This was the Holladay line. The 
Kansas Stage Company operated a line to I-eavenworth, which made stops 
at Sumner and Kickapoo. A daily line, operated by the Kansas Stage Com- 
pany% ran to Junction City by way of Mount Pleasant, \^'inchester, Osawkie, 
Mt. Florence, Indianola, Topeka, Silver Like, St. Marys, Louisville, Ogden 
and-Et^ Riley. The distance over this route was 120 miles and the fare was 
$10.00. There was also a two-horse stage line carrying the mail from Atchi- 
son to Louisville, Kan. Louisville was one of the most important towns in 
Pottawatomie county, and in 1859 was an important station on the route of 
the Leavenworth & Pike's Peak Express. The mail line as tiien operated ran 
through Monrovia, Arrington, Holton and other points to its destination in 
the West. J. H. Thompson, who was an old man then, was the contractor 
for carrying the mail and was well known along the whole route, being 
familiarly known as "L'ncle Johnny" Thompson. His stage left Atchison 
every Saturday morning at 8 o'clock and arrived from Louisville on Friday 
evening at 6. The fare from Atchison to Louisville was $8.00. 

"ST. JOSEPH. ATCHISON AND LECOMPTON 
"STAGE LINE. 

"Passing through Geary City, Doniphan, Atchison. Winchester, Hickory 
Point, and Oscaloosa, connecting at Lecompton with lines to Topeka, Grass- 
hopper Falls, Fort Riley. Lawrence, Kansas City, and the Railroad at St. 
Joseph for the East. 

"Offices — Massasoit House, Atchison. K. T.. and Planter's House, St. 
Joseph, Mo." 

(From Freedom's Champion, Atchison, February 12, 1859.) 

I,.\ST D.WS OF THE STAGING BUSINESS. 

The people of Atchison in the si.xties little realized the advantages the 
town gained by being the starting point for the California mail. They became 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 169 

used to it, the same as we have tliis day been accustomed to the dail\- arri\al 
and departure of trains, but it was a gloomy day for Atchison when "the 
overland" finally pulled out of tiie town for good, after having run its stages' I' 
out of the city almost daily for five )ears. Tlie ad\ance of the Union Pacific 
railroad from Omaha west along the Platte to I't. Kearney, antl the completion 
of the Kansas Pacific railway was the cause of the abandonment of Atchison 
by the "overland" as a point of departure for the mail. The company for many 
weeks before its final departure had been taking both stock and coaches off of 
the eastern division from the Missouri river to Rock creek, and other steps 
in preparation for moving the point of departure further west were taken. It 
was a little after ii o'clock in the morning of December 19, 1866, that the long 
train of Concord stages, express coaches, liacks and other rolling stock started 
from their stables and yards on Second street to leave Atchison forever. The 
procession went west out of Atchison along Commercial street. Alex Benham 
and David Street, both faithful employees of "The Overland," were in charge 
of the procession and they rode out of town in a Concord bugg)\ Other em- 
ployees followed in buggies and coaches, and then the canvas covered stages, 
followed by over forty teams and loose horses, slowly moved out of town, 
headed for Fort Riley and Junction City. 

ROUTE FROM ATCHISON 

via the 

SMOKY HILL FORK ROUTE. 

Remarks 
Junction of the Great Military Road. 
Provisions, entertainment and grass. 
On the Grasshopper, w( lod and grass. 
W'liod. water and grass. 
Wood and grass. 
^Vood and grass. 
\\'ood and grass. 
\\'ater, wood and grass. 
\\ater, wood and grass. 
Wood, water and grass. 
Grass and buffalo chips, 
(jross and buffalo chi])s. 
Wood, water and grass. 



From Atchison to 


Miles 


Total 


Mormon Grove 


3/2 




Monrovia 


8V2 


12 


Mouth of Bill's Creek 


13 


25 


Ter. Road from Nebraska 


15 


40 


Soldier Creek 


10 


50 


Lost Creek 


15 


65 


Louisville 


10 


75 


Manhattan City 


12 


87 


Fort Riley 


15 


102 


Salina 


52 


154 


Pawnee Trail-Smoky Hill 


130 


284 


Pawnee Fork 


35 


319 


Arkansas Crossing 


35 


354 



170 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



Bent's Fort 


ISO 


504 


Bent's Old Fort 


40 


544 


Huerfano 


40 


584 


Fontaine qui Bouille 


15 


599 


Crossing of same 


18 


617 


Jim's Camp 


15 


632 


Brush Corral 


12 


644 


Head of Cherry Creek 


26 


670 


Crossing of Same 


35 


705 


Mines 


6 


711 



Wood, water and grass. 

\\'ater and grass. 

Water and grass. 

Wood, water and grass. 

Wood, water and grass. 

Water and grass. 

Wood, water and grass. 

Wood, water and grass. 

From this point to the mines there is 

heavy timber, and srass and water 

in abundance. 



From Freedom's Champion, February 12, 1859. 

ROUTE FROM ATCHISON 



via 



The Great Mihtary Road to Sah Lake, and Col. Fremont's Route in 1841. 



From Atchison to Miles 


Total 


Marmon Grove 


3/2 




Lancaster 


5K' 


9 


Huron ( Cross. Grasshop- 






per) 


4 


13 


Kennekuk, do main do 


10 


23 


Capioma (Walnut Creek) 


17 


40 


Richmond (head of Nema 


.- 




ha) 


J 5 


55 


Marysville 


40 


95 


Small Creek on Prairie 


10 


105 


do do 


10 


115 


do do 


7 


122 


Wyth Creek 


7 


129 


Big Sandy Creek 


13 


142 


Dr\' Sandy Creek 


17 


159 


Little Blue River 


12 


171 


Road leaves Little Blue 


44 


215 


Small Creek 


7 


222 


Platte River 


17 


239 


Ft. Kearney 


10 


249 



Remarks 
Junction of the Great Military Road. 
Provisions and grass. 
Provisions and grass. 
First Salt Lake Mail Station. 
Provisions, timber, and grass. 
Provisions, timber, and grass. 
Salt Lake Mail Station and pro- 
visions. 

Water and Gross. 
Luxurient grass. 
Water and grass. 
Wood and grass. 
Wood and grass. 
Wood and luxuriant grass. 
Heavy timber. 
Wood and grass. 
Wood and grass. 
W^ood, grass and buffalo. 
Salt Lake Mail Station and pro- 
visions. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



171 



17 Mile point 
Plum Creek 
Cottonwood Spring 
Fremont's Springs 
O'Fallon's Bluffs 
Crossing South Platte 
Ft. St. Vrain 
Cherry Creek 



17 


266 


18 


284 


40 


324 


40 


364 


5 


369 


40 


409 


200 


609 


40 


649 



\\ (lod, water and grass. 

Wood and grass. 

Wood and grass. 

Luxuriant grass. 

Wood, water and grass. 

\Vood, water, and grass. 

Provisions, and from this to the 

mines the route is well timbered and 

watered. 



From Freedom's Champion, February 12, 1859. 

TABLE OF DISTANCES 

— ^From— 

ATCHISON TO THE GOLD MINES, 

via the 

First Standard Parallel Route to the Republican Fork of the Kansas River, 
thence following the Trail of Colonel Fremont on his Explora- 
tions in 1843, to Cherry Creek and the Mines. 



Compiled from Colonel Fremont's Surveys, and the most reliable information 
derived from the traders across the Great Plains. 



From Atchison to Miles 

Lancaster 9 

Muscotah, on Grasshopper 11 
Eureka 

Ontario, on Elk Creek 
America, on Soldiers Creek 9 
Vermillion City 
Crossing of Big Blue 
Little Blue creek 
Head of Blue creek 
Republican Fork 



Total 



II 


20 


II 


31 


10 


41 


: 9 


50 


25 


75 


3 


78 


17 


95 


23 


118 


12 


130 



Remarks 
Settlement, provisions and grass. 
Settlement, provisions and grass. 
Settlement, provisions and grass. 
Settlement, provisions and grass. 
Settlement, provisions and grass. 
Settlement, entertainment and pro- 
visions. 

Heavy timber and grass. 
Timber and grass. ' 
Wood, water and grass. 



172 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



Republican Fork crossing 2 
Branch of Solomon's Fork 38 
Leaves Solomon's Fork 75 
Branch of Republican Fork 15 



Following up Rep. to its 



Cherry Creek and Mines 2 = 



From Freedom's Champion. 



132 

I/O 

245 
260 



head 


190 


450 


Beaver Creek 


23 


473 


Bijou Creek 


22 


495 


Kioway Creek 


15 


510 



Colonel Fremont describes this sec- 
tion as "affording an excellent road, 
it lieing generally over high and 
le\el i)rairies, with numerous streams 
wliich are well timbered with ash, 
elm, and \er) heavy oak, and 
abounding in herds of buffalo, elk 
and antelope." 

Heavy timljer and grass on course. 
Wood, grass and buffalo. 
Wood, grass and buffalo. 
Tlie route from tliis point to the 
535 mines runs thro' a country well tim- 
bered and watered, with luxurient 
grass and plenty of wild game. 
February 12, 1859. 




Main Kntiance lo .lackson Tark, .Mrliisim. Kansas 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



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CHAPTER XI. 



RAILROADS. 



EARLY RAILROAD AGITATION THE FIRST RAILROAD CELEBRATING THE AD- 
VENT OF THE RAILROAD OTHER ROADS CONSTRUCTED THE SANTA FE 

THE ATCHISON & NEBRASKA CITY THE KANSAS CITY, LEAVENWORTH 

& ATCHISON THE ROCK ISLAND THE HANNIBAL & ST. JOSEPH THE 

FIRST TELEGRAPH MODERN TRANSPORTATION. 

Eight years before the last stage pulled out of Atchison the agitation 
for a railroad began. The first charter provided for the construction of a 
railroad from Atchison to St. Joseph. As appeared in an earlier chapter, 
the city council of Atchison at its first meeting called an election March 15, 
1858, to vote on a proposition to subscribe for $100,000 in stock. The 
I election was held in the store of the Burnes Brothers, and S. H. Petefish, 
Charles E. Woolfolk and Dr. C. A. Logan were judges of election. The 
proposition carried almost unanjmously, and, in addition to the stock sub- 
scribed for by the city, the citizens of the town subscribed for $100,000 in 
stock individually. The following May the contract for the constniction 
of the road was awarded to Butcher, Auld & Dean at $3,700 per mile. There 
were fourteen other l)idders. The members of the firm which made the 
successful bid were : Ephraim Butcher, David Auld, James Auld and William 
Dean. Work of construction was started May 12, 1858, but was not fin- 
ished until February 22, i860. The completion of this road to Atchison 
was of ver}- far reaching importance. The town was wild with excitement, 
for the new railroad gave the town its first direct rail connection with the 
east. Its terminus at Winthrop (East Atchison) was the first western point 
east of the Rocky mountains reached by a railroad at that time in the United 
States, save one. The first railroad built between tlie Mississippi and the 

174 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



'/3 



Missouri rivers was the Hannibal & St. Joseph, which was completed to St. 
Joseph Februar}- 23, 1859, and the new railroad from Atchison connected 
with the Hannibal & St. Joseph at the latter point. 

Richard B. Morris was the first conductor of the Atchison road, and 
he subsequently became internal revenue collector of Kansas under Cleve- 
land. Following the completion of the road, a great celebration was held at 
Atchison June 13, i860, and the people not only celebrated the completion 
of the St. Joseph line, but also the breaking of ground on the Atchison & 
Pike's Peak railroad, now the Central Branch. Great preparations were 
made for the celebration weeks in advance and promptly following the hour 
of 12 o'clock on the morning of June 13, i860, the firing of 100 
guns at intervals began, which was kept up with monotonous regular- 
ity until daybreak. Flags and bunting fluttered from poles and windows 
throughout the city, and a special train of invited guests from the East ar- 
rived at Winthrop before noon with flags flying and bands playing". The 
passenger steamer, "Black Hawk," loaded to the guards with citizens from 
Kansas City, reached Atchison early in the morning, and leading citizens also 
came from Wyandotte, Leavenworth, Lawrence, Topeka and other towns. 
The city had been cleaned up and put in holiday attire by the city author- 
ities. The town had never before presented such a gay appearance. Frank 
A. Root in his interesting book, "The Overland Stage to California," who 
was present at the celebration, has perhaps written the most interesting ac- 
count of this event that has ever been printed. He says : 

"In the procession that formed along Second street, one of the unique 
and attractive features was a mammoth government wagon trimmed with 
evergreens and loaded with thirty-four girls dressed in white, representing 
every State in the Union and the Territory of Kansas. There were three 
other wagons filled with little girls similarly dressed, representing all the 
forty-one counties of Kansas in its last year of territorial existence. 

"One of the contractors for government freighting had a huge prairie 
schooner, drawn by twenty-nine yoke of oxen, the head of each animal or- 
namented with a small flag, while he himself was mounted upon a mule. The 
contractor was quite an attraction, dressed in the peculiar western prairie 
and plains frontier cow-boy costume with buckskin pants, red flannel shirt, 
boots nearly knee high, with revolver and bowie knife buckled around his 
waist, dangling by his side. The procession in line, marched west along 
Commercial street to near Tenth. It was a long one and it was estimated 
that there were 7,000 people in it and at least 10,000 in the city witnessing 



^ 



176 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the festivities. The ceremony of lireaking i^round for these two roads 
took place about noon, but there was nothing particularly imposing about it. 
The most important part of the ceremonies was the turning over of a few- 
spadefuls of dirt by Col. Peter T. Abell, president of the road, and Capt. Eph. 
Butcher, the contractor, who built the Atchison & St. Joseph road. The event 
was witnessed by fully 5.000 people, after which the monster procession 
formed, and. headed by a brass band, and other bands at different places in 
the line, marched across White Clay creek to the grove in the southwest 
part of the city, where the oration was delivered by Benj. F. Stringfellow. 
Following the oration several speeches were made by the mosf prominent 
of the invited guests, one of them by Col. C. K. Holli^aVi^of Topeka, one 
of the founders of the great Santa F"e system. The barbeque was an im- 
portant feature of the affair. Six beeves, tv/enty hogs, and over fifty-sheep, 
pigs and lambs were roasted. There was also prepared more than one hun- 
dred boiled hams, several thousand loaves of bread, cakes by the hundred, 
besides sundry other delicacies to tickle the palate and help make the occasion 
one long to be remembered by all present. The exercises were quite elal)- 
orate and wound up with a ball in the evening at A. S. Parker's ha ll on the 
west side of Sixth street, between Commercial and Main and a wine supper 
in Charley Holbert's building on Second street, just north of the Massasoit 
House. Many visitors came from a long distance east, some as far as New 
England. Most of the Northern States were represented, and a few came 
from the South. Free transportation was furnished the invited guests. 
Hundreds came by rail and steamboat and many poured in from the sur- 
rounding countiy for miles, in wagons and on horseback, from eastern 
Kansas and western Missouri." 

\\niile a strong movement for the ccinstruction of railroads was started 
in i860, it was soon discovered that much progress could not be made in 
the face of the unsettled conditions brought on by the Civil war, and, as a 
result a further effort in that direction, was, for the time being, abandoned. 
However, Luther C. Challiss did not give up his idea of projecting a road to 
the West, and to him more than to anybody else belongs the creditof^ start- 
ing the first road west out of Atchison. He obtained a charter for the 
building of the Atchison & Pike's Peak railroad and this company was organ- 
ized February 11, 1859, but on account of the war was not opened to Water- 
ville until Januaiy 20, 1868. Challiss obtained possession of 150.000 acres 
of Jand from the Kickapoo Indians by a treaty, and. upon the organization 
of the company he was elected president. The land he secured from the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY I77 

Indians was, for the most part, located in Atchison county, around Muscotali, 
and adjoining counties. With Mr. Challiss were associated Charks B. Keith, 
who was the agent of the Kickapoo Indians, George \V. Glick and Senators 
Pomeroy and Lane. In the charter for this road provision was made for 
its construction lOO miles west of Atchison. Col. William Osborn, who 
had constructed the west half of the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad, built 
the first section of the Central Branch to Waterville. He named the town 
after his old home in New York, where he was born. It was proposed at 
this point to make a connection with a branch running from Kansas City 
to Ft. Kearney, Neb., but tlie Kansas City road was subsequently changed 
to Denver, and for this reason it has been said the Central Branch was not 
completed to Denver, as originally planned. 

The Atchison & Pike's Peak Railroad Company was incorporated by 
special act of the Territorial legislature of the Territory of Kansas, chapter 
48, "Private Laws of Kansas, 1859," ^""^ authorized to construct a rail- 
road from Atchison to the western boundary of the Territory in the direc- 
tion of Pike's Peak. Subsequently, the Atchison & Pike's Peak Railroad 
Compan}^ became the assignee of all the rights, privileges and franchises of 
the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad Company, given and granted under an 
Act of Congress, of July 8, 1862, Twelfth Statute, page 489, entitled : "An 
Act to aid in the constraction of a railroad and telegraph line from the IVIis- 
souri river to the Pacific ocean, and to secure to the government the use of 
same for postal, military and other purposes," which provided that the Han- 
nibal & St. Joseph Railroad Company might extend its road from St. Joseph 
via Atchison, to connect and unite with a railroad in Kansas, provided for 
in said Act, for one hundred miles in length next to the Missouri river, and 
might, for that purpose, use any railroad charter, which had, or might have 
been granted, by the legislature of Kansas. Accordingly, the work of con- 
struction from Atchison west was inaugurated under the name of the Atch- 
ison & Pike's Peak Railroad Company. On January i, 1867, by virtue of the 
laws of the State of Kansas, the name of Atchison & Pike's Peak Railroad 
Company was changed to the Central Branch Union Pacific Railroad Com- 
pany, and the latter company completed the railroad from Atchison to Water- 
ville. 

THE ATCHISON, TOrEKA & SANTA FE RAITAVAV COMPANY. 

Tlie first real move for the construction of a railroad from the Missouri 
river, west, resulted in a charter granted by the Territorial legislature to the 
12 



IjS HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

St. Joseph & Topeka Railroad Company February 20, 1857. Under the 
terms of the charter the road was to start from St. Joseph, Mo. : thence 
crossing the river through Doniphan, Atchison and Jefferson counties to 
Topeka. Tlie cliarter was subsequently amended and the road was extended 
in the direction of Santa Fe, N. M.. to the southwestern line of Kansas, 
which is practically the same route now traversed by the Atchison, Topeka 
& Santa Fe railroad. The desire on the part of the people for direct rail- 
road connection with the Missouri river and the East gave to this move- 
ment great impetus, and there was considerable rivalry between the towns 
to offer aid and assistance. The people of Atchison were particularly 
anxious to make this town tlie terminal point and the future railway center 
of the great trans-continental system, and strongly opposed any project 
which would make Atchison simply a way station on the great road to the 
West. \\'it]i a view to avert such action on the part of those behind the 
movement to construct this road, it was determined to make Atchison the 
eastern terminus of the same. Accordingly, Atchison loaned its credit to the 
amount of $150,000, by aid of which subsidj' a direct road was built on 
the Missouri side of the river from St. Joseph and thence north under an- 
other charter with Atchison, Kan., instead of St. Joseph as the eastern ter- 
minus, the enterprise was carried on .'^.nd as a result the citizens of Kansas Ter- 
riton,- were much elated with the added prestige of the railroad being a Kan- 
sas corporation. The Atchison & Tojjeka Railroad Company was incor- 
porated by an Act of the legislature February ii, 1B59. Those named as 
the original incorporators were: S. C. Ponieroy, Atchison; C. K. llalliday, 
Topeka; Luther C. Challiss, Atchi.son ; Peter T. Abell, Atchison; Aspah Allen, 
Topeka; Milton C. Dickey. Topeka; Samuel Dickson, Atchison; Wilson L. 
Gordon, Topeka; "George S. Hillyer, Grasshopper Falls; Lorenzo D. Bird, 
Atchison ; Jeremiah ]Mar.sliall, Topeka ; George H. Fairchild, Atchison ; F. 
L. Crane. Topeka. The company was "authorized to sur\'ey, locate, con- 
struct, complete, alter, maintain and operate a railroad with one or more 
tracks from or near Atchison in Kansas Territory, to the town of Topeka. 
in Kansas Territory, and to such point on the southern or western boundar\' 
of said Territory in the direction of Santa Fe as may be convenient and 
suitable for the construction of said road and also to construct a branch to 
any point on the southern line of said Territory in the direction of the Gulf 
of Mexico."' The authorized capital stock was $1,500,000, and the first 
y meeting for organization under the charter was held at the office of Luther 
C. Challis in Atchison Septemljer 15, 1859, at wliich meeting $52,000 of the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 1 79 

first subscription of stock was paid, and the following directors were chosen : 
L. C. ChalHss. George H. Fairchild, P. T. Abell, S. C. Pomeroy. L. D. Bird, 
C. K. HalHday, F. L. Crane, E. G. Ross, Joel H. Huntoon, M. C. Dickey, 
Jacob Safford. R. H. Weightman, and J. H. Stringfellow. The officers 
were : C. K. Holliday, president ; P. T. Abel), secretar}^ ; M. C. Dickey, treas- 
urer. It will be seen that the majority of the incorporators and of the offi- 
cers were citizens of Atchison, and it is an important fact in the history of 
Kansas that Atchison county played such an important part in the organiza- 
tion and construction of the first railroad lines in the State. Had it not 
been for the terrible drought Qf_ 1860, which totally paralyzed all classes 
oi business, the work of constructing this road immediately following its or- 
ganization would have gone forward, but the famine which followed the 
drought was so complete and so widely distributed throughout the State and 
the western country as to almost destroy the farming- interests. During this 
period the directors of tlie road decided to press the claims of Kansas for a 
national subsidy for the construction of railroads, and President C. K. Holli- 
day, with a number of his associates, spent much- time in Washington dur- 
ing 1859 and i860. Their work was not in ^•ain, for on March 3, 1863, Con- 
gress made a grant of land to the State of Kansas, giving alternate sections 
one mile square and ten in width, amounting to 6,400 acres per mile, on con- 
dition that the Atchison-Topeka road should be finished on or before 1873. 
The State accepted the grant and transferred it to this road Februarv Q, 1864. 
It was in October, 1868, almost ten years after the date that the first charter 
was granted to this road that work of construction was begun in Topeka. 
The road was first built in a southerly direction so as to reach the coal region 
in Osage county. It was opened to Carbondale, eighteen miles from Topeka, 
in July, 1869, and readied Wichita, 163 miles from Topeka, in May, 1872, 
and at about the same time in 1872 the road was completed from Topeka 
to Atchison, a distance of fifty-one miles. 

ATCHISON & NEBRASKA CITY RAILR0.\D. 

On May 5, 1867, the charter for the Atchison «&; Nebraska City Railroad 
Company was filed in the office of the secretary of State of the State of Kan- 
sas. The original incorporators of this road were Peter T. Abell. George 
W. Click, Alfred G. Otis, John M. Price. W. W. Cochrane, Albert H. Hor- 
ton, Samuel A. Kingman, J. T. Hereford and Augustus Byram, all of whom 
were citizens of Atchison. The charter provided for the construction of a 



l8o HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

railroad from "some point in the city of Atchison to some point on the north 
hne of the State of Kansas, not farther west than twenty-five miles from 
the jNlissouri river, and the length of tlie proposed railroad will not exceed 
forty-five miles." Shortly after the road was incorporated the name was 
changed to the Atchison & Nebraska Railroad Company, and under this 
name subscriptions in bonds and capital stock were made in Atchison and 
Doniphan counties. Atchison county subscribed for $150,000, and in addi- 
tion to the subscription of the county there were individual subscriptions 
amounting to $80,000 in the county. Work was commenced on the road 
in 1869, and it was completed in 1871 to the northern boundary of Doni- 
phan county, three miles north of Whitecloud. The stockholders of Atchi- 
son graded the road bed to the State line, constructed bridges and furnished 
the ties, after which the entire property was given to a Boston syndicate in 
consideration of the completion and operation of the road. This railroad 
was afterwards consolidated with the .'\tchison. Lincoln & Columbus Rail- 
road Company of Nebraska, which road had lieen authorized to construct 
a railroad from the northern terminal point of the Atchison & Nebraska rail- 
road to Columbus, on the Union Pacific railroad, by way of Lincoln, and 
the road was completed to Lincoln in the fall of 1872. This consolidated 
road was purchased by the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Company 
in 1880. • 

KANSAS CITY, LEAVENWORTH & ATCHISON RAILWAY CO>rPANY. 

This road was organized by articles of association filed in the office 
of the Secretarj- of the State of Kansas September 21, 1867, and March 25, 

1868, and the Missouri River Railroad Company by articles of association 
filed February 20, 1865, and the construction of tlie Leavenworth, Atchi- 
son & Northwestern railroad was commenced at Leavenworth in March, 

1869, and completed to Atchison in September, 1S69. The stock 
held in the company by Leavenworth county, aggregating $300,000, was do- 
nated to this road to aid in its extension to Atchison, and the first train into 
Atchison arrived in the latter part of 1869. It was not until July, 1882, 
however, that the first train was run through from Atchison to Omaha over 
the line of the Missouri Pacific railroad, which subsequently absorbed the 
Leavenworth, Atchison & Northwestern Railroad Company. 

THE CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY. 

The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company was one of the 
last of the railroads to make connection with Atchison. This line was 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY lOI 

originally projcctetl to Leavenworth, hut reached Atchison shortly after. The 
construction of the Atchison branch was begun in 1S72, and in July of that 
year the first train was run- into the city. 

All of these roads having been organized and constructed and in opera- 
tion, the next mo\-ement that took place in transportation circles was the 
erection of the bridge across the Missouri river, work upon which was com- 
menced in August, 1874, and completed in July, 1875. This bridge is 1,182 
feet long and the stone for the piers and abutments upon which it rests was 
taken from the quarries at Cottonwood Falls, Chase county. It was originally 
built by the American Bridge Company of Chicago, and was re-built 
entirely new, except for the piers, in i8q8. Shortly after the erection of the 
bridge, connecting Missouri with Kansas at Atchison, the first railroad de- 
pot was built upon the site of the present union station, which was com- 
pleted and dedicated September 7, 1880. There was a great deal of dis- 
cussion as to the proper location of a depot before the building was finally 
erected, and it was through the efforts of the Burneses that its location 
on Main street, between Second and Fourth street, was selected. The cap- 
ital stock of the original Depot Company was $100,000,000, of which the 
railroad companies then entering the city suliscribed for $70,000. The bal- 
ance of the stock was taken by individuals. The cost of the original depot 
was $120,000, and the architect was William E. Taylor, who planned the 
old union station in Kansas City. James A. McGonigle. who was the con- 
tractor for the old Kansas City station, also built the Atchison union depot. It 
was built of the finest pressed brick from St. Louis, and trimmed with cut 
stone from the Cottowood Falls quarries. Its length was 235 feet, with an 
"L" ninety-six feet long. It was two stories high with a mansard roof. It 
was an ornamental, and, in those days, an imposing structure. The cere- 
monies accompanying its dedication were witnessed by a great crowd, and 
many great men in the railroad and political life of Kansas participated in 
them. Gen. Benjamin F. Stringfellow delivered the address, and a ban- 
quet was served in the evening, followed by a procession and fire-works. 
Tw'O years later, in June, 1882, this depot was partially destroyed by fire, 
suffering a loss of $10,000, but it was immediately rebuilt. On January 6, 
1888, another fire completely destroyed the building, and the present union 
station was erected a short time later. 

HANNIBAL & ST. JOSEPH RAILROAD. 

On and after Monday, February 28, this road will be open for business 
throughout its entire length. Passenger trains will leave St. Joseph for Han- 



1 82 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

inbal every morning, making close connection with steam packets to St. Louis 
and Ouincy, and affording direct connection with all the railroads east of 
the Mississippi river. Time from St. Joseph to Hannibal, eleven hours, and 
to St. Louis, eighteen hours, saving more than three days over any other 
route. Trains from the east will arrive in St. Joseph every evening, con- 
necting with a daily line of packets running between St. Joseph and Kansas 
City; also a line up the Missouri to the Bluffs. Passengers from all parts 
of Kansas will find this the quickest and most agreeable route to St. Louis 
and all points on the Mississippi, giving those going east a choice between the 
routes from St. Louis. Alton and Ouincy. Fare will be as low as by any 
other route. Favorable arrangements will be made for taking freight, saving 
most of the heavy insurance on the Missouri river. Express freight will be 
taken through much quicker than by any other line. 

Tickets can be had at the office in St. Joseph for nearly all parts of the 
countr^^ 

JOSL\H HUNT, Sup't. 

P. B. GROAT, Gen'l. Ticket Ag't. 
Feb. 1st, 1859. no. 48-lm. 

(From Freedom's Cftampion, Atchison. Februarys 12. 1859.) 

HANNIBAL & ST. JOSEPH RAILROAD. 
NEW ROUTE OPEN FOR THE E.\ST AND SOUTH. 

Passengers for St. Louis, northern Missouri, Iowa. Chicago, Cincinnati, 
Detroit, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, Louis- 
ville and Southern States, will find this the shortest, quickest and most de- 
sirable route to the above points. On the ist day of February only fifteen 
miles of staging intervenes between St. Joseph and Hannibal, and on the ist 
day of March, 1859, the road will be completed, and open for through travel 
the entire length. A daily line of stages from Atchison, passing through 
Doniphan and Geary City, connects at St. Joseph with the H. & St. Jo. 
railroad. From Hannibal a daily line of packets leave upon arrival of cars 
for St. Louis, upon the opening of navigation, and lioats connect at Ouincy 
with the C. B. & O. railroad for Chicago, and with the G. \V. railroad for 
Toleda via Naples. This is in every respect the best route for eastern and 
southern passengers. Trains leave St. Joseph for the east daily. 

JOSL\H HUNT, Sup't. 

P. B. GROAT, General Ticket Agent. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY I03 

(no. 47) 
(From Freedom's Champion. Atchison, February 12. 1859.) 

THE FIRST TELEGRAPH. 

It was a little over six months after the completion of the Atchison & 
St. Joseph railroad that the first telegraph connection was established be- 
tween Atchison and the world. The construction of the Missouri & Western 
telegraph line was begun in Syracuse, Mo., in 1859. Charles M. Stebbins 
built this telegraph line, which extended from Syracuse to Ft. Smith, Ark. 
A branch of this line was extended westward to Kansas City, and reached 
Leavenworth along in the spring of 1859. August 15, 1859, this branch 
was extende_d to_ Atchison, and it was a proud day in the history of this city. ' 
The first office was in a brick building on Commercial street adjoining the 
office of Freedom's Champion. John T. Tracy was the first operator. Gen. 
Samuel C. Pomeroy was mayor, and on this account the honor was given 
him of sending the first message, which was as follows : "Atchison, August 
15, 1859. His Honor, H. B. Denman, Mayor of Leavenworth. Our medium 
of communication is perfect. May our fraternal relations continue — may our 
prosperity and success equal our highest efforts. S. C. Pomeroy, Mayor of 
Atchison." Mayor Denman replied as follows: "Hon. S. C. Pomeroy, Mayor 
of Atchison. Mav each push forward its works of enterprise and the efforts 
of each be crowned with success. H. B. Denman, Mayor of Leavenworth." 
Congratulations were next exchanged between Atchison and St. Louis, as 
follows: "Atchison, August 15, 1859. Hon. O. D. Filley, Mayor of St. 
Louis. For the first time since the world began, a telegraph message is sent 
to St. Louis from this place, the farthest telegrapli station in the West. Ac- 
cept our congratulations and aid us in our progress westward. S. C. Pome- 
roy, Mayor of Atchison." It was in October of that same year that the first 
news was flashed over the wire telling of the capture of Flarper's Ferry by 
old John Brown. 

In connection with the question of early day transportation in Atchison 
county, it would be an oversight to fail to mention the efforts of one Thomas 
L. Fortune to improve the means of locomotion. Mr. Fortune was a citizen 
of Mt. Pleasant, and in the fall of 1859 he conceived the scheme which 
he believed would revolutionize the whole transportation problem. lie 
planned a steam wagon with which he expected to haul freight across the 
plains. The following year he built at St. Louis, a large vehicle, twenty 



184 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

feet long by eight feet wide. The wheels were twenty inches wide and eight 
feet in diameter. This wagon was transported up the Missouri river to 
Atchison from St. Louis on the steamer, "Meteor," and was landed from the 
steamer in front of the \\'hite Mice saloon, which was a noted resort on the 
Atchison levee at that time, in the latter part of June, i860. The follow- 
ing account is taken from Frank A. Root's "Overland Stage to California" : 

A day or two after its arrival (referring to Fortune's wagon) 
Mr. Root says that it was arranged that the steam wagon should make a 
trial trip on the Fourth of July. The monster was accordingly fired up on 
the eighty-fourth National anniversary and started by an engineer named 
Callahan. The wagon was ornamented with a number of flags and loaded 
with a crowd of anxious men and boys. When everj-thing was in readiness 
the valve was opened and the wagon moved off in a southerly direction from 
the levee. It went all right until it reached the foot of Commercial street, 
about a square away. The pilot failing to turn the machine, it kept on 
straight up to the sidewalk and ran into A. S. Parker's warehouse, which 
stood so many years by the old historic cottonwood tree at the southeast cor- 
ner of Commercial street and the levee. The result of this awkard blunder 
was an accident, in which a son of the owner of tlie wagon had an arm 
broken, as the machine crashed into the side of the building, which was a 
long, one-storj' frame cottonwood structure that for a number of years was 
a noted landmark in Atchison. The excited engineer was at once let out 
and Lewis Higby, another engineer, and a natural genius, was sent for. 
Higby mounted the wagon and took his place at the engine, backed the ma- 
chine out into the middle of the road and in a few minutes went sailing 
gracefully along west on Commercial street at about six miles per hour. 
When in front of Jesse Crall's stable at the corner of Sixth street, before that 
part of Commercial street had been graded, it went down a little hill at a 
lively speed, but Higby kept it going and did not stop until it reached L. C. 
Challiss' addition, just south and west from Commercial and Eighth streets. 
near Morgan Willard's old foundry, built in 1859, away from the business 
and residence portion of the city. 

After the wagon crossed Eighth street and was beyond the business 
houses. Higby turned on more steam, and the monster veliicle made about 
eight miles an hour, cavorting around on the bottom, there being only a few 
scattering buildings then west of Eighth street. To test the practicability 
of the machine, it was run into hollows and gullies, and, where the ground 
was soft it was found that the ponderous wheels would sink into the mud 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 1 85 

when standing still in soft ground. The result of the trial, witnessed by ^ 
hundreds, was disappointing to most of those present. The inventor, who 
had spent a large amount of money and much time in trying to perfect his 
steam wagon and solve the overland transportation problem, was the worst C 
disappointed. He was thoroughly disgusted. He saw at once that the use ^^ 
of the vehicle was impracticable and that it would never answer the purpose. , 
That trial trip was the first and only one the "overland steam wagon" ever 
made. It was accordingly abandoned on the bottom where the tracks of the 
Central Branch and Santa Fe roads are now laid, and was never afterwards 
fired up. Those who had crossed the plains with mules and oxen, kr.ew it 
could never be used in overland freighting. There was no use for any such 
vehicle and the anticipated reduction in prices of ox and mule teams did 
not take place. The timbers used in the framework of the machine that were 
not stolen finally went to decay, and the machinery was afterwards taken 
out and disposed of for other purposes. 

MODERN TR.\NSP0RTATI0N. 

The propitious beginning that Atchison had as a commercial and trans- 
portation center should have made the town one of the largest and most 
important railroad terminals in the West. That was the hope and aspiration 
of its original founders, and for many years afterwards it was a cherished 
idea. But Kansas City was subsequently selected as the point of vantage, 
and the builders of this great western empire have since centralized their 
activities at the mouth of the "Kaw," and it is there that the metropolis of 
the West will be built. However, a marvelous development has taken place 
here since the day of the Holladay and Butterfield stage lines and slow- 
moving ox and mule trains across the plains. We no longer marvel at the 
volume of trade and freight tonnage and the multitude of travelers that pass 
through Atchison every year. We take these things as a matter of course, 
and make no note of the daily arrival and departure of the fifty-six passen- 
ger trains at our union depot every day; we marvel not at the speed and the 
ease and comfort with which we can make the trip to St. Louis or Chicago, 
over night, or to Denver in less than twenty-four hours, or to New York 
in two and one-half days, and to San Francisco in less than five, surrounded 
by evei"y luxury money can buy. We have accustomed ourselves to these 
marvels, just as we have learned to make use of the telephone and the tele- 
graph, and a little later on will begin to use the air ship and the wireless. 
Nature has a way of easily adjusting mankind to these changed conditions. 



CHAPTER XII. 



REMINISCENCES OF EARLY PIONEERS. 



D. R. ATCHISON' MATT GERBER J. H. TALBOTT WILLIAM OSBORNE JOHX 

W. CAIN W. L. CHALLISS GEORGE SCARBOROUGH SAMUEL HOLLISTER 

JOHN TAYLOR JOHN M. CROWELL LUTHER DICKERSON I.ITHER 

C. CHALLISS — GEORGE W. GLICK W. K. GRIMES JOSHUA WHEELER 

WILLIAM HETHERINGTON WILLIAM C. SMITH JOHN M. PRICE SAM- 
UEL C. KING CLEM ROHR R. H. WEIGHTMAN CASE OF MAJOR 

WEIGHTMAN. 

One of the really creditable and most pretentious newspaper enterprises 
ever undertaken and accomplished in Kansas was E. W. Howe's Historical 
Edition of the Atchison Daily Globe. It contains much interesting and val- 
uable information written in the unique style which has made Mr. Howe 
famous. With the consent of Mr. Howe, which he has ver\' kindly granted 
the author of this histor}', there will appear in this chapter, almost verbatim, 
a number of biographical sketches and other interesting matter, which has 
should be printed in book form so that it could be assured of a permanent place 
in the archives of the State. There are but few copies left, and these are in a 
bad state of disintegration. The sketch of Gen. D. R. Atchison will first be 
reproduced herein, and then will follow others, toucliing upon the lives and 
characters of early settlers, who contributed their part to the upbuilding of 
this community. Much ha^ already appeared in this history touching upon 
the activities of General Atchison, but a sketch of his life is important, inas- 
much as he is perhaps the most conspicuous early-day character in the Iiistory 
of Atchison county. 

GENERAL D. R. ATCHISON. 

David Rice Atchison, for whom Atchison was named, was born near 
Lexington, Fayette county, Kentucky, August ii, 1807. The son of William 

' 186 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 187 

Atchison, a \vealtli_\- farmer of that count}-, he received all the ad\-antages of 
a liberal education. His mother's maiden name was Catherine Allen, a native 
of the State of Georgia. William Atchison, the father, was a Pennsylvanian 
by birth. 

David R. Atchison was blessed with six cliildren, four sons and two 
daughters. In 1825 he graduated with high honor from Transylvania Uni- 
versity, then the leading institution of learning in the State, and since incor- 
porated in the new University of Kentucky. 

Upon receiving his degrees in the arts, Mr. Atchison immediately applied 
himself to the study of law. In 1829 Mr. Atchison was admitted to practice 
in his native State, and a few months after, in 1830, removed to the compara- 
tively wild district of Clay county, Missouri. In April of that year he re- 
ceived in St. Louis his license to practice in the supreme court of the State 
and immediately settled in the village of Liberty, now the county seat of Clay 
county. About this period, Mr. Atchison was appointed major general of 
the northern division of the Missouri State militia. 

General Atchison soon commanded a lucrative practice in his new home, 
where he continued to reside in the discharge of the duties of his profession 
until February, 1841, when his superior legal attainments, which were known 
and recognized throughout tlie State, won for him the appointment as judge 
of the district court of Platte county on its organization in February of that 
year, when he moved his residence to Platte City. It appears that in that 
day judges were appointed to this position by the Government, with the advice 
and consent of the Senate. The office was not made elective until several 
years after. In 1834 and 1838 he was elected to the Missouri legislature from 
Clay county. 

Upon the death of Dr. Lyon, United States senator, in 1838, Judge Atchi- 
son was appointed by Governor Reynolds to the vacancy in the Senate. It 
was by many considered that this appointment was merited and he had been 
recommended by Colonel Benton and other authorities of the Democratic 
party ; by others it was said that the governor himself was ambitious of the 
senatorship and had selected Judge Atchison as a person who could be easily 
beaten at the next election. The death of Governor Reynolds, however, 
occurred before the meeting of the next legislature and Judge Atchison was 
elected with but slight opposition. He was reelected for two more terms, the 
last of which expired March 4, 1855, during the administration of Franklin 
Pierce. Two years after this he moved his residence from Platte to Clinton 
county. He was elected president of the Senate to succeed Judge Mangun, a 
Whig senator from North Carolina. 



l88 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

The 4th of March. 1849. occurring on Sunday. Zachary Taylor was not 
inaugurated until the following Monday. Judge Atchison thus, as presiding 
officer of the Senate, became virtually President of the United States during 
the term of twenty-four hours. In referring to this accidental dignity, on 
being interrogated as to how he enjoyed his exalted position, the venerable 
senator good humoredly replied that he could tell but little ab<iut it as, over- 
come with fatigue consequent to several days and nights of official labor, he 
slept through nearly his whole term of service. 

Judge Atchison became especially prominent in the legislature for the 
organization of the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, and claims to have 
originated the repeal of the Missouri Compromise bill. On his retirement 
from the Senate, of which he was an honored member for the space of twelve 
years, during the larger part of the time as presiding officer, he continued to 
take a lively interest in the politics of the country, and was regarded as a 
leader and chief adviser of the pro-slaverj' party in Kansas during the troubles 
which preceded the admission as a State. In 1856 we find him in command 
of 1,150 men at a point called Santa Fe. On the 2gth of August, the same 
year, a detachment from General Atchison's army attacked Osawatomie, 
which was defended by about fifty men, who made a vigorous resistance but 
were defeated with a loss of five wounded and seven prisoners. Five of the 
assailants were killed and thirty buildings were bumed. The next day a body 
of Free State men marched- from Lawrence to take Atchison's army. Upon 
their approach the latter retired and withdrew its forces into Missouri. The 
admission of Kansas as a free State soon after this occurred put an end to this 
much vexed question and restored tranquility to the country. 

General Atchison lived in retirement on his magnificent estate in 
Clinton county until the breaking out of the Rebellion, wlien he left for the 
South and was present at the battle of Lexington. Governor Jackson secured 
him a commission as brigadier general at the commencement of the war. This 
General Atchison declined, as his residence was in Clinton county, outside 
the limits of the division. He, however, remained with the army and assisted 
in its organization. He joined temporarily for the purpose of making up the 
company under Ephraim Kelley's command from St. Joseph and remained 
with the army until after the battle of Elkhorn. 

At the close of the war, General Atchison returned to his home in Clinton 
county, where he continued to reside in almost unbroken retirement on his 
1,700-acre farm in a neat cottage erected on the site of his spacious brick man- 
sion, which was accidentally destroyed by fire February' 2, 1870. He never 
married, and died at his home in Clinton county, January 26. 1886. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



189 



MATT. GERBER. 



Matt. Gerber came to this county originally in 1855, as pastry cook 
on a Government steamer. There was almost no town at Atchison then, and 
he went to Sioux City with the boat and afterwards returned to St. Louis. 
In 1856 he was pastry cook on the "A. B. Chambers," which ran between 
St. Louis and Weston and was commanded by Captain Bowman, the father 
of Mrs. D. C. Newcomb and Mrs. G. H. T. Johnson. Mr. Gerber was born 
in Baden in 1833 and came to America in 1853, landing at New Orleans, and 
for a time ran on boats on the lower Mississippi. For many years he was the 
hero of Atchison children, as he operated a bakery, confectionery and toy 
store on the south side of Commercial street, near Fourth. Mr. Gerber first 
located in Sumner in 1858, where he ran a bakery, coming to Atchison in i860, 
, and was in business at tlie same location for over thirty- four years. Mr. 
Gerber died in Atchison, December 14, 1907. 





S. O. POMEROY 



JIM LANE 



J. H. TALBOTT. 

J. H. Talbott came west in 1855 and was a passenger on the "A. B. 
Chambers," of which George W. Bowman was captain and E. K. Blair, second 
clerk. The cholera was so bad that year that Mr. Talbott left the boat at 
Jefferson City and came overland to Monrovia, althougli his passage was 
paid to Leavenworth. Several passengers on the "A. B. Chambers" died of 



190 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

cholera and were buried_ on sand bars. Mr. Talbott preempted a claim at 
Monrovia, and when his family came two years later he kept a boarding house 
at Monrovia for four years. Albert D. Richardson was often a guest at his 
house. He was a clean, neat city man of about thirty, and was engaged in 
writing up the Kansas war for the Nezc York Tribune. Jim Lane also stop- 
ped at J. H. Talbott's occasionally. Mr. Talbott first heard him make a 
speech in a grove at Pardee, and A. J. Westbrqok was in the audience. Lane 
made some abusive reference to W'estbrook, wlio made a movement as if to 
pull a pistol, but Lane shook his celebrated honey finger at W'estbrook and 
defied him to shoot. At that time Atchison was controlled by the pro-slavery 
element, but the Free State men predominated around Monrovia and Pardee. 
The noted Colonel Caleb lived at Farmington. James~R:dpath was often at 
J. H. Talbott's, and D. R. Anthony and Webb Wilde r appeared there as young 
men and took up claims. 

Another famous place in those da\s was the Seven Mile House, seven 
miles west of Atchison on the road traveled by the freighters, kept by John 
Bradford. Talbott's boarding house was built of logs and the beds were 
nailed against the wall, one above another. Sometimes the house was so 
crowded that the floor was also occupied with beds. 

Mr. Talbott was bom in Canal Dover, Ohio, where he knew W. C. Ouan- 
trill real well. Quantrill afterwards became the noted guerilla and sacked 
Lawrence. Mrs. Talbott went to school with Quantrill, and the teacher was 
Quantrill's father, a veiy worthy man. After Mr. Talbott married he re- 
moved to Zanesville, Ind., and kept a store with S. J. H. Snyder, who was 
one of the early settlers of Atchison county and a fierce Free State man. 
In a little while Will Quantrill appeared at Zanesville and taught school in 
the country. He usually spent his Saturdays and Sundays at J. H. Talbott's 
house, on the strength of their acquaintance at Canal Dover. Mr. Talbott 
says he was well behaved and attracted great attention around the store, 
particularly from tlie young men. 

In 1854 Quantrill left Zanesville and settled at Lawrence, Kan., as a 
Free State man and taught school, where he became acquainted \\iih Robert 
Bitter Morrow, whose life he afterwards saved during the massacre. Robert 
Morrow kept the Byram in Atchison several years. When Talbott went to 
Monrovia in 1855, the countrj^ was full of Kickapoo Indians. He remem- 
bers seeing an Indian grave there : a rail pen covered with brush. In the 
middle of the pen could be seen the dead Indian in a sitting posture, with 
his gun beside him. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY I9I 



COL. WILLIAM OSBORNE. 



Colonel Osborne built the first railroad to the Missouri river — the Han- 
nibal & St. Joseph. He built and owned the transfer ferry "W'm. Osborne," 
which was famous in Atchison in the early days. He also built the first 
100 miles of the Central Branch to Waterville, as has been preyiously 
stated. He lived and died in Waterville, N. Y., but visited Atchison _ fre- 
q^uently to see his daughter, Mrs. R. A. Park, who was the wife of the presi- 
dent of the Atchison Savings Bank. 

AMOS A. HOWELL. 

Amos A. Howell was one of the plains freighters who distinguished 
Atchison in the early days. He ran twenty-seven wagons with six yoke of 
oxen to each wagon. An extra head of oxen was taken along, known as the 
"cavvy" to spell the others and take the places of those that gave out. Alto- 
gether he owned 400 head of work oxen. The o.xen were e.^^cted to pick 
up their living on the way, but when mules \yere used in the winter it was 
necessary to carry grain for them. Thirty men were necessary in the train 
of twenty-seven wagons pulled by o.xen. Mr. Howell was assisted in his 
wagon business by his son, Nat. 

In those days there was a Government regulation that all trains should 
be held at Ft. Kearney until 100 armed men had collected. Then 
a captain was elected, who was commissioned by the Government and had 
absolute charge of the train while it was passing through the Indian country. 
Mr. Howell frequently occupied the position of captain, being well known 
on the plains. On one occasion while he \vas captain he halted at Cottonwood 
Falls on the Platte, as the Indians were very bad, and soldiers were expected 
to go through with the train, but none came and finally Mr. Howell unloaded 
five wagons, filled them with armed men and started out. Almost in sight 
of Cottonwood a gang of gaily painted Indians attacked the train, supposing 
it was a little outfit. But when the Indians came within range, the "Whis- 
key Bills" and "Poker Petes" in the covered wagons began dropping the 
Indians off their ponies, and there was a pretty fight, in which the Indians 
were badly worsted. 

Mr. Howell says that the Indians never attack wagon trains except very 
early in the morning, or late in the evening. 

The favorite sport of the Indians, however, was to run off the stock 



^ 



192 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

after the train had gone into camp at night, and the}- always had one way of 
doing it, which Mr. Howell finally learned. The Indians are no wiser than 
white men, for they say that white men always fail in business the same way 
and act the same way when they have a fire. An Indian would ride up onto 
a high point and look around a while. This would always be in the evening 
when the train was near a camping place. Then the Indian would disappear 
and come back presently with another Indian wrapped in his blanket and rid- 
ing the same pony. One Indian would then drop into the grass, and the 
rider would go back after another one. The Indians were collecting in am- 
bush-, thinking the freighters would never think of it. Mr. Howell had in 
his employ a driver, an Atchison man. named "Whiskey Bill." who was 
particularly clever at hating Indians, and whenever an ambush was pre- 
paring "\\'hiskey Bill" would select four or five other men equally clever 
and go after the Indians. He often killed and scalped as man\- as four in 
one ambush, and sold their scalps in Denver to the Jews for a suit of clothes 
each. The Jews bought them as relics and disposed of them in the East. The 
killing of Iiwlians in this manner was according to Government order and 
strictly legitimate. Another driver in Howell's train was an Atchison man 
named Rube Duggan. He was a great roper and used to take a horse, when 
in sight of a buffalo herd and go out after calves, which made tender meat. 
Riding into the herd he would lasso a calf, fasten the rope to the ground with 
a stake and then go on after another one before the herd got away. He 
caught several calves in this way for Ben Holladay, who took them east. 
Mr. Howell remembers that once, this side of Fort Kearney, it was necessary 
to stop the train to let a herd of buffalo pass. The men always had fresh 
buffalo meat in addition to their bacon, beans, dried apples, rice and fried 
bread. 

There was a cook with the train who drove the mess wagon, but he did 
not do any other work. Ever}- driver had to take his turn getting wood and 
water for the cook and herding the cattle at noon, but the night herder did 
nothing else and slept in the wagon during the day. Occasionally he was 
awakened about noon and hunted along the road. The cattle fed at night 
until 10 or 11 o'clock when they would lie down until 2 in the morning. 
The night herder would lie down by the side of a reliable old ox and sleep 
too, being awakened when the ox got up to feed. The oxen were driven 
into the wagon corral about daylight and yoked. Every wagon had its speci- 
fied place in the train and kept it during the entire trip. 

Wagons were always left in a circle at night, forming a corral. Into 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



193 



this corral the cattle were driven while being yoked. In case of an attack, 
the cattle were inside the corral and the men fought under the wagons. The 
teams started at daylight and stopped at 10 or 11 until 2 or 3, and 
then they would start up and travel until dark. Mr. Howell always rested 
on Sunday, making an average of 100 miles a week with his ox 
teams. When the train started out each man was given ten pounds of sugar 
which was to last him to Denver. On the first Sunday the men would make 
lemonade of sugar and vinegar and do without sugar the rest of the trip. Mr. 
Howell saw the attack on George W. Howe's train on the Little Blue when 

George Con was killed and the entire train burned. Con was an 

Atchisan man. Howell's train was corraled and he could not go to Howe's 
assistance. 

Howell came to Atchison county in 1856 by wagon from Fayette county, 
Pennsylvania, where he was born, December 26, 1824. At seventy he was 
stout and vigorous, getting up every moniing at 4 o'clock to go to work. 
His plains experience did him good. He died on the ist day of August, 1907, 
owning a large tract of land in Grasshopper township. 






BELA M. HUGHES ELLSWORTH CHESEBOROUGH 

JOHN W. CAIN. 

John W. Cain and his two sons, John S. Cain and William S. Cain, came 
to Atchison in 1856 from the Isle of Man, and preempted a quarter section, 
five miles west of Atchison. A. D. Cain, another son, came to this county in 
1856, accompanying his brother, John M. Cain, who had gone to his old home 

13 



194 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

in the Isle of ^lan on a visit. A. D. Lain attended school longer than either 
of his three brothers and was a graduate of King W'illiamis. -College, a cele- 
brated institution of learning. After leaving school he learned the business 
of a druggist. He was borxLin 1846. John M. Cain was seven years older. 

John M. Cain enlisted in the Thirteenth Kansas infantry in 1862. His 
brother, \\illiam, enlisted in Col. John A. Martin's regiment the year before. 
In less than a year John M. Cain was given the position as captain in the 
Eighty-third U. S. infantry and raised Company C in Atchison. Phillip 
Porter, the celebrated negro politician and orator, of Atchison, was orderly 
sergeant of Company C, which had ten men killed in the battle of Prairie 
Grove. After serving in the army nearly four years, John M. Cain "returned 
to his farm in Atchison county in 1866 where he remained until 1872, when 
he removed to Atchison and engaged in the grain business. The Cains started 
the exporting of flour from Kansas and their business was very largely 
export business during their operation of the mill. 

John W. Cain, father of the Cain brothers, was a fierce Free State man 
in the days when it was dangerous to be a Free State man in Atchison county, 
but as he was a powerful man and of undoubted courage, the pro-slavery 
fans thought it wise to forgive him. His memory as well as the memory of 
his sons, John M. Cain and A. D. Cain, are still highly esteemed by the older 
settlers of Atchison county. 

DR. W. L. CH.\LLISS. 

Dr, \V. L, Challiss came to Atchison June 3, 1866, on the steamboat 
'■]\Ieteor" from ^loorestown, N. J., where he had been a practicing physician. 
At that time John Alcorn was operating a horse ferry on tiie river and Dr. 
Challiss. in company with his brother, L. C. Challiss^ purchased a three- 
fourths interest in the ferry franchise after operating a little rival ferry for 
a time, which was known as the "Red Rover." The price paid for the fran- 
chise was $1,800.00. 

In the fall of 1856 Dr. Challiss went to Evansville, Ind., and contracted 
for the building of a steam ferry. This was completed in Xo\eniber and 
started for Atchison. In December it was frozen up in the Missouri river 
at Carrollton, Mo., and left in charge of a watchman. The crew was made 
up of old acquaintances nf Dr. Challiss in New Jersey, and these he brought 
to Atchison in two stage coaches hired for the purpose. 

On February 7 of the following year Dr. Challiss started down tlie river 
on horse back after his ferry boat, accompanied by George M. Million. Gran- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 195 

ville Alorrow and John Cafferty. There had been a thaw and a rise in the 
river, and when the men reached tlie vicinity of Carrollton they learned that 
the boat had gone adrift. They followed it down the river, hearing of it 
occasionally and finally came up with it in sight of Arrow Rock. The boat 
had grounded on a bar and a man was in possession, claiming salvage. Dr. 
Challiss caught the man off the boat, took possession and settled with him 
for $25.00. A stoi-y was circulated that there had been small-pox on the 
boat and it narrowly escaped burning at the hands of the people living in the' 
vicinity. Dr. Challiss went on down the river and met his family at St. Louis. 
When the steamer on which they were passengers reached Arrow Rock, the 
captain was induced to pull the ferry off the sand bar, and within four days 
it arrived in Atchison. 

This boat was named the "Ida" for Dr. Challiss' oldest daughter, who 
became the wdfe of John A. Martin, editor of the .-licliiscni Champion, colonel 
of the Eighth Kansas regiment and governor of the State two terms. The 
"Ida" was brought up the river by George Million and Granville Morrow, 
pilots, and John Cafferty, engineer. George Million was the captain when 
it began making regular trips as a ferry, receiving originally $50.00 per 
month. During the last years of his service he received $125.00 a month. 
The ferry boat business was very profitable and $100.00 per day was no 
unusual income. In 1S60 Dr. Challiss built a larger ferry at Brownsxille, 
Penn., and called it the "J. G. Morrow." When it arrived at Atchison the 
Government pressed it into service and sent it to Yankton with Indian supplies. 
Bill Reed w'as pilot and Dr. Challiss, captain. A quick trip w-as made to 
within seventy miles of Yankton where the pilot ran the boat into a snag and 
sank it. The boat cost $25,000.00 and nothing was saved but the machinery. 
This was afterw-ards placed in the ferry "S. C. Pomeroy," which was operated 
here until the bridge was completed in 1877. After this the "S. C. Pomeroy" 
was taken to Kansas City, where it sank during a storm. S. C. Pomeroy 
owned a one-fourth interest in the "J. G. Morrow" and "S. C. Pomeroy" and 
the wreck of the "Morrow" cost him $5,000.00. 

The "Ida" was taken to Leavenworth on the completion of the bridge 
and was in service there many years. 

In the early days Dr. Challiss was a Free State man and for vears he 
had in his possession a letter warning him to leave the countr\-, which was 
written during tlie exciting period 1)efore the war. Dr. Challiss remained 
active in the affairs of the town for many years but practiced his profession 
only spasmodically. He died in Dayton, Ohio, at the home of his daughter, 
on April 23, 1909. 



196 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

GEORGE SCARBOROUGH. 

George Scarborough was one of the most romantic characters that ever 
lived in Atchison county. Infkienced by liis niece's description of Kansas, 
he came to Sumner in 1859 and purchased a tract of land now owned by E. W. 
Howe and known as Potato Hill. The location is probably the finest on the 
Missouri river. The farm lies on top of the bluff, and Scarborough's house 
was built near the river. He was well fitted to enjoy the life of elegant 

Xleisure and seclusion, which he did. Early in life he went to Kentucky from 
Connecticut and taught school, \\hile there he married the daughter of a 
congressman named Triplett. The wife died a year later, and Scarborough 
came into possession of considerable money. After that he adopted a literary 
and scientific life and spent much of his time abroad, where he collected 
many pictures and other art treasures. These were displayed in his home 
below Sumner. Scarborough was a botanist, and made a complete collection 
of the flora of this section, which he sent to the Smithsonian Institution, at 
Washington. One of his discoveries was that Atchison county had eleven 
varieties of the oak. Scarborough was one of the original founders of the 

"~;)f-First National Bank of this city, furnishing most of the original capital. 

In 1869 he went to Vineland, N. J-, where he married a girl of twenty- 
three, although he was nearly seventy. His wife died within a year, in child 
birth, under precisely the same circumstances as his first wife. Scarborough 
died in 1883, in his old home in Connecticut, in absolute poverty, at the age 
of eighty-four. He is spoken of as one of the most elegant gentlemen who 
distinguished tlie early days. 

SAMUEL HOLLISTER. 

Samuel Hollister was one of the original settlers of Sumner. He landed 
at Leavenworth May i, 1857, coming by l>oat from Jefferson City. Two 
weeks later he met a number of the members of the Sumner Town Company 
who were looking for somebody to go to Sumner to build a hotel. Having 
been a contractor and builder in his old home in New Jersey, Mr. Hollister 
accompanied the men to vSumner, which then consisted of a claim cabin, used as 
a hotel, and four frame houses in course of construction.. The material for 
the frame houses had been brought from Cincinnati, ready framed, and when 
completed were 16x24, containing two rooms each. Mr. Hollister took 
the contract to build tlie Baker House, which contained three rooms on the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY I97 

ground floor. Tlie half story above was all in one room, where the guests 
slept. The frames for the Baker House were hewn out in the timber adjoin- 
ing the town ; the weather boarding and shingles were shipped up the river. 
The hotel was completed in the summer of 1857, and was operated by Hood 
Baker, a cousin of Capt. David Baker, for many years a prominent citizen 
of Atchison. 

In the fall of the same year Mr. Hollister began work on the Sumner 
House, the contract price being $16,000.00. The brick used were made on 
the ground. The lumlaer came by boat from Pittsburgh, Penn. This hotel 
was completed in the summer of the following year. It was built by the 
town company, which owed Mr. Hollister $3,000.00 at tlie time of his death, 
a few years ago. 

Mr. Hollister lived in Sumner twelve years, vigorously fighting Atchison. 
In the fall of 1858 he built a mill, in company witli Al Barber, later adding a 
gristmill, which was the second built in the county, tlie first having been built 
in Atchison, by William Bowman. Mr. Hollister went down the river in a 
boat in January, 1859, and when he reached his old home in tlie Catskill moun- 
tains, he crossed the Hudson river on the ice. During this trip east he was 
married to Miss Harriet Carroll, a lineal descendant of Charles Carroll, one 
of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. His wife returned with 
him to Sumner, and they^afterwards moved to Atchison, where they lived for 
many years. Mr. Hollister died March 28, 1910. 

JOHN TAYLOR. 

John Taylor, who for many years lived on a farm immediately south of 
the State Orphans' Home, was a resident of Missouri, a mile and a quarter 
above East Atchison in 1844, ten years before Kansas was opened for settle- 
ment. His father, Joseph Taylor, came to the Platte Purchase in 1838, from 
Pennsylvania, settling near Weston. At that time most of the best claims 
were taken. John Taylor's recollection was that the very earliest settler in 
that vicinity was in 1837. Joseph Taylor did not secure a very good claim, 
and afterward removed to Andrew county, finally locating a mile above East 
Atchison, in 1844. John Taylor said that George Million was living on the 
present site of East Atchison when his father's family settled in the bottom. 
It was Mr. Taylor's opinion that George Million settled in East Atchison in 
1842, and that he did not start his ferry until 1850. In the spring of that 
year John Taylor crossed the river on George Million's flatboat fcrrv, and 



198 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

went to California, in company with his brother, Joe. There was no wagon 
road running west from Atchison at that time. John and Joe Taylor mined 
in California for eighteen months, never making over $20.00 per day, and 
usually only $5.00. They returned home by the way of the Isthmus of Pan- 
ama, and John Taylor got the small-pox at Glascow. Mo., which did not break 
out on him until he 'reached East Atchison. This was supposed to be the 
. first case of small-pox in this section of the country. All the other members 
of the family .got it. and the wife of Jim Stultz, who came in to help his 
mother, also got it. Their pliysician was a Doctor Ankrom. who lived in the 
Narrows, near Rushville, and he got it, too. This was in the winter of 185 1 
and 1852. In September, 1854, ten years after settling in East Atchison, Mr. 
„ Ta\lor came to this side of the river. \\'hen he arrived Ladd Yocum was 
^ running a hotel in a tent ; there was nothing else on the town site. Late in 
the fall George T. Challiss completed his store, which was the first l^uilding 
of anv kind in Atchison, according to Mr. Taylor. He says tliat George Mil- 
■ lion did not erect his claim shanty until the following year. 

i\Ir. Taylor first settled in the bluffs, northeast of Atchison, but after- 
wards moved to a tract of land owned by a man named O. B. Dickerson, who 
afterwards built the first livery stable in Atchison. Dickerson sold his claim 
to a man named Adams. B. T. Stringfellow's father-in-law, for $600.00, but 
Adams did not comply with the law and Taylor jumped it. For a while Tay- 
lor and Adams lived on the same quarter, and became acquainted ; then Taylor 
discovered that Adams paid v$6oo.oo for the claim, and gave him his money 
back. Taylor said he never had any short words with Adams ab(Uit the 
claim. l)ut once. Tiiey met on the iiill, overlooking the ri\'er. one day. and 
were looking at the wreck of the old "Pontiac," which is now said to have con- 
tained several hundred barrels of whiskey. "Well," said Adams, "when are 
you going?" "Going where?" asked Taylor. "To Nova Scotia," replied 
Adams. "I am not going at all," was Taylor's rseponse, wliich Adams imder- 
stood to mean that he was not going to leave the claim, but intended to fight. 
A compromise soon followed. 

Taylor says the "Pontiac" was carried off b}- Atchison people, and put 
into their houses, and that years afterwards, the writing on the wheel house 
could be seen around town. There was no whiskey left in the hold; indeed, 
the hold was carried away. 

The Taylor place was considered a great deal more valual)le in 1855 than 
it is now : people felt sure that within four or five years John Taylor would 
cut it up in town lots and sell them at fabulous prices, and go abroad. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 199 

John Taylor's sympathies were ahvays \\dllL-Lhe^SautlL_,Carolinians, who 
made tliis section so warm in 1856, but said that only one in ten were good 
citizens : the others were tougiis. One of them, a man named Newhall, was 
killed in the fight at Hickory Point. John Robinson, captain of a southern 
party at Hickorj- Point, was an Atchison man. and was shot in the hii). 

^Ir. Taylor said that in 1844 and several years later the country was full 
of bee trees, and that cattle turned into the rush in the river bottom in winter, 
came out fat in the spring. In 1844 there was a settlement of fify Kickapoo 
families on the flat just atove the island on the Kansas side. They made a 
great deal of maple sugar. In summer these Indians went out to the buffalo 
grounds, sixty to eightv miles west of the river, returning in the fall, to be near 
the Missouri settlers. There never was an Indian village on the site of Atchi- 
son, altliough Mrs. Joe \\'ade, who was George Million's daughter, claims to 
have remembered coming to this side of the river when she was a little girl, 
and seeing a dead Indian strapped to a board and leaning against a tree on 
the present site of Commercial street. The body was surrounded with totem 
poles. There was no game at that time on this side of the river. Indians 
themselves hunted deer on the Missouri side in winter, and were very friendly 
with the whites. 

John Taylor died on March 7, 1897. 

JOHN M. CROWELL. 

John M. Crowell \\as mayor of Atchison tliree terms, coming to the city ' 
in 1858 from Londonderry, X. H., where he was bom October 22, 1823. 
For ten years he was a merchant iiere, afterwards being appointed Government 
storekeeper, and having charge of a distillery below town. From 1870 to 
1885, he was United States postoffice inspector for nineteen States and Terri- 
tories, and in that capacity visited every section of the country. He resigned 
to become a mail contractor, although solicited by a Democratic postmaster 
general to remain. His record in Washington was as good as that of an\' 
man who c\-er worked for the Government. I\Ir. Crowell was a forty-niner. 
crossing the plains during tlie great rush of that year, and engaging ni sluice 
mining. He made four trips to California, but never by railroad. From San 
Francisco he visited China, South America, the Sandwich Islands, and was 
a great traveler in his time. He was the father of Frank G. Crowell, who 
was Ijorn in Atchison, and for many years a prominent citizen liere, but later 
resigning his position as county attorney of Atchison county and moving to 
Kansas City to engage in the grain business, where he now lives. 



200 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



John 'SI. Crowell's daughter became Mrs. F. ]\I. Baker, wiio accumulated 
a fortune in the grain business in Atchison. Mr. Crowell died on the eleventh 
day of October, 1902. 




GEORGE MILLION 




WILLLV.M SCARBROl'GH 



LUTHER DICKERSON. 

Luther Dickerson came to Atchison county in Jnne. 1854, immediately 
after Kansas was opened to settlement, from Saline county, Missouri, where he 
had lived ten years. He went to Missouri from Washington county, Ohio, 
where he was born in 1825. After looking over the countr)- Mr. Dickerson 
returned to Missouri, but came back to Kansas the following October, and 
"squatted" on a tract of land a mile north of the State Orphans' Home. From 
1854 to 1857 were the squatter sovereignty days, during which period a set- 
tled could have no title to land, further than the fact of his settlement on the 
land he seleced as his home. Land offices were not established until in 1S57, 
when the squatter filed his claims, and began fighting over them. The first 
land office in this section was at Doniphan. John W. Whitfield, who was 
afterwards in Congress, was the register. About a year later the land office 
was removed to Kickapoo, just below Atchison. 

When Mr. Dickerson squatted on his claim in 1854, three-fourths of the 
land around him was taken. Welcome Nance, Peter Cumming-s, John Taylor 

Andy Colgan did not come until 



and Widow Bovle had farms at that time. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 20I 

1857. The settlers of 1854 were mostly from Missouri. In 1855 came an 
organized band of South Carolinians, whose object was to make Kansas a 
slave State. Then followed the fierce and relentless fight with the Free State 
men, which ended in 1857, ^s far as this section was concerned. That is, in 

1857 the Free State men won control, and have practically kept it ever since. 
In the fall of that year the Free State men elected their county ticket, and 
Luther Dickerson was chosen as one of the four commissioners and was made 
chairman. 

Luther Dickerson was a Free State man and was fought by all the Mis- 
souri and South Carolinians. His land was contested, and he was beaten in 
the land office, but he finally won before the secretary of the interior, by 
proving that the woman who was contesting him was a foreigner. Hiram 
Latham, a Free State man, who lived across the road from Dickerson, was 
murdered in Doniphan, and because of tiiis murder Frank McVey left the 
country and never came back. The men who killed Latham were ferried 
over Independence creek by Dickerson, and, noticing that they were armed, he 
asked where they were going. They said they were going wolf hunting. In 

1858 Luther Dickerson was elected a member of the house of representatives, 
which met at Lecompton, and tlien adjourned to Lawrence. In the same vear, 
while still a county commissioner, he built the old court house, which occupied 
the site of the present court house. 

Luther Dickerson raised the first company of soldiers ever organized in 
the State of Kansas, in May, 1861. The first military order issued in the 
State was directed to him, signed by John A. Martin, assistant adjutant 
general. 

But while his company was the first organized, it happened that Dicker- 
son's commission as captain was the second issued, and was signed by Gov- 
ernor Charles Robinson, before the State had an official seal. Afterwards, Mr. 
Dickerson served in the regular volunteer service, as first lieutenant. 

He lived on his land, north of town, for many years, and died in Atc!n',son 
on the thirteenth day of December, 19 10. 

LUTHER C. CHALLISS. 

Luther C. Challiss came to Atchison in 1855 from Boonville, Mo., where 
he was engaged as a merchant. He remained here continuously until 1861 
as merchant, banker, ferry operator and real estate owner. Luther C. Chal- 



202 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

liss' addition, the east line of which is at the alley between Seventh and Eightli 
streets, was preempted by ]\Ir. Challiss in 1857, and was originally com- 
posed of 198 acres. 

As a memlier of the Territorial council. Mr. Challiss secured the first 
charter for a railroad west from Atchison, known as the Atchison Pike's Peak 
railroad, now the Central Branch. He was the first president of the road, 
and originally owned every dollar of the stock. He also managed the Kicka- 
poo treaty, which gave the road 150.000 acres of land, and made it prominent 
in \\'ashington as a specific possibility. The original Government subsidy for 
this road was ever}- other quarter section of land for ten miles on either side, 
in a ddition to $16,000 to $48,000 per mile, in Government bonds. 

At the same time Mr. Challiss secured a charter for the Atchison-Pike's 
Peak railroad, he secured a charter for the Atchison. Topeka & Santa Fe rail- 
road, his original idea being a southern route to the Pacific, and that road 
has fulfilled all of his early expectations. 

Mr. Challiss made a great deal of money in Atchison, and in 1864 drifted 
to New York and \\'ashington, where he became an operator on the stock 
exchange. Mr. Challiss" sympathies were with tlie South, and was generally 
a bull. As long as the South showed its ability to hold out Mr. Challiss made 
a great deal of money, and at one time he had on deposit in Xew York 
$960,000. but the tide turned against him when the South began to fail, 
and this fortune was reduced to nothing. 

As an operator on.\\'all street at that time, Mr. Challiss outranked Jim 
Fisk and Jay Gould, and was the peer of Anthony ^lorse and the Jeromes. 
Jay Gould was a ver\- common man at that time, compared to Mr. Challiss. 
and a very little thing might have made Mr. Challiss one of the great financial 
leaders in America. An incident in his career in Xew York was the attempt 
of W'oodhull & Claflin to break him. He made a fight that is still remem- 
bered, and sent Woodhull and Claflin. Colonel Blood Stephen, Pearl Andrews 
and George Francis Train to jail, where they remained six months. Finally 
they left the countn*- as a result of a compromise.- Mr. Challiss' lawyers were 
Roger A. Pr}or and Judge FuUerton. Judge Fullerton received a quarter 
section of land in Atchison county as his fee. Mr. Challiss also brought the 
famous Pacific Mail suit, which was e(|ually famous. 

He returned to Atchison in 1878. looking after the wreck of his former 
possessions. For three years he edited the Atchison Champion, and bitterly 
opposed John J. Ingalls for United States senator in i8go. 

Mr. Challiss. in his latter vears. became a verv much abused man, and 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 2O3 

was looked upon as one of the unpojnilar citizens of the town, but it may be 
said to his credit that he did much for Atchison, and was largely responsible 
for making the town the terminus of the Hannibal «S: St. Joe railroad. He 
brought Jay Gould. Henr}' N. Smith and Ben Can-er to Atchison, and they 
agreed to extend the road from St. Joseph to Atchison, in consideration of 
$75,000.00 in Atchison bonds, which was agreed to. Mr. Challiss had some 
sort of a deal with Henry N. Smith while they were operating on Wall street, 
and Challiss claimed that Smith owned him $107,000.00. They finally settled 
the matter, by Smith agreeing to bring the Hannibal & St. Joseph road here 
without the $75,000.00 in bonds the people had agreed to give him. The 
Atchison Champion of May 11, 1872, contained a half column scare head, to 
the effect -that Luther C. Challiss telegraphed from New York that the bridge 
had been finally secured, and gave tlie credit of securing the bridge to Chal- 
liss and James N. Burnes. 

Mr. Challiss died a poor man on the si.xth day of Jul}-, 1895. 

GEORGE W. GLICK. 

George W. Glick, the ninth governor of Kansas, for a number of years 
United States pension agent for the district comprising Kansas, Missouri, Col- 
orado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Indian Territory, came to Atchison in 
June, 1859, from Fremont, Ohio, \vhere he studied law in the office of Ruth- 
erford B. Hayes, who afterwards became President of the United States. Mr. 
Glick came to Atchison on the steamer "W'm. H. Russell," named for and 
largely owned by William H. Russell, senior member of the celebrated freight- 
ing firm of Russell, Majors & Waddell. Mr. Glick was bom in Fairfield 
county, Ohio, July 4, 1829, on a farm, and when four years old removed with 
his father's family to within a mile and a half of Fremont, where he remained 
until he came to Atchison. He first went to school in the country, near Fre- 
mont, where he afterwards taught wlien lie was nineteen. Later he attended 
a Dioclesion school at Fremont, founded by Dr. Dio Lewis, who afterwards 
became famous and whose name then was Dioclesia Lewis. Later he attended 
Central College, Ohio, but did not graduate. In 1849 he began the study of 
law in the office of Bucklin & Hayes, in Fremont, as a result of getting his 
feet in a threshing machine. It was supposed that he would never be fit 
for farm work again, init he afterwards recovered. Two years later he was 
admitted to the bar in Cincinnati, standing an examinatinn with the graduat- 
ing class of the Cincinnati law school. He practiced eight years in Fremont 



204 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

before coming to Atchison, building up a good business, in spite of the fact 
that he always went out to the farm in haying time and harvested and helped 
his father. In January, following his arrival in Atchison,- he formed a part- 
nership with A. G. Otis, which continued as long as he practiced law. The 
firm of Otis & Glick was the strongest in Atchison, as long as it lasted, and 
B. P. Waggener was a student in their office. In 1872 Mr. Glick became a 
town farmer, operating a farm of 640 acres four miles west of Atchison, mak- 
ing a specialty of Short Horn cattle, paying as high as $1,000 for several sin- 
gle animals. He served nine terms in the Kansas legislature, and was once 
county commissioner, and once county auditor of Atchison county. While 
auditor of Atchison county, in 1882, he was elected governor, by 9,000 plur- 
ality, over Jim P. St. John, who had been elected two years before by about 
55,000. In 1S84 he was re-nominated as governor by the Democrats, but was 
defeated by John A. Martin. He first received the nomination for governor 
nine years after coming to Kansas, but was defeated by the Republicans. He 
was appointed pension agent in 1885, and again in 1893. He was a Mason, 
and was one of the original organizers of the Kniglit Templars and Royal 
Arch Masons, in Atchison. He was the first president of the Atchison-Ne- 
braska road, having built it to the county line, in connection with Brown and 
Bier. Governor Glick sold his farm near Shannon a number of years ago, 
and during the latter part of his life was inactive in business and professional 
affairs. He died on the thirteenth day of April, 191 1. 

DR. W. K. GRIMES. 

One of the oldest citizens of Atchison was Dr. W. H. Grimes, who came 
here from Yellow Spring, Oliio, in 1858. His son, E. B. Grimes, came a year 
before, and opened a drug store in the building for many years occupied as 
an office by the Atchison A\'ater Company, across from tlie Byram Hotel. 
Dr. W. H. Grimes practiced medicine until the war broke out, when he became 
a surgeon in the Thirteenth Kansas. Returning to Atchison at the close of 
the war, he continued the practice of medicine until his death, in 1879. 

E. B. Grimes was a quarter-master during the war witli a rank of major. 
At the close of the war he entered the regular army, and built many of the 
posts in the Department of the Platte, notably Ft. Laramie, Ft. Fetterman and 
Ft. Douglass. He died at Ft. Leavenworth, in 1882. 

Another son. Dr. R. V. Grimes, was a lieutenant in his father's regiment. 
After the war he became an army surgeon, and was in many of the Indian 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 205 

campaigns in the Northwest. He was in Men^itt's command when it went 
to the rescue of General Custer, and was the surgeon in Major Thornburg's 
command when it was surrounded at the famous fight on Milk river. The 
command was surrounded five days by the Utes, and was finally rescued 
by General Merritt. While he lived in Atchison he was employed as a printer 
on the Champion. 

Two other sons of Dr. Grimes, John and Howard Grimes, were mem- 
bers of Colonel Jennison's Seventh Kansas Jayhawkers. 

JOSHUA WHEELER. 

Joshua Wheeler was one of the best known, as well as one of the most 
successful, farmers Atchison county ever had. His papers on questions per- 
taining to agriculture and the farm, read before the various societies, attracted 
wide-spread attention. In State affairs, he served the public long and honor- 
ably, and for over twenty years was a member of the State board of agricul- 
ture, serving three years as its president. His long connection with the State 
Agriculture College game him an extended acquaintance over the State, and 
he was appointed regent for that institution by Governor Hai-vey in 1871, and 
re-appointed by Governor Martin in 1888, serving until April, 1894. During 
several years of that time he was treasurer of the board, and gained an exten- 
sive knowledge of the college and its history. He served in the State senate 
during 1863 and 1864 and in the fall of 18S5 was elected for another tenn. 

Joshua Wheeler was born in Buckingham, England, Februarj' 12, 1827, 
and came to America in 1844, locating in New Jersey, where he resided four 
years before removing to Illinois. In 1857 a colony of seven or eight families 
of Fulton county, Illinois, farmers, Seventh-Day Baptists, came to Kansas, 
and located in the southwest portion of Atchison county, covering the entire 
distance overland. S. P. Griffin and Dennis Sounders preceded the colony 
in the spring of the same year to look up a location. They went as far to the 
southwest as Emporia, but found no land equal to that of Atchison county. 
After locating the land for the colony they went back to Illinois, but did not 
accompany the colony to Kansas, but came a year or two later. Griffin 
farmed for nearly twenty years, but afterwards became a Nortonville mer- 
chant. He was the father of Charles T. Griffin, at one time an attorney in 
Atchison. 

When the colony of Seventh-Day people arrived at the end of their des- 
tination they found the land in possession of colonists, but they bought tliem 



20U HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

out, preempted claims and laid out the now famous Seventh-Day Lane. The 
land was then an open prairie, occupied only by an occasional hut. It is at 
this time the admiration of ever\- visitor abounding in well cultivated fields, 
pastures, groves, orchards, comfortable homes, to which paint is no stranger, 
large barns, uniformly trimmed hedges, and peopled by as thrifty a class as 
can be found in the western country. Later on Seventh-Day people came 
from Iowa, Wisconsin and New York, and joined the Illinois colony on Sev- 
enth-Day Lane, which is two miles in length. The Seventh-Day Baptists ob- 
serve their Sabbath from sundown Friday evening to sundown Saturday eve- 
ning. Their church has a seating capacity of 400, which is always comfort- 
ably filled, and was built in 1884. prior tn wliich time the Seventh-Day Bap- 
tists worshiped in their school house. 

A. A. Randolph was the first pastor of the church on Seventh-Day Lane. 
He came here from Pennsylvania in 1863, and died in 1868. S. R. Wheeler, 
a brother of Joshua Wheeler, was pastor of the churcli for twelve years. 

When the Seventh-Day Baptists built their homes on the Lane smooth 
wire cost eleven and one-half cents per pound in Atchison, and ordinary 
flooring, $100.00 per thousand feet. Money was loaned at four per cent, per 
month. They did all of their trading in Atchison until Xortonville was built. 

Joshua \\'heeler was not onl\- a successful farmer, liut a good business 
man. He kept a regular set of books, and could always tell exactly what it 
cost him to produce a bushel of wheat in any of the different years of his 
farm experience. He could tell also what a bushel of com, fed to cattle, 
would produce. In 1877 he sold his wheat for $1.75 per bushel. 

Fie owned a farm of over 300 acres, just at the west end of tlie Lane, 
where he died on the fourteenth day of May, 1896. 

WILLI.\M HETIIERINGTOX. 

William Hetherington, founder of the Exchange National Bank, came 
to Atchison in 1859, from Pottsville. Penn., wliere he operatetl a flouring 
mill. His three oldest children, Mrs. B. P. Waggener. W. W. Hetherington 
and C. S. Hetherington, were born in Pottsville. Mrs. W. A. Otis, the young- 
est daughter, was born in Atchison. William Hetherington himself was 
born in Milton, Penn., May 10, 1821. He was also married there. When 
he first came west he stopped in St. Louis, then went to Kansas City, and 
later to Leavenworth, where he bought a bankrupt stock of goods and hauled 
them to Atchison in wagons. This was in 1859. The same vear he estab- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 20/ 

lished the Exchange Bank of W'ilham Hetherington, absorbing the Kansas 
Valley Bank, owned by Robert L. Pease, which had been established several 
years before. 

Mr. Hetherington's inflnence in Atchison was very marked. He was a 
cultured gentleman of the old school, and was so generally respected, although 
alwa}-s a Democrat, he stood very high in the sixties when the sectional bitter- 
ness was at its height, and did much to maintain peace- between the contending 
factions. He was a verj- able public speaker. He was never a bitter partisan, 
and enjoyed the respect of the people to an unusual degree. He was one of 
the early mayors of Atchison, and had a successful career. He died on the 
twenty-first day of January, 1890. 

WILLIAM C. SMITH. 

t 

A\'illiam C. Smith, one of the early mayors of Atchison, came to Kansas 
in 1858 from Illinois, settling- near Valley Falls. Two years later he traded 
his farm to Sam Dickson for a stock of goods in Atchison and removed to this 
city. The firm uf \\'illiam C. Smith & Son continued sixteen }ears. The 
son was Henry T. Smith, who still resides in Atchison (1915). Another son 
is W' illiam R. Smith, who is at present the attorney for the Atchison, Topeka 
& Santa Fe Railway Company, at Topeka, for a number of years was a justice 
of the supreme court of Kansas. His oldest daughter married P. L. Hub- 
bard, who afterwards became district judge of Atchison county, and another 
daughter married H. C. Solomon, for many years a leading attorney of Atchi- 
son. Mr. Smith died in 1884. He \vas mayor two terms; member of the 
legislature, council and the board of education. Although Mr. Smith came 
to Kansas from Illinois, he was born at Columbus, Ohio, in 1817. 

JOHN M. PRICE. 

John M. Price arrived in Atchison with his wife on the first of Septem- 
ber, 1858, the day the Massasoit House was formally opened for the public. 
They came here from Platte City, Mo., to visit some old friends fnMu Ken- 
lucky, who had moved to Kansas, and after they arrived concluded to remain. 
The Prices originally came from Irvine, Ky. Mr. Price studied law in Irvine; 
was admitted and elected county attorney before coming to Atchison. He 
was a Union man, in spite of the fact that he came from Kentucky, and was 
ver}- active in a business and professional way during the carlv days of his 



t . 



208 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY . '-. 

U ■*: 

\ 

residence in this county, and for many years tliereafter. He constructed more 
large and substantial buildings in Atchison than any other individual who ever 
lived here. He built tlie house for a residence, now occupied by Mt. St. 
Scholastica Academy, an opera house and many blocks of business buildings 
and residences. He was a member of the legislature several times ; was prom- 
inently mentioned as a candidate for United States senator. Mr. Price died 
on the twentieth day of October, 1898. 

SAMUEL C. KING. 

Samuel C. King came to Atchison March 27, 1857. His brothers, Ed. 
and John, together with a sister and his widowed mother, arrived here the 
year before, coming here with Dr. W. L. Challiss, in the steam ferry. "Ida." 
from Brownsville, Penn., where that boat was built. The King family came 
originally from England, within thirty-five miles of Liverpool, where the 
children were born, and where the father died. Ed. King was the first pilot 
of the ferry boat. "Ida," when it began making trips to Atchison. The three 
sons and the mother took up claims in Mt. Pleasant township. While living 
there three old neighbors came out and Samuel C. King went out wath them 
to look for claims. They were told that there was plenty of vacant land near 
Monrovia, but Mr. King advised them that it was too far out in the wilderness, 
and they went elsewhere. (INIonrovia is fourteen miles from Atchison). While 
the other members of the family were getting their start Samuel C. King 
clerked in George T. Challiss' store, receiving $25.00 per month, and boarded 
himself. He afterwards went to work for Mike Finney, steamboat wharf 
master, and was practically the first express agent in Atchison. Later he went 
out to his farm and split rails to fence it, and afterwards clerked for BowTiian 
& Blair for $25.00 per month and board. He enlisted in the navy in June, 
1861, enlisting as a landsman on the man of war, "Augusta." He sen-ed on 
this ship through all the exciting scenes of the navy during the war, and was 
at the battle of Point Royal. He assisted in capturing eight British ships, 
which tried to nm the blockade, and his part of the prize monev amounted to 
over $7,000.00. He was at the bombardment of Ft. Sumpter, and at the tak- 
ing of Tyble Island, off Savannah, Ga. He spent eleven months at sea, work- 
ing for the "Alabama." and rounded Cape Hatteras. He saw the burning of 
Charleston, and finally learning that his mother was fatally ill. he came home. 
He was elected county treasurer of Atchison county. Mr. King remained a 
prosperous capitalist and real estate operator, until his death on the twenty- 
third day of January, 1910. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 209 



CLEM ROHR. 



Clem Rohr came originally from Euffalo, N. Y., where he was born in 
1835. He learned the trade of harness maker there, and afterwards worked 
at his trade at Chicago, Detroit and Moline, 111. In Davenport, Iowa, lie 
heard Jim Lane make a speech about Kansas. This speech caused Rohr to 
go to Leavenworth in 1856, and while living in that town and employed as 
mail carrier he ran into the famous battle of Hickory Point. He slept in 
Hickory Point the niglit after the fight and helped fix up the wounded. He 
walked to Atchison in 1857 from Leavenworth, with Nick Greiner, for many 
years a prosperous German farmer, south of Atchison, and started a harness 
shop, which he conducted in the same place on the south side of Commercial 
street, between Fourth and Fifth streets, for over forty years. 

The first telegram that came to Atchison announcing that Kansas had 
been admitted was sent to Clem Rohr, and was signed by S. C. Pomeroy. 
He served as mayor of Atchison. Early in the sixties when the home guard 
was organized in Atchison Clem Rohr was made captain. His father was 
one of Napoleon Bonaparte's body-guard, and was with that great soldier at 
Austerlitz in the Russian campaign, and at the battle of Waterloo. Mr. Rohr 
always claimed that Julius Newman, who had a farm near the Soldiers' Home, 
made the first filing in the Lecompton land office. 

Mr. Rohr died in Atchison on the twenty-third day of Mav, 1910. 

R. H. WEIGHTMAN. 

One of the most interesting and romantic early-day characters in Atchi- 
son county was Maj. R. H. Weightman, an ex-major of the Cnited States 
army, who was associated with a famous frontier tragedy. Major Weight- 
man was a violent pro-slavery man and had lieen reared in the South. Before 
coming to Kickapoo, where he was connected with the land office, and subse- 
quently to Atchison, he was the editor of the Herald at Santa Fe, N. M., and 
also a delegate to Congress from tliat Territory. 

F. X. Aubrey, the other party to the quarrel, was a French Canadian, of 
great pluck and energy, and had made a reputation on a wager in 1852, riding 
from Santa Fe to Independence, Mo., in a few hours over eight days. The 
next year he wagered $1,000 he could go the same distance in less than eight 
days. His bet was accepted and Aubrey covered the distance in less than 
five days. Following these rides he engaged in the freighting business over 

14 



2IO HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the plains and he and Major \^'eightman became warm personal friends. 
Aubrey later made a trip to California, taking a herd of sheep, which he sold 
at a fine profit. It was upon his return from this trip that he and Weightman 
had their famous quarrel. The fairest account of this incident appeared in the 
Missouri Republican. September 28. 1854. which was in the form of a com- 
munication from a correspondent of that paper, and was as follows : 

"the c.\seof major weightman. 

"Mr. Editor: The deplorable event by which F. X. Aubrey lost liis life 
and which deprived the West of one of its most energetic and able pioneers, 
will not be passed liglitly over. The name of Mr. Aubrey had become too 
closely identified with all that is gallant, preserving, and — in a western sense, 
at least — brave and chivalrous, that his memory and his sudden death should 
not awaken painful emotions among all those to whom his name had become 
a household word ; emotions too painful to expect that, under his influence, 
full justice would be done to both parties concerned. When, therefore, an 
opportunity is afforded by which the facts, as nearly as we can approach them, 
may be investigated, it would seem injustice to withhold these facts from 
the public. 

"Thougli, perliaps, less liistorically known (if the expression be per- 
mitted) than Mr. Aubrey, Major Weightman has peculiar claims upon the 
citizens of Missouri, and especially of St. Louis, for demanding full and im- 
partial justice in this behalf. Without wishing to anticipate the judgment of 
your readers, or at all commenting upon the evidence which will be found be- 
low, your correspondent, in view of the grave charge in wliich Major Weight- 
man is involved, and the melancholy importance of the event, deems it his 
duty, notwithstanding, here to state what may be known to most of your 
readers, that Major Weightman, for years, formerly, was a resident of St. 
Louis, beloved and respected, almost without any exception, by all with 
whom he came in contact. 

• "Amongst the many of Missouri's citizens who participated in the late 
Mexican war. Major, then Captain Weightman, at the head of his Light 
Artiller}' Company, won laurels which placed his name foremost among the 
bravest and most gallant in that war. His fellow soldiers still in our midst 
will cheerfully liear your correspondent testimony, that Captain Wcightman's 
gallantry as a soldier and officer was onlj- surpassed by his urbanity and true 
kindliness of feeling as a gentleman; and if the evidence adduced upon his 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY . 211 

preliminary examination before the examining magistrate should sustain 
Weightman's plan of self-defense in tlie premise's, his former friends here 
and abroad, and his fellow soldiers, will be glad to learn that the qualities of 
heart, for which they used most to prize Captain Weightman, in former years, 
remain untainted even now, when his name has become unfortunately coupled 
with a most grave and serious charge. May the public judge, and may not 
the unquestioned enviable renown of Captain Aubrey's name tend to warp 
calm judgment in pronouncing upon the guilt or innocence of the accused. 

"The following evidence, being a synopsis of the process verbatim at the 
preliminary examination before Judge Davenport, at Santa Fe. have been 
transmitted to your correspondent from New Mexico by a third person, and, 
as your correspondent has every reason to believe, may be fully relied on. 
It is in tlie main supported by your former notices published in the Republican 
concerning this same transaction. 

"The circumstances are these: Major Weightman, hearing of the 
arrival of Aubrey, and that he was at the store of the Messrs. Mercure, mer- 
chants at Santa Fe, crossed the plaza to see him. and was one of the first 
to take him by the hand and greet him as a friend. When Major Weightman 
arried at the store of the Messrs. Mercure, several persons had alreadv arrived 
to pay their respects to Mr. Aubrey. 

"Aubrey and Weightman met kindly, shook hands, and conversed pleas- 
antly for a short time, when something having been said bv a tiiird person 
about the route by which Aubrey had arrived from California. Aubrey asked 
the major if he had yet published his paper in Albuquerque. The major said, 
no; that it was dead — had died a natural death from want of subscribers. 
Aubrey then said it should have died, because of the lies with which it was 
filled. This was said without excitement. \¥hen Weightman asked 'What 
lies?' Aubrey remarked : 'When 1 returned from California last year you asked 
me for information in respect to my route, and afterwards you abused me.' 
This Weightman denied, saying, 'No, Aubrey, I did not abuse you.' Aul^rey 
then said, more or less excited, 'I say you did, and I now repeat, it is a lie." at 
the same time bringing his hand down with force upon the counter. 

"At this Weightman, who was sitting on the counter, five or six feet from 
Aubrey, sprang down and approached Aubrey, who had been standing near 
the counter, and taking a glass from which Aubrey had been drinking (a 
toddy), threw the contents in his face. \\'eigiitnian immediatelv stepped 
back, when Aubrey drew a pistol (Colt's belt pistol), the first shot from 
which took effect in the ceiling (supposed to have gone off while cocking). 



212 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Weightman then drew a knife, and before another shot could be fired, closed 
with Aubrey and stabbed him in the abdomen, and soon after seized Aub- 
rey's pistol. 

"The Messrs. Mercure rvished on and seized the parties. Aubrey rapidly 
sank, and as soon as he relinquished his pistol Weightman said : 'I did it in my 
own defense, and I will go and surrender myself to the authorities,' which he 
did, accompanied by his friend. Major Cunningham. Aubrey died in a few 
minutes. He received but the one blow. Major Weightman has carried 
a bowie knife for his own protection for a year past, believing it to be necessary 
for him to do so. This was stated as the cause of his being armed. Aubrey 
was of the number of those who were inimical to him. The relations between 
Aubrey and Weightman had been heretofore of the most agreeable character." 

Major Weightman was a resident of Atchison only a few years. At the 
outbreak of the war he joined the southern army, and lost his life in the 
battle of Wilson's Creek. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



AGRICULTURE AND ITS DEVELOPMENT. 



AX AGRICULTURAL COMMUXITV SCIENTIFIC FARMIXG FARMERS, THE ARIS- 
TOCRACY OF THE WEST MODERN IMPROVEMENT TOPOGRAPHY SOIL 

STATISTICS. 

Atchison county is distinctively an agricultural community. There have 
been some earnest efforts made in the past to develop its mineral resources, 
and it is not be_\ond the realm of possibilit}- that future efforts in that direc- 
tion will unlock hidden resources of fabulous value. But in the future, as in 
the past, agriculture will be the big important dividend producer in this 
county. L'p to this time it is not unfair to say that only the surface of the 
soil has been scratched. Fanning has been the occupation of a veiy large 
portion of our people from the days when the first settlers took up their 
claims and with crude implements, broke the sod, down to this en- 
lightened age, of the riding plow and the traction engine, but scientific hus- 
bandly has not been followed on a large scale in this county. Crops have 
been so easy to produce, on account of rich soil and a favorable climate, that 
the methods employed in countries not so blessed and of a greater popula- 
tion, have not been followed in the past. This is not an arraignment of the 
former, for Atchison county has been peculiarly blessed in its possession 
of an intelligent lot of thrifty farmers. They have toiled and labored early 
and late ; they have built comfortable homes, accumulated fortunes, and are 
the sturdy, dependable citizens of the county, but for over si.xty years they 
have lacked organization and the prosperous farmers have succeeded because 
of their own personal initiative, judgment and hard work. As a class they 
have not made the progress to which they are justly entitled. Those that 
came early and remained, have in most instances met with rare success, but 
they worked out their own salvation, unaided by scientific organization. 

213 



214 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

One hundred and sixty of them have banded togetlier for mutual lielp and 
have secured a county agricultural agent to assist them in this direction, 
as the rich countrj- in the States east of us have been forced to do. The 
soil also has an abundance of potash and a creditable amount of phosphorus, 
so with the proper use of legumes and manure, with the addition of some 
phosphorus, the fertility of the soil may be increased and maintained in- 
definitely. If soil washing is stopped and the organic matter in the soil 
maintained, this county has a soil, that agriculturally speaking, is second to 
none. 

The real aristocracy in the ^^'est, will, in future generations, trace its 
ancestry back to the pioneers, who settled on the land and tilled it. Those 
who went into trade and the professions when they came to Atchison county 
prior to i860, and in subsequent years, have prospered, in part, b}' their wits, 
but in the main, on the farmer. The farmei-s were then, as now, the real 
wealth producers and so it has come to pass, after these many years, that 
the farmer "has arrived," and with the increase in population and the gen- 
eral trend of advancement and improvement in all human activities, farming 
now stands near the top of the big human enterprises. The desire for organ- 
ization and cooperation among the farmers is growing even,'where, and it 
has taken hold of Atchison county in recent years. * 

The farmer's life in this county, in the late fifties and early sixties, was a 
hard and lonely one. During those years many homesteads were preempted, 
fifteen to twenty-one miles southwest, west and northwest of Atchison, and 
onto these the young pioneers took their wives and families. There they 
built their log houses, "broke out" their land, and put it to com and wheat. 
There were few neighbors, fewer creature comforts, and no conveniences. 
It was a solitar)- life. 

This history contains biographical sketches of many of these pioneers, 
and in them will be found the intimate stories of hardships, privations and 
discomforts. They came to conquer the resources of nature, and they ac- 
complished what they came after. There were no highways over which to 
convey their crops when harvested, and the ways to the nearest market were 
long and dreary ones. It was a two days' trip over the prairies to Atchison 
with a load of grain, and there were few ways to economize time, although, 
fortunately, time was not an object then, as it is in these restless days. 

And yet within the short span of the lives of farmers who are still here, 
there has been a marvelous development. Log houses have given way to 
fine commodious homes, steam heated and electric lighted : great bams shel- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 215 

ter the stock, and house the grain ; the telephone, the rural delivery and the 
automobile have revolutionized the farmer's life and the farmer's wife. 
Better roads are the order of the day, and it will be along this line that great 
progress will be made in the immediate future. Meanwhile, land values 
are on the increase, and the quarter sections that sold from $500 to $800 
each, fifty years ago, are now bringing $16,000 to $24,000 each. Within 
the year 19 15 there has been a general trend of sentiment among the more 
enterprising farmers to put farming upon a more scientific basis. The serv- 
ices of a farm adviser have been secured, whose duty it is to assist in this 
direction. They are learning more of food values, crop rotation and diversi- 
fication, soil culture and plant life. As the value of these things become 
more apparent, the farming industry will thrive more, and in another gen- 
eration the problem of keeping the young men and young women on the farm 
will have been solved. 

The richest and most valuable farming land in Atchison county is very 
generally distributed. There are parts of each township that are rough and 
broken, but as the population increases land not now regarded as choice v.-ill 
be made to produce alnindant crops. The river bluffs, which have stood so 
long in timber, are gradually being cleared and the bare hills which are left, 
are admirably adapted to fruit, wheat and alfalfa. Much of this land is as 
well adapted to fruit raising as is the already famous Wathena district, some 
of it being exactly the same type of soil. All that is needed is that the fruit 
growers give their plantations care. The orchard that is properly cared for 
produces fruit of a quality far superior to that of the famous Northwest. 
Incidentally, this land returns the grower a greater net profit. 

Atchison county lies within the glaciated portion of the plains region. 
The underlying rocks are buried by the glacial till, but in turn is covered by 
a deposit of fine silty material, known as loess. Practically all the soil 
throughout this country is derived from the loess covering. The principal 
soil is a brown, almost black, silty loam, well adapted to the production of 
general farm crops. The rainfall is sufficient for the maturing of all crops, 
the nonnal anual precipitation ranging from fifteen to twenty-five inches. 
Atchison county has a population ranging from 28,000 to 30,000 people. 
There was a slight decrease in the population between the years of 1900 and 
1910, yet, in spite of this apparent unfavorable showing, the value of farm 
land and farm products have increased. About ninety-five per cent, of the 
land in this county is in farms, of an average value of $69.26 per acre. The 
proportionate land area is 263,680 acres, of which 249,339 acres are in farms, 



2l6 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

with an aggregate land \-alue of $17,270,130, which is more than double 
what it was in 1900, and over two million dollars more than the whole of the 
Louisiana Purchase cost us in 1S03. Figures and statistics are proverbially 
dr\- and uninteresting, but there is no place in which they can be more ap- 
propriately used than in historj^, and no language that can be employed 
could tell a tetter story of the agricultural progress of Atchison county, than 
the statistics taken from the thirteenth census of the United States. From 
this source we find that the total value of improvements on the farms in this 
county in 1910 was $2,692,755, and that the value of the implements and 
machinery used by the farmers, not including automobiles, was $499,129. 
While the value of domestic animals and live stock was $2,149,863, and in 
these figures poultry is not included. The chicken, duck, goose and turkey 
census reached 150,127, and these were valued at $77,926. The total value 
of all crops shown by the census of 1910 was as follows: 

Cereals $1,928,065.00 

Other grain and seeds 3o77-00 

Hay and forage 281,793.00 

Vegetables 94,232.00 

Fruits and nuts 32,297.00 

All other crops 30,883.00 

Grand Total $2,370,847.00 

Making a grand total of $2,370,847.00. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



THE PRESS. 



INFLUENCE OF NEWSPAPERS PART PLAYED BY THE EARLY PRESS SQUAT- 
TER SOVEREIGN'" "freedom's CHAMPIOn" "CHAMPION AND PRESS," 

PIONEER EDITORS LATER NEWSPAPERS AND NEWSPAPER MEN. 

Of all the mighty powers for good and evil, none can excel the news- 
paper. Take all the newspapers out of the world today and there would 
be chaos. Mankind would be groping in the -dark, and life itself would be 
a vain and empty thing. Newspapers are the arteries through which the life- 
blood of the world runs. They carry to our firesides the continued story of 
civilization. 

Early in the history of Atchison county, before the schools and the 
churches, the ne\yspaper appeared. It received a bounty of the original town 
company when that association, September 21, 1854, bv a resolution, donated 
$400 to Robert Kelley and Dr. J- H. Stringfellow, to start a printing office, 
and it was then that the Squatter Sovereign was conceived, and after a brief 
period of gestation, was born February 3, 1855. By a strange stroke of mis- 
fortune this first newspaper in the county stood for a wrong princijik- and 
preached bad doctrine, for it advocated human slavery. Yet it was a crea- 
ture of environment, and reflected the prevailing sentiment of its constituency. 
It was fearless in its attitude and rabid in its utterances. It was a violent 
organ of hate and bitterness toward all Free State men. and in it appeared 
a constant flood of inflammatory comment directed against those who op- 
posed slavery, and were determined that Kansas should be the land of the 
brave and the home of the free. But as the pro-slavery cause waned, the 
Squatter Sovereign waned with it, and in the fall of 1857, when saner coun- 
sel and the feeling of brotherhood grew, the town company disposed of its 

217 



2l8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

interest in tlie Sqiaittcr Soz-crcigii to the New England Aid Society, of which 
S. C. Pomeroy was agent, and the paper then passed into the hands of Rob- 
ert McBratney and Franklin G. Adams. Mr. Adams and Mr. McBratney 
were both Free Soilers, but they did not run the paper long. It was shortly 
sold to O. F. Short, wdio ran it until the following Februar>% and on the twen- 
tieth day of that month, 1858, John A. Martin purchased the plant and 
changed the name of the paper to Freedom's Champion. Under that name 
Colonel Martin made of his paper one of the leading Free State organs of 
the Territor}'. Always a brilliant editor, of courage and deep convictions, 
Colonel Martin during his whole career never performed a greater service 
than during the time he shouted the battle-cr\' of freedom through the col- 
umns of Freedom's Champion, from 1858 to 1861. In September of the lat- 
ter year, he laid aside his pen and took up his sword in defense of the prin- 
ciples he so stoutly advocated, and thus translated his words into deeds. When 
he went to the front he left the Champion in charge of George I. Stchbins, 
who continued in charge until the fall of 1863, when it was leased to Jo!m J. 
Ingalls and Robert H. Horton. These two men afterwards became political 
rivals. Both were lawyers and both residents of Atchison for many years. 
I Horton was a typical lawyer, smooth and tactful, who enjoyed a suc- 
Icesgful career in the practice of his profession and on the bench. Ingalls 
was of a different temperament, being more intellectual, caring little for the 
law, less tactful, Init ambitious. They bolli met in the arena of politics, and 
Horton was the vanquished. Following the senatorial election of 1879, at 
which they were both candidates, they became bitter enemies, and did not 
speak until they met, by chance, in London, in 1891. W'hile these two men 
were editors of the Champion, Ingalls did most of the writing and kept things 
warm until the return of Colonel IMartin from the war in January, 1865, one 
of the Nation's heroes. Three months after his return, on the twenty-second 
day of Marcli, 1865, Colonel Martin became the publisher of a daily paper, 
and on August 11, 1868, the Freedom's Champion was consolidated with 
the Atchison Free Press, under the name of CItampion and Press. The 
Free Press was a Republican daily paper, and first appeared May 5, 1864, 
with Franklin G. Adams as its editor and proprietor. In April, 1865, Frank 
A. Root became a partner, and subsequently, L. R. Elliott, who had been an 
assistant editor, became a proprietor, with Mr. Root retiring later, when the 
paper was consolidated with tlie Champion. 

The office of the Champion and Press was destroyed by fire May 20, 
1869, but three weeks later the paper was in running order, with John .\. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 2ig 

Martin as sole editor and proprietor, and from that date until llie death of 
Mr. Martin October 2, 1889, it remained one of the most influential and 
prosperous papers in tlie State of Kansas. 

Upon the death of Mr. Martin, the newspaper property was turned over 
to his father-in-law, W. L. Challiss, as executor of Mr. Martin's estate, and 
on the day of Mr. Martin's death the name of Phillip Krohn appears as man- 
aging editor. Krohn occupied that imprjrtant place until March 29, 1890, 
when his name appeared for the last time as editor. Dr. Phillip Krohn was 
a man of brilliant attainments, a fluent writer, and a pleasing public speaker. 
He was a Methodist minister by profession, but. althouh he occupied the 
pulpit upon occasions, his name was seldom taken seriously in connection 
with religious work. From the date of Governor Martin's death the paper 
gradually waned in influence. The paper remained the property of the estate 
of Governor Martin, and Luther C. Challiss was editor and manager, until 
October II, 1894. when A. J. Felt, an ex-lieutenant governor of Kansas, be- 
came its editor and proprietor. The paper did not prosper under the man- 
agement of Mr. Felt, and four years later a company was organized by 
Charles M. Sheldon, a promoter, and Mr. Sheldon became its editor May 
2, i8g8. Mr. Sheldon was an enthusiastic and aggressive individual, who 
had very little respect for the value of money, which he spent so lavishly that 
two months later, July i, 1898, his name appeared for the last time as edi- 
tor of the Champion. On the twentieth of that month the paper was sold 
to satisfy a mort.ga.ge and the property was re-purchased by A. ]. Felt, who 
immediately transferred it to the Champion Linotype Printing Company, a 
partnership, composed of Edward Skinner. George T. Housen, Charles O. 
Hovatter, James McNamara and A. J. Felt. Mr. Felt again resumed the 
editorial management of the paper, and remained in charge until January i, 
1899. 

February 3, 1899, Henry Kuhn, who surveyed the townsite of Atchi- 
son, returned to the city with his son, James G. Kuhn. They made a heroic 
effort to restore the lost prestige of the Champion, but soon became dis- 
couraged, and in the latter part of May or early in the June following, they 
gave up the ghost and silently disappeared. The mortgagees continued 
the publication of the paper, and July 31, 1899, the name of John A. Reynolds 
appears as business manager. It had no editor until August 23, 1899, when 
James G. Day, Jr., a young lawyer, occupying a desk in the office of Wag- 
gener, Horton & Orr, became editor and manager. Mr. Dav ran a daily 
until January 9, 1900, when it was discontinued. The following March he 



220 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

published a daily for one week, "as the devil would run it," a piece of cyni- 
cism in reply to an effort the Topcka Capital made a short time before, when 
that paper was turned over to Rev. Charles M. Sheldon, the eminent Con- 
gregational preacher, who ran that paper one week, "As Jesus would run it." 

Meanwhile, the Chaiupion had its ups and downs, but did not die. A 
daily again appeared April 22, 1901, with Ewing Herbert, one of the cele- 
brated newspaper men of Kansas, as its editor and owner. Mr. Herbert 
was at that time the owner of the Brozvu County U'orld, at Hiawatha. He 
conceived the idea that Atchison offered an attractive field for a newspaper 
venture, and he succeeded in interesting some local capital in his enterprise. 
Capt. John Seaton was a stockholder, among others, and Jay House, the 
present mayor of Topeka ( 1915) and a brilliant newspaper paragrapher. was 
city editor. Mr. Herbert spent only part of his time in Atchison, and turned 
over the management of the Champiun to Mr. House. It looked for a time 
as if Mr. Herbert was going to make a success of his venture, but just at 
the height of his prosperity he was guilty of an editorial indiscretion, which 
turned some powerful influences against the paper, and on August 17, 1901, 
Mr. Herbert gave up his effort as a bad job and turned the plant over to one 
W. A. Robinson, formerly of St. Louis, Mo. Mr. Robinson was a follower 
of Henry George, the great single taxer, and conceived it to be his duty to 
spread the single tax propaganda through the editorial columns of the Cham- 
pion. His efforts in this direction did not pro\-e profitable, and becoming 
disheartened and discouraged he fled from the city shortly thereafter, a much 
poorer but wiser man. 

The Champion next fell into the hands of Corman IT. Young, for many 
years a successful music merchant, of Atchison, who incidentally ac(]uired a 
small job printing plant, which he operated on North Fifth street, and which 
he subsecjuently merged with the Champion plant, having acquired that by 
paying off the mortgage which Mr. Robinson gave Ewing Herbert at the 
lime he undertook to acquire the property. Mr. Young ran a weekly paper 
for a number of years, until May, 1907. when he employed Walt Mason, the 
famous prose poet of the United States, to assume the editorial management 
of a daily. Mr. Mason many years before had been a resident of Atchison, 
and ran the Globe during the absence of Mr. Howe in Europe. He was not 
so famous in 1907 as he is in 1915. but he was just as brilliant. He pub- 
lished the daily Champion on pink paper and filled it with columns of edi- 
torial matter and humorous running comment on current affairs. Mr. Mason 
had a wonderful capacity for work and could prepare more "copy" in one 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 221 

day tlian all the other writers on tlie paper could prepare in a week. Dur- 
ing the summer of 1907, Sheffield Ingalls, having returned from the legisla- 
ture, where he was a member of the house of representatives, became an edi- 
torial writer on the Champion. November 20, 1907, Mr. Young prevailed 
upon Mr. Ingalls to give up his other work and become editor of the paper. 
As Mr. Ingalls walked into the office, Mr. Mason walked out, never to re- 
turn. Mr. Ingalls remained editor and manager of the Champion until Oc- 
tober 6, 1909, having been frustrated in plans he had made to acquire the 
property as his own. Mr. Young continued to run the paper until July i, 
191 1, when Mr. Ingalls, with the assistance of J. C. Killarney, succeeded in 
organizing a company, which purchased the paper and turned it over to Eu- 
gene C. Pulliam, as editor. Mr. Pulliam was a young man, who had served 
his apprenticeship on the Kansas City Star as a reporter. He was a good 
writer, but lacked experience and business judgment, and while he made a 
vigorous effort to run the paper, and had the benefit of strong financial con- 
nections, he did not succeed, and September i, 1914, he turned the paper over 
to Sheffield Ingalls as trustee, and it was subsequently sold to A. S.Andereck 
and his brother, A. P. Andereck, of Kankakee, 111. A few months later a 
company was organized, composed of the Andereck brothers, O. A. Simmons, 
vice-president of the First National Bank. Wilbur C. Hawk and Sheffield 
Ingalls, who in 191 5 are conducting the paper, and it is enjoying its most 
prosperous days since the death of its brilliant editor, John A. Martin. 

In 1877 there came to Atchison a young man who subsequently became 
one of the famous editors of the United States, Edgar Watson Howe. Mr. 
Howe was born in Wabash county, Indiana, May 3, 1854, a son of Plenry 
and Elizabeth Howe. When he was about three years of age his family re- 
moved to Bethany, Harrison county, Missouri, where the father, a Meth- 
odist preacher, published a newspaper of strong abolition sentiments. The 
younger Mr. Howe served an apprenticeship at the printer's trade in his 
father's office, and in 1868 started out for himself. He visited various cities, 
working at the case to earn money to pay his way from one place to another, 
and at the age of eighteen became the publisher of the weekly Globe, at 
Golden, Colo. From there he went to Falls City, Neb., where he published 
a newspaper, subsequently coming to Atchison, and established the Daily 
Globe. WHien Mr. Howe reached Atchison, the Champion, under the man- 
agement of John A. Martin, was the most powerful newspaper organ in the 
northern half of Kansas, and the field here was none too promising on this 
account. However, Mr. Howe proceeded to publish a paper of an entirely 



222 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

different type than that published by Mr. Martin. It was a small slieet, and 
was devoted to "gab, gossip and paid locals," and for over thirty years this 
policy was successfully maintained by Mr. Howe. It was unique in the 
journalistic world, and under the management of Mr. Howe it acquired a 
National reputation, chiefly because of the quaint, homely philosophy it con- 
tained and the unusual treatment he gave the ordinary incidents of human 
life. As a reporter of this class of news, Mr. Howe was perhaps without a 
peer in the country. For over thirty years he tramped the streets of Atchi- 
son with note-book and pencil, and to practically ever\- item he turned in he 
gave a peculiar twist, which reflected a remarkable insight of human nature. 
With Mr. Howe were associated Miss Frances L. Garside. Ralph ("Doc") 
Tennal. Miss Nellie Webb and J- E. Rank. To each of them Mr. Howe 
was indebted for much of the success the Globe attained. The death of Col. 
John A. Martin and the collapse of the Champion, that followed, gave Mr. 
Howe his opportunity, and for the greater part of his active newspaper 
career in Atchison he had the field to himself. The Globe was a great 
financial success, and in one year it has been said that Mr. Howe cleared 
close to $24,000 on his property. "Doc" Tennal was the first one of Mr. 
Howe's faithful associates to break up the Globe family. Mr. Tennal was a 
remarkable reporter of local news, but being ambitious and realizing the lim- 
itations by which he was surrounded, he concluded to acquire a newspaper 
property of his own, and in pursuance of that plan, he bought the Sabetha 
Herald in 1905, subsequently relinquishing it to become editor of the Kansas 
City Weekly Star. He returned some years later to Saljetha. and re-pur- 
chased the Herald plant, and is now the editor of that prosperous and pro- 
gressive paper (1915). 

J. E. Rank left the Globe a few years later, and went to Bartlesville. 
Okla., where he ran a paper a short time, and then returned to Atchison, 
and his first newspaper love. 

Miss Garside, who was one of the most brilliant newspaper women in 
the country, went from the Globe to the Nezv York Journal, and in 1909 Mr. 
Howe turned the Globe over to his son, Eugene Howe, who is now (1915) 
its editor and principal owner. Associated with him are Mr. Rank and Miss 
Nellie Webb, together with other old Globe employes. 

Miss Webb is the society reporter, and in this capacity she has acquired 
a brilliant reputation among the newspaper women of Kansas. The "policy" 
of the Globe remains vmchanged, and, while it mav not enjoy the same pres- 
tige It had during the days of the elder Howe, it is still one of the money- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON' COUNTY 223 

making newspaper plants of Kansas. Eugene Howe is a young man of much 
promise. He is still young and has spent his life in newspaper work. He 
has carried the new responsibilities thrust upon him by his father both grace- 
fully and tactfully, and there is every reason to predict a successful future 
for him. 

Among the early newspaper enterprises of Atchison was The Patriot, 
established by Nelson Abbott October 25, 1867. In September. 1868, 
Messrs. H. Clay Park, B. P. Waggener and Mr. Abbott fonned a partner- 
ship, under the name of H. Clay Park & Company, and purchased the estab- 
lishment, and in October of the same year, the paper passed into the hands 
of C. F. and C. P. Cochrane, but shortly thereafter reverted to Nelson Ab- 
bott, who remained in control until December, 1875. Dr. H. B. Horn, for 
many years a respected and honored citizen of Atchison, was connected with 
the paper as bookkeeper and business manager, and performed much of the 
editorial work, and when Mr. Abl)ott finallv relinquished control of the 
paper, it fell again into the hands of H. Clay Park, who together with F. L. 
Vandergrift and P. H. Peters, assumed control. Mr. Peters did not remain 
long in the partnership, and in 1877 he sold his interest to E. W. Beall. The 
paper was Democratic, and Mr. Park, who was very actively identified with 
the affairs of Atchison in the early days, was an aljle editor. He left Atchi- 
son twenty-five years later, to become an editorial writer on the St. Joseph 
Neii's and Press. F. L. Vandergrift is one of the famous newspaper men 
of Kansas, and for many years was the representati\e in Kansas of the 
Kansas City Star. He is one of the best loved and best known newspaper 
writers of the W'est, and is now (1915) editor of the Earth, a publication 
devoted to the interests of the Santa Fe railroad. 

One of the well known newspaper men of the West connected with 
The Patriot was Tom Stivers, who was coimected with the Champion for 
eight years, and in January, 1879, became a partner with Mr. Park and Mr. 
Vandergrift. 

The Patriot was an afternoon daily paper, and always stanchly Dem- 
ocratic in politics, and for many years was a successful journalistic enter- 
prise. This paper continued to be published either as a weekly or a daily 
until about October 12, 1895. It was in a precarious condition many years 
before that date, and had a number of different editors, among them F. M. 
Stambaugh and W. J. Montgomery. The Atchison Morning Star and Daily 
Patriot was built upon the wreck of the original Patriot, its first issue being 
dated October 13, 1895, and running until February 23, 1896. 

The Atchison Union was a Democratic paper, established by Gideon O. 



224 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Chase, about 1858. It had an office in a frame building at tlie southwest 
corner of Fifth and Commercial streets, subsequently occupied by the Cham- 
pioH. Mr. Chase came from \Vaverly, N. Y., and his paper, while Dem- 
ocratic, was for the Union and against slavery. Mr. Chase did not remain 
in charge of the paper very long, and turned it over to \\'. H. Addoms and 
G. I. Stebbins. Shortly thereafter Stebbins retired, and Addoms went to 
Leavenworth, where he started a paper, turning his interest over to A. P. 
Cochrane, who was an employe in the office. Cochrane did not run the paper 
but a short time, when a Mr. Leland. Francis J. Marion and Franklin G. 
Adams assumed control and ran it a short time, when Marion took the plant 
of Plattsburg, Mo., and junked it, and for many years what was left of the 
paper was piled up in the court house at that place. 

The Atchison Church Visitor was established in 1906, and was published 
by the pastors of the following churches : English Lutheran, Methodist, 
Christian, Congregational, Presbyterian, Baptist. 

On January 14, 1911, Paul Tonsing became its editor and publisher. 
The paper is printed by Mr. Tonsing in the office over 500 Commercial 
street, so long occupied as the editorial room of John A. Martin, of whom 
Mr. Tonsing is a son-in-law. Mr. Tonsing is a Lutlieran minister by profes- 
sion, and for a number of years after his gradtiation from Midland College, 
he did pastoral work in a number of Lutheran churches in Nebraska and 
Kansas. Mr. Tonsing is a reformer, and a man not without courage and 
ability. His views are looked upon as too extreme by the conservative liberal 
element of Atchison, but all give him credit for being conscientious and 
honest. He is a hard-working, industrious citizen, and, while he has made 
many active enemies in his reform work, he enjoys the personal satisfaction 
of seeing many of the reforms he has advocated come to pass. He is an 
avowed foe of the liquor traffic, and has perhaps done more than any other 
individual m the community to make his views on that question effective. 
In connection with the publication of the Church Visitor, Mr. Tonsing also 
prints and edits the Western Chief, a monthly publication devoted to the 
Improved Order of Redmen. 

E. W. Hoive's Monthly was started by Mr. Howe in March, 1911. It is 
published monthly and contains practicallv all of the present literary efforts 
of its editor. Mr. Howe has adopted the use of pink paper for this publica- 
tion, which is composed of four pages. It contains no advertising matter, 
but has a large circulation among friends and admirers of Mr. Howe's 
peculiar literary type. Mr. Howe has popularized this monthly by making 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 225 

the price so low that no subscriber can afford not to take it, and when he has 
reached a circulation large enough, he plans to put it on a profitable basis 
as an advertising medium. 

The Effingham Ncic Leaf was started about April 12, 1894, with J\I. C. 
Klingman, editor, and his wife, Mrs. Ima L. Klingman, as associate editor. 
The New Leaf was the successor of the Effingham Times, founded in 1887, 
and the Effingham Graphic, founded in 1891, and the Effingham World, 
founded in 1893. After the death of M. C. Klingman, at the Missouri Bap- 
tist sanitarium, at St. Louis, Mo., May 5, 1899, Mrs. Klingman took charge 
as editor and publisher, and employed W. W. Cahoon, associate editor. Jan- 
uary 4, 1901, J. W. Coleman became the editor and publisher, and W. W. 
Cahoon, associate editor. In December, 1903, W. \\'. Cahoon purchased 
a one-half interest and the firm became Coleman & Cahoon. ^Ir. Coleman 
repurchased the paper October 16, 1903, and continued its publication until 
September 8, 1905, when Mr. Cahoon and C. E. Sells became the editors 
and publishers. May 4 of the following year Mr. Cahoon sold his interest 
to W. H. Sells, and August 31, 1906, C. E. and A. J. Sells took charge of 
the paper, and in 191 5 were still its publishers. 

The Effingham Neiv Leaf is a successful country newspaper, serving 
its readers faithfully and satisfactorily. 

The Miiscotah Record was founded about October i, 1884, by F. M. 
Bonham, who ran the paper until about 1886, when on August 18 of that 
year the Miller brothers became its editors and publishers. They sold it 
to Claud Martin and Coleman Martin December 4, 1889, who subsequently 
sold the plan to M. C. Klingman, editor of the Effingham A'czi' Leaf, INIay, 
1890. Mr. Klingman turned the pro])erty over to Fred W. Badger July 18. 
1890, who continued the paper until December 8, 1893, when he disposed of 
it to John Ford. Ford published the paper until November i, 1894, when he 
sold it to James S. Martin and Guy L. Stotter, the latter assuming entire 
control March 6, 1896. Mr. Stotter sold the Record to J. W. Campbell 
August 17, 1905, but assumed control of it again November 23, 1905, and 
remained in control until June 6, 1907, when J. A. Shoemaker, who after- 
wards became county superintendent of Atchison county, appeared as its 
editor and publisher. When Mr. Shoemaker was elected county superin- 
tendent, he turned the property over to A. \V. Huntis, who on Februar}- 3, 
1910, sold it to P. J. Cortelyon, and March 7, 191 2, the property was pur- 
chased by R. M. Dunlap, who is now (191 5) its editor and publisher. 

15 



226 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

The Huron Herald started January 7, 1892, with Frank I. White as 
editor and publisher. On May 16, 1895, Messrs. Priest & Priest took 
charge and were in control October 18, 1896, when the office was 
destroyed by fire. The paper was suspended for a few weeks and the next 
issue was dated November 6, 1896, with W. E. Johnson, editor and pub- 
lisher. The Herald suspended publication in February, 1897, and was again 
resurrected by W. A. Huff by the issue of April 9, 1897. Mr. Huff dis- 
continued the paiier in 1900, and went to Brown county, where he was active 
in newspaper work in that county. The Huron Herald was revived again 
April 12, 1907, by J. E. Smith, who published it until March 12, 1914, and 
March 19 of that year, J. M. Delaney announced that through no fault of his> 
he was forced to take control of the paper, and had employed Herman Van- 
On August 19, 1915. T. A. Cur became editor, and on November 11, 1915. 
August 19, 1915, T. A. Cur became editor, and November 11, 1915, Orvil 
L. Pancake was in charge. 

The Potter Kansan was originally known as the Potter Leaf, which 
started November 22, 1900, by Eppie L. Barber and Norene Barber, his 
wife. Mr. Barber surrendered control of the paper September 17, 1903. 
turning it over to his wife, who became its publisher. Shortly thereafter, 
Charles B. Remsburg, who for many years was a well known newspaper re- 
porter in northeastern Kansas, appeared as its editor and publisher, and re- 
mained in charge until May 11, 1905, when he turned it over to J. W. Thomp- 
son and his wife. Mrs. J. W. Thompson. On August 17, 1905, the Thomp- 
sons leased the paper to R. J. Wilson, but in the following December Mr. 
Thompson resumed control again and placed Howard C. King in charge as 
local editor and business manager. On March 22, 1906, W. .\. Remsburg be- 
came proprietor and in the following September, J. E. Remsburg purchased 
'lie plant, and is now its editor. 

The Potter Kansan is one of the best known country weekly papers in 
Kansas and the contributions from the pen of George J. Remsburg, the noted 
archeologist and newspaper paragrapher and poet, are frequently quoted by 
the newspapers of the State. 

Atchison county, perhaps, has been the graveyard for as many news- 
papers as any other county in the State. The State Historical Society has 
reserved the record, and in many instances, the files, of newspapers, which 
have been born, and after a brief existence, have did in this county. 

The first rival newspaper of the Champion, then the Squatter Sovcreiijin, 
was the Simmer Gazette, published at Sumner in 1857. Tt survived only a 
short time, as also did the Western Spy, which lived a few months in i860. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 227 

In 1857 The Kansas Zcitimg was started by Kab & Sussman, but was 
moved to Leavenworth in 1859. 

Half a dozen papers sprung up in 1862 and 1863, among which were: 
The Pleifei; The Bulletin, The Union-Banner, The Anti-J ayhawker , The 
Standard, and Die Tackle. 

In 1873 the anti John A. Martin crowd, headed by John M. Price, started 
a RepubHcan daily and weekly, called the Globe, with A. W. Wagnhals, J. B. 
Button, Rev. E. Cooper, T. F. Smith and Franklin G. Adams as the prin- 
cipal writers. It lasted but a few months. Wagnhals subsequently changed 
his name to Wagnalls, and moved to New York City, where he became a 
great publisher as a member of the firm of Funk & Wagnalls, which pub- 
lished the Standard Dictionary and a number of other well known publica- 
tions. 

The following list shows the different publications received by the His- 
torical Society from Atchison county at the end of the year 1915 : 

Atchison Champion, daily and weekly. 

Atchison Globe, daily and weekly. 

The Adidland, Atchison. 

The Abbey Student, Atchison. 

Midland College Bulletin, Atchison. 

St. Benedict's Calendar, Atchison. 

The West em Chief, Atchison. 

Atchison Church Visitor. 

E. W. Hozt'e's Monthly, Atchison. 

Kansas Synod Lutheran, .^itchison. 

The Optimist, Atchison. 

Effingham Nezv Leaf. 

Atchison County High School Nezus, Effingham. 

Muscotah Record. 

Potter Kansan. 

Huron LIcrald. 

.\mong the numerous publications that have enjoyed a brief existence 
in this county, are the following: 

Kansas Churchman, published at Atchison from November, 1891, to 
December. 1892. Rev. E. K. Brooke was editor. This publication had 
Ijeen published at Salina, Kan., previously, and from Atchison was removed 
to Lawrence. 



226 HISTORY OF ATCHISOX COUNTY 

.Irriiigtoii Argus, started by T. W. Gardner, and was suspended after 
the tentli number. 

The American Journal of Education was published at Atchison and St. 
Louis, Mo., by Messrs. J- B. IMerwin and I. C. Scott, in 1870. 

The Atchisonian, estabhshed March 24, 1877, by the Atchison Publish- 
ing Company. This paper was a six column, eight page affair, with a patent 
inside. The last issue appeared ^lay 26, 1877. 

Atchison Daily Times was started February 3, 1887. by J'>hn X. Re\n- 
olds, Init after the seventh issue the paper was changed to a weekly, and 
called the Atchison Weekly Times, from March 19 to July 2, 1887. The 
ne.xt issue was dated July 11, 1887. and was again called The Atchison Daily 
Times, and ran as such until August 6. 1887. when it suspended. John X. 
Reynolds was. in many ways, a unique character. He came to Atchison as 
the organizer and manager of a live stock insurance company. He was at 
one time a preacher, and his career in Atchison was remarkable for its vio- 
lence and his disregard for both the proprieties and the ethics of the news- 
paper profession. He was looked upon by mau}^ as an irresponsible dem- 
agogue, and it was supposed that he ran his paper for blackmailing purposes. 
The story goes that during his management of the live stock insurance com- 
pany, he incurred an ad\ertising bill with one of the local papers, and fail- 
ing to pay the bill, the editor of the local paper, instead of having recourse to 
the courts, began to lieap abuse upon Reynolds, and. using this as a pretext. 
Reynolds established the Times, for the purpose of retaliation. As the result 
of this episode, Reynolds became very violent in his denunciation of many 
men of established reputations in the community, and during the time that 
he published his paper tliere was much e.xcitement of an undesirable charac- 
ter in the city. Reynolds finally landed in the Kansas State penitentiary, hav- 
ing served a term previously in the Missouri State penitentiary. He wrote 
a book subsequently, relating largely to liis treatment in these two institu- 
tions, which he entitled. "The Twin Hells." For a short period he edited his 
paper from the county jail in .\tchison. but in 1888 J. .\. Sunderland took 
hold of the Times, and it was publi.shed up to Januarv 31. 1891. 

The Suiniay Morning Call was started by the Call Printing Company, 
with Frank Pearce as editor and publisher, and was first issued in magazine 
form February 8, 1880. March 28, 1880. Barton Lowe & Company became 
editors and publishers, enlarging the paper to a five column folio. January 
30. 1881. Luther L. Higby appears as a member of the firm, but with the 
issue of October 9, 1881. Luther L. Higby became sole owner. X^ovember 
6, 1881, C. F. Cochrane became one of the editors, and Tanuarv 18, 1882, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 229 

Cliris Rutt became a partner of Mr. Higby, and ihis firm sold tlic plant to 
Herman J. Rodman October 22, 1882, who continued it until Xo\enil>er 18, 
1S83, when the name was changed to The Western Mercury, with E. j. Van 
Deventer and H. J. Rodman as pubhshers, and it was continued until about 
1886. 

The Missouri Valley Farmer was publislied by A. J. Felt during the 
time that Mr. Felt was editor of the Chainpioii. The first issue of the Farmer 
was dated January 5, 1893, and it continued until August 18, 1898, at which 
time it was sold to C. M. Sheldon, who also became owner of the Champion, 
and the Missouri Valley Farmer was moved to Kansas City. 

The Ncz\.' West was a monthly journal of immigration, publi^vlied by 
the Immigrant Union, that was established in Atchison in August, 1878. It 
was issued in magazine form and contained aljout sixteen pages of reading 
matter. The earlier numbers of the publication were printed at Hannibal, 
Mo., and in 1878 H. H. .\llen, who was for many years a real estate opera- 
tor in .\tchison, became the editor of this paper. Mr. Allen subsequently 
sold the property to J. (j. P. Hilderbrand, who later turned the property over 
to two men by the names of Berry and Henrw The last issue a])peared about 
July, 1880. 

. Itchison Baptist was a monthly magazine, printed by the City Mission 
Publication Company, of Pittsburgh, Pa., in the interests of the First Baptist 
church, of Atchison. It lasted about three years, and W. H. Park was the 
local editor. 

Kansas Agriculturist was a weekly publication, which was established 
July 18, 1898, and probably died about March 20, 1899. 

The Atchisou Blade was estaltlished July 16, 1892, and published by the 
Blade Publishing Company, composed of Dr. Grant Brown, Natt G. Langston, 
and Will Harris, three prominent negroes of Atchison. It was a four page, 
six column paper, and was operated, after several changes in the manage- 
ment, until alxjut January 20, 1894. It again resumed publication November 
5, 1897, and was run until September 19, 1898, by H. Lewis Dorsey. 

The Kansas Statesman. Atchison, was established February 15, 1901, by 
G. \\. Myers & Sons, office. 315 Commercial street. This pajjcr was ab- 
sorbed by the Atchison Champion, after the issue of Octolier 11. 1901. 

The Trades Union, Atchison, was founded September 5, 1885, by Frank 
Hall, R. Tompkins, and James ^V. Reilly. This paper was the official paper 
of the Kansas State Assembly of the Knights of Labor, office. 521 Com- 
mercial street. The last issue on file is dated November 6, 1886. and the paper 
moved to Topeka after this date. 



230 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

The Atchison Banner was a German paper, and C. F. Ruth was editor 
and publisher. Tliis was a seven column, four page paper, and was founded 
March i. 1878. It was enlarged to an eight column paper the same year. 
It supported the Republican State ticket in 1878. The paper was suspended 
after the issue of July 12, 1879. 

The Bible Investigator was a monthly publication, started about July, 
1881, by William Kirby and A. D. Stevens. It was printed by W. H. Has- 
kell & Son, who for many years conducted a prosperous printing business in 
Atchison. The editor was William Kirby, and a Mr. Stevens was the man- 
ager, both of whom were residents of Doniphan, and a notice in the paper 
asked that communications for either one should be addressed to that place- 
It was in operation about five months. 

Atchison's Monthly was published by W. H. Haskell & Son, and the man- 
aging editor was Herman J. Rodman. It did not last long. 

Sentinel of the Northivest was a monthly publication, of which Dr. A. 
H. Lanphear was editor. The only issue of which there is any record was 
Volume I, No. i, date January i. 1883. 

Sunday Morning Facts was published by E. W. Beal from September 
2, 1883, until about Februarj- 3, 1884. 

Der Humorist, was as the title indicates, a German publication, with L. 
Willstaedt as its publisher. This paper, or magazine, was also short lived, 
lasting less than a year. 

Atchison Sundciy Morning Sermon, published by J. W. and J. M. Tan- 
ner. First issue was Jime i, 188;, and the last issue about July 27. 1884. 

Atchison Advance, published by Frank Hall and Dr. H. B. Horn. The 
first issue of this paper was November 5, 1884, and the last issue was Jan- 
uar\- 3, 1885. 

The Messachorean was started in 1887, and issued about every two 
months. It was devoted to the interest of Midland College, and edited by the 
faculty. It died about June, 1888. 

The Atchison Daily Bee was one of John N. Reynolds' enterprises, 
which started March 25, 1880, and suspended April 4, 1880. 

The Tradesman was a monthly publication, devoted to the trade union- 
ism, and was edited by Robert Tompkins, the veteran editor and publisher. 

Stcbhins & Talbot's Real Estate Record, established in 1869, by C. I. 
Stebbins. W. R. Stebbins. and J. H. Talbot. This was. as its name implies, 
a publication devoted to Ixioming real estate in .\tchison county and ^•icinity. 

Kansas Monthly Souz-enir was published by Fitch Rice & Company from 
Februari-, 1873. to sometime in June of the same year. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 23 1 

Gardner's Real Estate Bulletin was another real estate journal, pub- 
lished monthly, by C. V. Gardner in 1873. 

The Short Line Advocate was issued by the Atchison & Denver Rail- 
road Company in 1879. 

Der Courier was another German publication, published at Atchison and 
Topeka. by Edward F. Fleischer in 1879. 

The Public Ledger was started August 19, 1880, by W. J. Granger. 
It supported the National Greenback ticket of that year, and Octoljer 30, 1888, 
Granger turned the paper over to F. A. Davis & Son, who ran it a short time. 
Mr. Granger returned to Atchison eighteen years later, and became a re- 
porter on the Atchison Champion, and during the interval published papers 
in Effingham and other places. In 191 5 he was the publisher and owner of 
the Nettazi-aka Talk. 

The Western Farm Home was a continuation of the New West Monthly. 
Its first issue was in January, 1881, with James P. Henry and George H. 
Pardee as editors and publishers. It suspended publication in October, 1881. 

High School Quarterly was published at Effingham for the first time 
January, 1895, with S. J. Hunter, editor, and John W. Wilson, business man- 
ager. This magazine was published in the interests of the Atchison high 
school. It was subsequently changed to The High School Bulletin, after 
which it was issued regularly once a month during the school year. It sus- 
pended publication about September, 1902. 

The Oracle was another Effingham publication, started December, 1901, 
which was conducted by Guy Hendrickson and the students of the .Atchison 
high school, in the interests of that institution. It suspended publication 
about May, 1902. 

The A. C. H. S. Nezvsletter was a monthly publication, started in Feb- 
ruary, 1901, by John W. Wilson, principal of the Atchison countv hi.gh school. 
There were only three numbers of this paper, which was a monthly. 

The Atchison County Visitor was still another Effingham publication, 
started by W. J. Granger March 10, 1905. Guy C. Hendrickson became 
business manager June 8, 1906, and the paper suspended during the year 
1907. 

The Potter Press, started April 8, 1898, with E. Campbell as editor, and 
Jewell & Campbell as publishers. It lasted until September 30, 1898, when 
it was consolidated with the Easton (Leavenworth county) Light. Januan- 
27, 1899, it resumed publication, with M. L. and K. Lockwood as editors, and 



232 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

E. E. Campbell as local editor, but again consolidated with the Easton Light 
September i, 1899. 

The Atchison County Recorder was started June i, 1900, and published 
by the Lockwood Printing Compam , of Atchison. Its last issue was dated 
October 26, 1900. 

The Mtiscotah Nezcs was filed April 5, 1880, by Nash & Walkup, and 
lasted about three months. 

The Weeky Journal was started by G. W. Messigh in Effingham Sep- 
tember 2, 1892, who ran it until February 23, 1893, when it died. 

The Arrington Times was started May 28, 1896, by W. A. Huff. In 
September of the same year its name was changed to The Atchison County 
Times, and it suspended sometime in 1897. 

The Prairie Press was started in Lancaster May 12, 1888, with W. C. 
Adkins as editor and publisher, and it was run until ]March 7, 1890, when 
it was succeeded by the Huron Graphic. 

The Huron Headlight, started March 13, 1884, and died on the same 
date. 

The Huron Messenger was started July 2, 1884, by J. M. Warton, and 
also died on the same day it was born. 

The Weekly Graphic, which succeeded to all the rights and privileges 
of the Prairie Press, of Lancaster, was started by W. C. Adkins April 5, 
[890. Mr. Adkins ran this paper until March 28, 1891, at which time he 
sold it to J. A. Sunderland, of Atchison, who ran it until May 2, 1891, when 
Mr. Adkins again took control of the paper and ran it until the following fall. 

The Huron Times was a kind of continuation of the Atchison Times, 
and \'i>lume 4. Xo. i. of this paper, was dated .\pril 4, 1891. There 
were hut fmir issues of the Times, after the plant was ni(i\cd from 
.\tchison to Huron, the last issue being dated April 25, 1891. J. A. Sunder- 
land was also editor and publisher of this paper, after he moved it from Atch- 
ison to Huron. The Huron Times was a weekly publication, by G. E. Nichols, 
and \\as started February 22. 1901, and published seventeen times, when it 
died. 

T/ic Effingham Enterprise was founded about July i, 1893. by W. H. 
Bright. It was short lived, and little is known of its history after the date 
just mentioned. 

The Peoples' Press was a party organ, started in August, 1883. by the 
Peoples' Press Association, and suspended September 15 of the same year. 

The A't'ii' Kansas Maga:;inc was started b) L^r. W. H. Wynn, for many 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY _\^3 

years a much beloved and g'reatly respected professor of Englisli literature at 
Midland College. Dr. Wynn conceived the idea that there was a place for 
a monthly magazine in Atchison, to be conducted along the lines of the 
original Kansas I\Iaga::iiic. published in 1873, which contained some of the 
best literature that had ever been produced in Kansas. Associated with Dr. 
Wynn were Dr. \V. \\\ Campbell, R. M. Manley, B. P. Waggener, H. :M. 
Jackson, H. H. Allen, and A.. J. Harwi. The first issue appeared February 
18, 1892, and the last issue appeared September 30, 1893. 

Midivest Moose Rezneia was the official organ of the local lodge of the 
Loyal Order of Moose, published monthly by Frank L. Danforth, editor. It 
was founded in 1912, and ran only a few months. 

The Atchison Tribune was started in 1896, but the name of the editor 
and publisher are unknown. 

T]ic Western Chief is a monthly publication, devoted to the Order of 
Redmen, and was founded about April, 1909. Paul Tonsing is editor and 
publisher. 

Benedictine Parish Monthly, started in Atchison, in March, 1907, and 
published by St. Benedict's College, until Jaimary, 1910. 

The College Revieiv was published monthly in Lawrence and Atchison, 
by A. G. Coonvod and' G. T. Smith, from 1891 to 1900. Coimrod & Smith 
w-ere the owners of business colleges at Atchison and Lawrence. 

Kansas Telegraph was a German paper, started by H. Von Langen 
December 23, 1880, and was published in Atchison until 1881, when it was 
removed to Topeka, where it was published for many years. 

Atchison Journal was another German publication, started by John 
Hoenscheidt in 1880, but was short lived. 

The Kansas Staats-Anzciger was started in Topeka in 1879, ^"d pub- 
ished until 1881, when it was moved to Atchison. It was also short lived. 

Plain Facts was a "weekly publication, started in Atchison October 4, 
1897, and published by authority of twenty-five Atchison Populists, who were 
opposed to the election of George W. Click, the so-called Populist candidates 
for State senator. It lasted three issues. 

The Atchison Journal was the official publication of the Trades and 
Labor Council of Atchison. It started early in the year 1905, bv W. T. 
Granger, and discontinued the last of November of the same year. 

The Atchison Morning Star was a daily paper, published bv J. A. Ruul- 
ston, and started June 14, 1905, lasting until August 30, 1905. 

The .Itchison Tribune was a weekly publication, started ]\Iarch 27, 1896, 
by W". TI. TTiggins, and suspended publication July 16, 1896. 



CHAPTER XV. 



BANKS AND BANKING. 



EARLY DAY BANKING PIONEER FINANCIERS THE OLDEST BANK PRIVATE, 

STATE, AND NATIONAL BANKS ATCHISON COX'NTY BANKERS AND THE 

DEVELOPMENT OF BANKING INSTITUTIONS. 

Banking was a precarious business during tlie Territorial days in Kan- 
sas. There were no banks, as we know them, until January 29, 1857. when 
the Territorial legislature passed an act providing that every company or 
association of persons formed for banking purposes within the Territory, and 
without an act of legislature authorizing the same, should be deemed unlawful. 
Upon tlie passage of tliis act. the first bank authorized to do business under 
it was The Kansas Valley Bank, of Leavenworth, with an authorized capital 
stock of $800,000.00, with five branches, at Atchison, LeCompton, Doniphan, 
Ft. Scott and Shawnee. The authorized capital stock of each one of the 
branches was $300,000.00, and under the terms of the act, each branch was 
independent of the Leavenworth institution. The great Govemment Over- 
land Transportation Company of Majors Smoot-Russell & Company was the 

. big financial power behind this organization. The Leavenworth bank was 
never formed, and the Atchison branch was the first to start out under this act 
of the legislature, being authorized to begin business February 19, 1857, with 
securiiies amounting to $100,000. Dr. John H. Stringfellow, Joseph Plean 
and Samuel Dickson were authorizd to open subscription books. Tlie board 
of directors included Samuel C. Pomeroy, who was president ; W. li. Russell, 

/ L. R. Smoot, \\'. B. Waddell. Franklin G. Adams, Samuel Dickson and W. E. 
Gaylord. Sliortly after the bank began Inisiness there were rumors emanat- 
ing from the rival towns of Sumner and Doniphan that the Atchison institu- 
tion was about to suspend, and for the purpose of allaying any susjiicion on 
the part of the ]iulilic, created by these ruiuors, tiie directors publishetl a state- 

-'34 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 235 

ment of its condition, showing that the assets were $36,638.00. with liabilities 
of $20,118.00. In July or AugiLSt, 1857, L. S. Boling. of LeCompton, was 
appointed to examine and report on the financial condition of the Atchison 
branch of the Kansas Vallc}' Bank, and this is the first record in Kansas of 
a proceeding of this kind. 

Samuel C. Pomemy resigned as president of the bank in 1858, and was 
succeeded b)- William H. Russell, of the contracting firm of Majors-Smoot- 
Russell & Company. G. H. Fairchild was made vice-president, and R. L. 
Pease, cashier. 

In 1861, this bank, then called the Kansas Valley Bank, had its name 
changed by act of the legislature, to the Bank of the State of Kansas, and it 
was conducted under that name until 1866. when the stockholders wound up 
its affairs. 

The legitimate successor of the Bank of the State of Kansas was Hether- 
jngton's Exchange Bank, which was founded in 1859 by William Heth- 
erington. 

The Exchange National Bank, of Atchison, Kan., is the oldest banking 
institution in the city of Atchison, having been established in 1859, while 
Kansas was a Territory. The bank was then named the Hetherington Ex- 
change Bank. That bank became the successor of the Bank of the State of 
Kansas, which was organized in 1857. The founder of the Hetherington Ex- 
change Bank was William Hetherington, and, except for one year during the 
Civil war, it has been in successful operation since it was established. It 
passed through the period of its existence during Territorial days, and the 
depressing financial conditions as a result of the war, and business reversals 
incident to the re-construction period, and its management was at all times 
conducted upon the theory of its motto adopted by William Hetherington in 
an early day that "Safety First" in all of its business transactions was the 
secret of success. 

The bank's first business home was in the Otis & Click building, opposite 
the Byram Hotel. In 1869 it was moved to the Hetherington building, at the 
northwest corner of Fourth and Commercial streets. Later on, and in 1885, 
the bank was moved to the southwest corner of Sixth and Commercial streets, 
into the building erected by its president, William Hetherington. where it 
has since been located. 

In 1876, William Hetherington admitted into the firm, as a partner, W^eb- 
ster W. Hetherington, his eldest son, and in 1881. Clifford S. Hetherington, 
his youngest son, became associated with him. In the year 1882 the Heth- 



/ 



236 II ISTCJKV OK ATCHISON COIXTY 

eringlon Exchange Bank was incorporated under the laws of Congress, as 
a National bank, under the name of The Exchange National Bank of Atchison, 
with a paid-up capital of Sioo.ooo. and surplus of $20,000, and at once took 
high rank as one of the strongest and most conservative banks in northeastern 
Kansas, and has ever since maintained that reputation. 

The Exchange National Bank was organized with William Hetherington 
/ as president, August Byram, vice-president, \\''ebster \V. Hetherington, cash- 
ier, and C. S. Hetherington, assistant cashier. In 1890, upon the death of 
its president, William Hetherington, Webster W. Hetherington was elected 
president, B. P. Waggener, vice-president, and C. S. Hctlierington. cashier. 
In 1892, upon the death of its then president. Webster W. Hetherington. 
B. P. Waggener was elected president, .\. j. ilarwi, vice-president. W. P. 
^^ aggener. vice-president, C. S. Hetherington. cashier. C. W. Ferguson, assist- 
ant cashier, and Webster \\'irt Hetherington, teller. In October, 1906, C. S. 
Hetherington, the cashier, died, and C. \\'. Ferguson was elected cashier, and 
\\'ebster Wirt Hetherington, assistant cashier, and Edgar Mattocks, teller. 
In April, 1907, the cajiital stock of the bank was increased to $200,000.00 
with a surplus of $50,000, and ex-Governor W. J. Bailey was elected vice- 
president and managing officer of the bank, which pnsition he has since held. 
Upon the death of A. J. Harwi, his son, Frank E. Harwi. was elected director, 
and succeeded his father, A. J. Harwi. as vice-president, which position he 
now Iiolds. 

In 1892 the bank adopted a i)_\-law. wliirh pniliibited any officer or 
director of the bank from borrowing any money from it, or becoming an en- 
dorser or surety on any obligation or note to the bank, since which lime no 
officer or director of the bank has been permitted to borrow an\- of its funds 
on deposit. The wisdom of this by-law adopted in 1892 lias repeatedly been 
approved by the comptroller of the currency. The management of the Ex- 
cliange National Bank has adopted and adliered to tliis policy, because it be- 
lieves that a bank officer or director should not be iiermitted. under any cir- 
cumstances or in any emergency, to use any of its deposits in an}- of his own 
personal speculations or ventures. 

In February, 1914, Webster Wirt Hetherington was appointed cashier, 
and Edgar Mattocks was elected assistant cashier, and George L. Wolfe, teller. 

While the bank it known far and wide throughout the State of Kansas 
for its conservatism, yet it makes an effort to accommodate all business insti- 
tutions in the city of Atchison entitled to assistance and credit. It aims to 
be a distinctive Atchison institution. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 237 

Luther C. Challiss ap])eared as a banker in tlie city directory of 1859 
and 1 86 1, operating his bank at the corner of Second and Commercial streets, 
but not much is known of this institution. 

First National Bank was organized on tlie first day of October, 1866, by I 
David Auld, with the following as the first board of directors : David Auld, 
Henry Kuhn, H. H. Moulton, George Scarborough, C. G. Foster, D. C. New- 
comb, and J. M. Linley. David Auld was elected president, George Scarbor- 
ough, vice-president, and W. R. Stebbins as cashier. For thirty-eight year? 
this bank was under the careful and conservative management of David Auld, 
who died in October, 1904, and was succeeded by his son, David Auld, Jr. 
The bank began business in July, 1867, and since that time has been one of- 
the strongest financial institutions in the West. It has always had the benefit 
of the services of experienced men in the banking business, and has followed 
a conservative policy during the whole of its existence. In 1910 the controll- 
ing interest in the First National Bank was purchased by the Commercial 
State Bank, which was organized in Atchison in 1906 by Sheffield Ingalls and 
O. A. Simmons. In tiie merger that took place the Commercial State Bank 
was absorbed by the First National Bank, and has continued under the latter 
name to maintain its high standard of conservatism, and with the introduction 
of new blood and new methods, it embarked upon a policy of service which 
has redounded to the lasting benefit of the community. The present officials 
of this institution are as follows: Edward Perdue, president; J. H. Barry, 
chairman of the board; O. A. Simmons, first vice-president and manager; J. 
M. Schott, second vice-president; Charles Linley, cashier; George H. Ed- 
wards, assistant cashier ; F. J. Ledoux, assistant cashier. 

The directors represent varied business interests of this city and county, 
and are as follows: Edward Perdue,. J. II. Barry, O. A. Simmons. Charles 
Linley, J. M. Schott, C. C. McCarthy, August Manglesdorf, Leo Nusbaum, 
Sheffield Ingalls, A. E. Mize, M. Noll and Wl T. Hutson. 

The Atchison Savings Bank claims the distinction of being "The Old- 
est State Bank in Kansas." ha\ing enjoyefl a continuous corporate existence 
of over forty-six years. 

R. A. Park was its organizer and first cashier, and in June, 1869, it ^ 
opened its doors for business in a brick one-story building at the northwest 
corner of Fifth and Commercial streets. At that time most of the business 
was centered close to the river, and this was considered quite an "up town" 
location, but time has vindicated the judgment of its carl\- directors in anticipat- 
ing the westward growth of the town. With the expectation of building 



23S HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

thereon the bank early acquired title to the lot at the southwest corner of 
Fifth and Commercial streets, but subsequently disposed of it to the late Ex- 
Governor John \. Martin, who built the Cliaiiif<ion building thereon, and the 
bank moved to its present (|uarters. which it had acquired, and still owns, at 
the southeast comer of Fifth and Commercial. 

^\■illianl C. Smith (father of Henry T. Smitli) was the first president but 
the late Judge A. G. Otis soon thereafter succeeded him and remained presi- 
dent until 1891. 

Thomas Muiphy (father of John Murphy and one of the builders of tlie 
present Cain Mill Company mill). W. W". Guthrie, Julius Kuhn, C. J. Drury, 
Col. W'm. Osborn. J. W. Parker, and otlier men prominent in the business and 
thereon the bank early acquired title to the lot at the southwest comer of 
social life of that period were among its early stockholders and directors, while 
for seventeen years the late T. C. Piatt served as teller, and by his affability 
and facultv of remembering people, made many friends for the institution. A 
baseball Ixit. kept under the counter, was his weapon for defending the funds 
in liis care. Courtney Challiss, George H. Lawton, ''Vode" Kathrens, Lowen- 
holt. O. Orlopp and \\'ill H. Bryning and others also served varying terms as 
early emplovees and will be remembered for their distinctive personalities. An 
apothecar}'"s scale for weighing gold dust was part of the early equipment, but 
one trial was sufficient to prove the presence of too much dust and too little 
gold in the commodity offered. For almost twenty years the bank ran with 
but few restrictions from the State, the law simply requiring it to file an 
annual statement of its capital, surplus, etc.. with list of stockholders and offi- 
cers, and publish a statement of its financial condition as of some one day in the 
year. Needless to say the day selected was usually one on which tlie deposits, 
loans and resources would make a satisfactory showing, but about 1890 the 
legislature enacted a banking law. which has since been several times per- 
fected by amendments, which brought this and all other State banks under its 
provisions, and the supervision of a State bank commissioner, with cast iron 
restrictions as to the relative amounts of loans, cash resen'es, etc., and al- 
though some of the requirements seemed unduly severe to those accustomed 
to the former unrestrained exercise of their own individual judgment, few 
would now deny that it was wise and much needed legislation. 

Following the retirement from the bank in 1891 of Judge Otis, Col. Wil- 
liam Osbom became president, serving until his death, when R. A. Park suc- 
ceeded to the office and served until his deatli in looj. C. J. Drurv being 
elected his successor and giving the institution his services for about a year, 
seconded by J. T. Hersey as vice-president, but both these gentlemen then re- 



ilXalURY Ul- ATCHISON COUNTY 239 

tired upon the acquisition of a majority of the stock Ijv Messrs. T. M. Walker, 
J. C. Fox and F. M. Baker. Of later years the growth of the bank lias been 
marked, the capital and surplus having repeatedly been enlarged, and de- 
posits and loans having shown a corresponding increase. The late Tlieodore 
Bartholow added his ripe experience as a successful banker to the board of 
directors, while F. G. Crowell, Joseph W. Allen, William Carlisle, with 
Messrs. Walker, Baker and Fox and others as stockholders and directors gave 
the institution a Statewide prominence. 

R. A. Park, the second, who resigned as vice-president in 191 1 to engage 
in business elsewhere, entered the bank in 1881 ; became cashier in 1892: 
elected vice-president in 1910, being succeedd as cashir by F. M. Woodford, 
who entered the bank's employ in 1900 as bookkeeper. 

C. W. Ferguson, formerly cashier of the Exchange National Bank, has 
recently been elected a vice-president of the Savings Bank, and the present 
officers and directors are as follows: T. M. Walker, president; Joseph W. 
Allen, vice-president; C. W. Ferguson, vice-president; F. M. Wbodford, 
cashier; W. T. Fox, assistant cashier. 

The German-American State Bank of x\tchison was chartered May 15, 
1912, and began doing business June 21, 1912. Its original board of direc- 
tors was composed of Louis W. Voit, Henry Klostermeier, William Klos- 
termeier, F. A. Manglesdorf, L. A. Libel, G. T. Bolman, and F. A. 
Manglesdorf. Three months later the charter was amended and Charles 
Haase and W. A. Dilgert were added to the board of directors. 
This bank was organized with a cjiijital stock of $50,000, and a surplus ac- 
count of $io,oco. At the first meeting of the board of directors, the follow- 
ing officers were elected : Louis W. Voigt, president ; Henry Klostermeier, 
vice-president; William Klosterweier, vice-president; F. A. Manglesdorf, 
cashier. 

At the time the membership of the board was increased, Guy Elwell was 
elected assistant cashier. This bank occupies handsome quarters at the south- 
east comer of Eighth and Commercial streets, and has shown a remarkable 
growth since its organization. The only change in the board of directors 
that has been made since its organization was the substitution of E. F. Man- 
glesdorf for his brother, A. F, Manglersdorf. At the close of the first busi- 
ness day of the bank it had deposits aggregating $25,000, and at the end 
of one year the deposits had increased to $248,000, and at the end of the 
second year it was $323,000, and at the end of the third year it was $425,- 
000, and in 191 5 it boasted of total deposits amounting to $525,000, with a 



240 HISTOK^■ OF ATCHISON COl"NTY 

surplus and undivided account of $21,000. This hank has liad an ahle set of 
officers, and its directors are among tlie most infkiential and sul)stantial cit- 
izens of the community. It started in by making an aggressive campaign 
for husiness, and it accomphshed what it went after. The institution is con- 
ducted along broad and conservative lines, and renders not only good service 
to its many patrons, but to the community as well. 

German Savings Bank. — 'i'his institutinu was organized in iSj^^, with 
the following officers: George Storch, president; Robert Forbriger, Nice- 
president : John Belz, cashier. 

The capital stock of the bank was $10,000 and its deposits were about 
$100,000. It conducted a general l)anking business, together with a regular 
savings department in connection therewith. This bank was located at 406 
Commercial street, and wouiul up its affairs in 1886, when it was merged 
with the United States National Bank and the Dime Savings Bank, both of 
which failed. 

The Atchison National Bank. — This bank was organized April i, 1S73, 
by John M. Price as president: M. Barratt as cashier. G. D. Harrison suc- 
ceeded Mr. Price as president, in which capacity he served until 1878, at which 
time he was succeeded by C. J. Drur\-, with R. PI. Ballentine as vice-president. 
When this bank commenced business it had a capital of $100,000, but in 1877 
it was reduced to $50,000. It was located for many years at 503 Commercial 
street, afterwards moving to what is now the Simpson building, in the corner 
occupied by the Barth Clothing Company, where it failed in 19 — . 

The .Atchison State Bank. — This bank was organized prior to i8(j], and 
went into voluntary liquidation Alarcii 24. 1S98, at which time John M. Cain 
was president and cashier, and John H. Murray was secretary. It was located 
on West Main street, near the corner of Thirteenth street. 

The Commercial State bank was chartered September 8, 1906, and be- 
gan business October 31 of the same year, and subsequently merged with 
the First National Bank March 24, 1910. 

The Union Trust Company was chartered February 28, 1907, and was 
organized by B. P. Waggcner, witli a jjaitl-up capital stock of Sioo.oco. 
March 24, 1909, his charter was amended and it became the Exchange State 
Bank of .\tcliison, the officers of which arc: !•". !•". TIarwi. president, and Ed- 
ward Iverson. casliier. This bank has a paid-up capital of $50,000, with sur- 
plus and undivided profits of $34,776,91, with average deposits of $350,000. 
It is one of the strong State banking institvitions of Kansas, and is doing a 
prosperous business. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 24I 

Atchison county has a number of strong, flourishing banks, located at 
Effingham. Muscotah, Potter, Huron, Lancaster and Cummings. 

The l-"armers and Merchants State Bank, at Effingham, was organized in 
1905, with a capital of $12,000 by A. J. Smith, U. B. Sharpless, Fred Sutter, 
R. M. Thomas and J. W. Davis. Since its organization there have been a 
few changes among the officers and the board of directors, and in 1915 the 
officers were : Fred Sutter, president ; L. T. Hawk, vice-president ; E-. J. Kel- 
ley, cashier: D. R. Gerety, assistant cashier. The present board of directors 
is as follows : Fred Sutter, L. T. Hawk, Alex. McKay, U. B. Sharpless, 
E. J. Kelley. 

The capital stock and surplus in 1915 exceeds $15,000, and the bank's 
average deposits are about $120,000. In 1910 a handsome and commodious 
brick building was erected at the corner of Main and Howard streets for its 
new home, and it was fitted with attractive new fixtures and a burglar-proof 
vault of modern structures, at a cost of $4,000. This institution is purely a 
local concern, financed by local capital ; all of the stockholders reside in Ef- 
fingham and vicinity, and comprise leading merchants and farmers of the 
Effingham district. 

The State Bank of Effingham was organized in 1889, and occupies its 
own quarters in a substantial and commodious brick building on the Main 
street of Effingham, which was erected in 1897. In IQ12 handsome new fix- 
tures and a burglar-proof vault were purchased at large cost. The first presi- 
dent of this bank was \\'esley Cummings, and the first cashier was Gilbert 
Campbell, with Harvey Sharp as assistant cashier and bookkeeper. Mr. Cum- 
mings continued as president until his death in 1899, and was succeeded by 
L. -A. Murphy, who in turn was succeeded by T. J. BohannDu, who served un- 
til his death, August 29, 1913. A. M. Ellsworth became cashier in 1892, and 
was succeeded by W. M. Walker, who served in that cai)acity until 1905, 
when he is turn was succeeded bj^ Clarence L. Cummings. the present cashier 
of this substantial and growing institution. The president officers of the 
bank are as follows : R. G. Bohannon, president ; A. E. Mayhew, vice-presi- 
dent; C. L. Cummings, cashier: Carl B. Searls, bookkeeper. The directors 
are: H. A. McLenon, A. E. Mayhew, R. G. Bohannon and C. L. Cummings. 
The capital stock is $20,000, with suqjlus of $13,500 and deposits average 
$100,000. This institution is one of the most flourishing banks in the county, 
and its officers and directors are substantial business men and farmers, who 
are not only highly regarded in Effingham and vicinity, but throughout all of 
northeastern Kansas. 

16 



242 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

The State Bank of Lancaster was organized March, 1896, by W. W. 
Stepp, Mark S. Cloyes, C. L. Cummings, T. J. Bohannon, and Dr. A. L. 
Charles. T. J. Bohannon was elected its first president, and C. L. Cummings 
its first cashier. It had a capital stock of $5,000, which subsequently was in- 
creased to $io,coo, and in 1915 it had a surplus of $5,000, with deposits ag- 
gregating $80,000. The present directors of this bank are as follows (1915) : 
M. J. Hines, C. E. Smith, A. J. Smith, J. F. Shell and M. E. Smith, and its 
present officers are: M. J. Hines, president; C. E. Smith, vice-president; A. 
J. Smith, cashier, and C. G. Stickler, assistant cashier. 

The State Bank of Cummings was organized by H. J. Barber and E. W. 
Kaufman in 1908, with a capital stock of $10,000. E. \\\ Kaufman was 
elected president; B. F. Cline, vice-president, and H. J. Barber, cashier. The 
capital stock in 191 5 was $10,000, with a surplus of $5,000 and deposits ag- 
gregating $60,000. A neat and substantial brick building was erected for 
l)anking quarters and equipped with liandsonie fixtures and burglar-proof 
vault, at a cost of $3,500. The officers of the bank in 1916 were as follows : 
President, John Ferris ; cashier, H. J. Barber, and the directors were John 
Ferris, H. J. Barber, C. A. Lewis, William Hegarty and F. W. Kaufman. 
The bank is in a thrifty condition, and has shown a steady increase in growth 
from the date of its organization. 

The Farmers' State Bank of Potter, Kan., was organized in 1905 by B. 
C. Daum, C. K. Hawley, P. C. Grenier, Arthur Davis, James Grapengieszer. 
l''red Potter, John Niemann, C. L. Cline, J. H. Glancy, who subsequently 
became directors of this enterprising institution. The capital stock was fixed 
at $12,000, and the first president of the bank was B. C. Daum, and the first 
cashier was C. K. Hawley. There are thirty-two stockholders in this insti- 
tution, who are practically all farmers, residing in the immediate neighborhood 
of Potter. In 1916 the officers were as follows: President, P. C. Grenier: 
cashier, A. H. Manglesdorf; vice-president, C. E. Hudson, and the capital 
stock was $12,000, with a surplus of $5,500 and deposits aggregating $80,000. 

It is unusual to find two substantial banking instiutions in a town the 
size of Potter, as it is supposed that one bank in such a community would 
meet all the requirements of its citizens. 

The Potter State Bank preceded the organization of the Farmers' State 
Rank five years. It was organized in 1900 by O. A. Simmons, L. M. Jewell 
and Fred Ode, with a capital stock of $5,000. O. A. Simmons remained the 
active cashier and manager of the bank for two years, being succeeded by 
L. M. Jewell in 1902, who served until 1906. Mr. Jewell was succeeded by 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 243 

H. A. Ode. A new brick building was erected for this very enterprising 
financial institution in 1909, and equipped with new modern fixtures and a 
fine burglar-proof vault. The capital stock of this bank in 1916 was $10,000, 
with a surplus of $10,000 and deposits aggregating $125,000. The officers 
for tliat year were as follows : President, L. M. Jewell ; vice-president, Fred 
Ode ; cashier, H. A. Ode, and in addition to the officers, the following prom- 
inent farmers of Walnut and Mount Pleasant townships are directors: C. N. 
Faulcomer, C. W. Carson, E. H. Blodgett and Adam Ehart. There are over 
seventeen stockholders, all of whom are prosperous and well to do farmers, 
living in the vicinity of Potter. This bank has grown rapidly, both in pres- 
tige and strength since its organization, and its average net annual profits 
since its organization have been about $2,000. 

The Muscotah State Bank was organized by George Storch in 1870, as 
a private bank, who remained in charge until about 1890, when Mr. Storch 
sold his interest to Harvey and Calvert. This firm conducted tlie bank as a 
private institution until about January i, 1902, when it was organized into a 
State bank, with A. B. Harvey, president, and J. H. Calvert, cashier. Mr. 
Harvey remained president until about 1910, and in that year C. C. Hart 
became its cashier. The officers of this institution in 1916 were as follows: 
A. D. Wilcox, president: C. C. Hart, vice-president; R. A. Allison, cashier. 
The directors are: A. D. Wilcox, C. C. Hart, A. H. Calvert, M. E. Bevens, 
R. A. Allison and Thomas R3'an. The capital stock is $10,000.00, with a 
surplus of $10,000.00, and deposits aggregating $100,000.00. This institu- 
tion is the oldest bank outside of the city of Atchison, and remains todav one 
of the most substantial financial institutions in this part of the State. 

The Huron State Bank was organized in 1891, with a capital stock of 
$10,000. The first directors were Edward Perdue, John Swartz, John Dro- 
han, John English, David Rouse, David Rouse, Jr., and T. B. Marshall. Its 
first officers were Edward Perdue, president; John Swartz, vice-president, 
and W. C. McLain, cashier. This is one of the substantial banks of the county, 
and showed by one of its last statements a capital stock of $10,000, with 
surplus fund of $5,000.00 and deposits aggregating $80,000.00. Its officers 
in 1916 are as follows: Edward Perdue, president; David Rouse, Jr., vice- 
president, C. E. Smith, cashier, and Cloyd Smith, assistant cashier. In addi- 
tion to the officers, T. B. Smith, Jr., is the fifth director. 

Mr. Perdue, who is the president of this bank, is one of the leading citi- 
zens of Atchison county, and in addition to being president of the Huron bank, 
is also president of the First National Bank of Achison. 



244 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COL'NTY 

C. E. Smitli, the cashier, is also one of the well known and most conserva- 
tive bankers of the State, and the officers and directors of this institution have 
reason to be proud of the splendid growth and standing of their institution. 

The Farmers State Bank of Muscotah was organized and opened for 
!.)usiness February 21, 1910, with a capital stock of $10,000. It now has a 
surplus and undivided account of approximately $5,000, and its deposits 
average $70,000. The first directors were L. Cortelyou, A. T. Cortelyou, 
L. Cortelyou, Jr.. and H. M. Turner, who came from Moberly. Mo. W. M. 
V\'alker, of Atchison, was one of tlie organizers of this institution, but he sold 
his interest a few weeks after organization and was succeeded by William 
Buckles on the board of directors. L. Cortelyou was elected president, and 
H. M. Turner, casiiier, and they have continued as the active officers of the 
bank. The present board of directors consists of L. Cortelyou. \\'illiam 
Buckles, M. C. \'ansell, John Sullivan, J. W. A. Miller and H. M. Turner. 
As this history is written it is said that there has been a consolidation of the 
two Muscotah banks, under the name of the Farmers State Bank. A charter 
has been granted and the new in.stitution will have a capital of $15,000. L. 
Cortelyou is to he the president, H; M. Turner, cashier, and Ralph .\llison, 
assistant casiiier. The bank will continue to occupy tlie present quarters of 
the Farmers State Bank, and the merger, when effected, will give Muscotah 
one of the liest banks in the county. 

The Commerce Trust Compan\- of Atchison, with a paid-u]) capital stock 
of $100,000, received its charter from the State February 11. 1916. The first 
meeting of the board of directors was held in the office of the Commerce 
Investment Company on the evening of Februar}' ig, 1916, at which time 
the following officers were elected: President, Sheffield Ingalls: vice-presi- 
dents, Mcnry Diegel, .\. J. Schoencckcr, M. J. Iloran : treasurer. F.llswortii 
Ingalls; .secretary, Frank H. Manglesdorf; trust officer, H. A. Schoenecker; 
general counsel, J. M. Challiss. The following named citizens were the first 
directors of the company: H. A. Schoenecker, Henry Diegel. J. C. Killarney, 
O. .\. Simmons, .\. J. Schoenecker, Ellsworth Ingalls. T. E. Snowden, Clive 
Hastings, M. J. Horan, F. H. IManglesdorf, H. E. Muchnic and Sheffield 
Ingalls. The company is a development of the Commerce Investment Com- 
pany, established in 1910. and does a general trust business, as provided by 
the laws of Kansas. It began business March 2, 1916. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



CHURCHES. 



METHODIST CHRISTIAN PRESBYTERIAN BAPTIST SALEM CHURCH GER- 
MAN EVANGELICAL ZION CHURCH FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST 

ST. P.\TRICK's, MT. PLEASANT TRINITY CHURCH, EPISCOPAL ST. 

MARK% ENGLISH LUTHERAN ST. BENEDICTS ABBEY FIRST GERMAN 

EVANGELICAN LUTHERAN CHURCH. 

Aletliodism was introduced into Atcliison l3y the Rev. James Shaw, wlio 
had Ijeen a pruminent member of the Detroit conference, both as pastor 
and missionary among the Indiaiis along tlie Lake Superior district, and 
also as presi(h'ng elder. Being in poor health and desiring a new location, he 
came to Leavenworth in March. 1856, and finding that Leavenworth was 
already pro\i(led \\ith a pastor, he proceeded to Atchisnn. He did not find 
Atchison ver\- friendly toward preachers when he arrived, and the Pardee 
Butler incident was fresh in the minds of the people at that time. So the 
Re\'. Mr. Shaw went farther north, to Doniphan and Geary City, which were 
Free State towns. He soon thereafter went to Detroit for his family, and 
soon after his return to Geary City, he was appointed as pastor at Atchison 
and Monrovia. He preached his first sermon in May. 1S57, in the office of 
S. C. Pomeroy, which was located on the corner of Third and Com- 
mercial streets, and this was the first sermon from the lips of a preacher 
of any denomination that was delivered in Atchison. He organized the 
Methodist Episcopal church in January, 1858, w'ith members from various - 
denominations. The first services were held in a room in the building on 
the southeast corner of Second and Commercial streets. He later raised 
$2,000 for a new church building, S. C. Pomeroy, O. F. Short and Robert 
McBratney each pledging $500, on condition that the new building should 
be located on the north side of Parallel street, near Fifth street. 

245 



24O HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Rev. I. F. Collins succeeded ^Ir. Shaw, and Rev. C. H. Lovejoy, who 
liad been preaching at Lawrence for two years, was sent to Sumner. Upon 
the arrival of Mr. Collins, he at once began the erection of the new church 
building on Parallel street, the two lots on which the building was subse- 
quently erected being donated by the Atchison Town Company. The trus- 
tees of the church at that time were : John T. Dougherty, Edwin O. CoUins, 
Archie C. Master, David F. Beagle, William A. Butler, Joseph H. Gilbert, 
Robert Hancock, Cyrus A. Comstock and Calvin W. Phelps. The church 
building was completed in April, 1859, and was fifty-eight feet long and 
thirty-two feet wide. It had a seating capacity of 350 people, and cost 
$3,075. The structure was dedicated May 8, 1859, and Rev. Hugh D. 
Fisher, the famous Fee State Methodist preacher, came up from Leaven- 
worth and assisted in the dedication. During tlie first year in the new 
church, two young men came to Atchison, who afterwards became success- 
ful and honored citizens of the town, Samuel Card and D. C. NewComb. They 
subsequently formed a partnership and conducted a drygoods store under 
the name of Gard & Newcomb, which for many years remained one of the 
leading finns of the city. Mr. Gard died many years ago, and in 1915 Mr. 
Newcomb still lives. The Methodist church, perhaps, owes more to D. C. 
Newcomb than any otlier man who was ever identified with it. His money, 
business sagacity and consecration have made possible the success of Meth- 
odism in Atchison. His motto has always been, "It is safe to do right, and 
unsafe to do wrong." 

Butcher, Auld & Dean, famous contractors of an early day, who built 
the first railroad between Atchison and St. Joseph, with their families, united 
with the Methodist church and became stanch supporters of it. J. C. Reisner, 
who came to Atchison in 1858, and his wife, Rebecca, were also prominent 
early members of the church. They built the Tremont House, which for 
a great many years was the leading hotel, located where the Burlington 
freight house now stands. Rev. Dr. Christian F. Reisner, pastor of Grace 
Church, New York City, was the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Reisner. 
The fourth session of the Kansas-Nebraska conference, which met in Omaha 
in May. 1859, returned Rev. Collins to Atchison, and during that year Mr. 
and Mrs. John M. Crowell and the McCullev brothers united with the 
church. In December, 1859, Abraham Lincoln, on his visit to Kansas, spoke 
in the little church edifice on Parallel street, reference to which has already 
been made in this history. In the fifth session of the Kansas-Nebraska con- 
ference. Rev. Milton ]\Ialien was appointed to .Atchison. It was a critical 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 247 

period in the history of the town, and the Rev. Mahen was admonished 
to be very cautious on the question of slavery, but he had courage and 
patriotism enough to order the Stars and Stripes hoisted on his church. That 
year T. B. Davis and his wife, Kathryn, came to Atchison and became use-"^ 
ful members. "Grandma" Davis is hving in 1916, and on February' 21, 1915, 
celebrated her ninetieth birthday. Owing to the great drought that visited 
Atchison in i860, the church did not prosper greatly during the period of 
Mr. Mahen's pastorate, but in the succeeding session of the Kansas confer- 
ence, which met March 21, 1861, Mr. Mahen was returned to Atchison, and 
it was during this year that a severe storm, which destroyed Sumner, wrecked 
the church building so that extensive repairs were necessary. In the seventh 
session of the Kansas conference, March, 1862, the Rev. Mr. James Shaw 
was returned to Atchison. 

W. M. Davies was the superintendent of the Sunday school, having 
been elected in 1859. In 1863 Rev. W. Marlatt was appointed for Atchison, 
and March 10, 1864, Mr. Marlatt was succeeded by Dr. W. R. Davis, who 
had been president of Baker University. Rev. Mr. Davis was retained in 
March, 1865, by the tenth session of the conference, and was succeeded by 
Rev. W. K. Marshall. Mr. Marshall was returned to Atchison in 1867, and 
in March, 1868, Rev. Hugh D. Fisher, who was known during the war as 
the "fighting chaplain," was made pastor at Atchison. He found condi- 
tions ratlier discouraging, but went to work to pav off the debts on the 
church property and repair the building. He created a great deal of interest in 
the town in religious matters, and the little church building on Parallel street 
having become too small, two lots on the corner of Fifth and Kansas avenue 
were purchased in 1870, and the basement of the present building was erected 
and dedicated by Dr. Fisher, who remained pastor of the church for three 
years. Dr. Fisher was one of the strong preachers of Kansas in that day, and ' 
a strong anti-slaver}- sympathizer. He built the church at Leavenworth in V 
1859, which was one of the famous churches of the State, and popularly 
known as the cradle of prohibition. He was in Lawrence when Ouantrell 
sacked the town, and after an eventul life as pastor, chaplain and missionary, 
Dr. Fisher died at Baldwin. Kan., October 23, 1905. 

Rev. T. J. Leak succeeded Mr. Fisher, and it was during Mr. Leak's 
pastorate that the new church was dedicated, October 26, 1873. Three 
years later the Rev. Mr. Leak was succeeded by Dr. George S. Dearborn. 
Rev. William Friend succeeded Dr. Dearborn in March, 1876, who was suc- 
ceeded by E. W. Van Deventer. Dr. Philipp Kmhn became pastor in 1882. 



248 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

He was succeeded by Rev. A. H. Tevis. Dr. J. W. Alderman came to Atchi- 
son in 1887 and remained until March, 1893, and was succeeded by Dr. E. H. 
Brumbaugh, who became pastor in March, 1893. Rev. S. V. Leach followed 
Dr. Brumbaugh in 1897, who in turn was succeeded by Rev. G. W. Grines, 
and since that time Dr. H. E. Wolf, Rev. W. T. Stott. Dr. I. B. Pulliam and 
Dr. John W. Scott filled the pulpit of the church down to the year 1914, 
when Rev. Thomas E. Chandler, who for five years previous had been super- 
intendent of the Ottawa district, became pastor of the church. Dr. Chandler 
is one of the best informed, most eloquent and beloved pastors the church 
lias ever had. He is not only popular among his own church people, but has 
made numerous friends outside his fold. In September, 191 5. through the 
efforts of Dr. Chandler, assisted by Dr. C. F. Reisner, pastor of Grace 
Church, New York City, together with C. D. \\'alker and others, $42,000 
was raised for the erection of a new church. When it is completed it will 
be one of tlie finest churcii edifices in Kansas. 

CHRISTAIN. 

The Christian church was organized in Pioneer Hall, corner of Kansas 
avenue and Fourth street, May 20, 1882, with twenty-four charter memliers. 
At the end of the first year there were fifty-five members, and in April, 1884,' 
the church was incorporated under the laws of Kansas. The first church 
edifice was located at the corner of Tenth street and Kansas avenue, and was 
dedicated May 24, 1885. at a cost of $2,604. The building was much en- 
larged during the ministry of W. H. White. In 1912. the congregation 
having outgrown its old liuilding, agitation for a new building was started, 
and a new site was selected at Seventh and Santa Fe streets, and on August 
19, 1914, a beautiful new church was dedicated, which cost $47,000. The 
church also owns a lot adjoining the church, upon which a parsonage will 
be erected. The present memljership is T.400, and the Bible school is next 
10 the largest in the State. The Sunday school is thoroughly graded, with 
eight departments, si.xty-five officers and teachers, with H. P. Armstrong, 
superintendent. The church has thirty deacons and elders. 

The records show thai as earlv as 1869 the Christian church had fol- 
lowers in this community, and among the ])astors who served in the early days 
were William C. Rodgers, James K. Gaston and C. C. Band. The early 
congregation went so far as to purchase a lot at the corner of Seventh and 
Santa l-'e streets, opposite the present new edifice, and a t'oundation was laid 
for a l)uilding. but the plan had to lie abandoned because of lack of fluids. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



249 



Miss Etta Beason, of Atchison, and T. D. McCleery, of Effingham, 
are tlie two surviving charter members. 

The names of the pastors who ha\'e served the church since 1882 are 
as follows: Rl. P. Hayden, W. S. Priest. J. S. Myers, Rev. Cox, W. H. 




White Tein|ile ChriKtiaii Church. Aicliisuii, Kan. 

White, Lowell McPherson. Rev. Ingram. M. E. Harlan, E. L. Ely, W. T. 
! niton, Z. E. Bates. Tlie present pastor of the church is Rev. Jesse M. 
Bader, one of the most popular, aggressive and conscientious ministers in 
.Atchison. 

PRESBYTERIAN. 



The First Presliyterian Cliurch was organized October 21, 1858, by a 
committee from tlie Presli\tery nf Highland, Rcw Alexander W. I'ilzer, of 
Leavenworth, chairman. The number of persons entering into the organiza- 
tion on that day was eight. Their names were as follows: William M. 
Davies, Mary Davies, George f>. Trwin. Rebecca Irwin, .\nnie Love, .Andrew 
Hamilton, Maximilla Ireland ;nid Ivlward Hair. 'i1ic following persons 



250 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



have served the church as ministers: Rev. Juhus Spencer, from April, 1858, 
for about eighteen months: Rev. H. H. Dobbins, for seven months, from 
September, 1863; Rev. T. P. Lemis commenced his labors in April, 1865, 
and continued with the church until February, 1868; Rev. Edward Cooper 
had charge of the churcii from December, 1868, until December, 1875; Rev. 
J. H. Clark officiated as pastor from March, 1876, until June, 1878; Rev. 
M. L. Howie began his labors in November, 1878, and continued with the 




Presbyterian Church at Atchison, Kan. 

church until November, 1882: he died in Chicago in .'Xugust, 1013: Rev. D. 
C. Miiner began his work in December, 1882, and continued with tlic church 
until Septeml)er 23, 1887; Rev. M. L. Ilowic (second term), November 11, 
1887, to 1897; Rev. J. D. Countermine, from 1897 to 1899: Rev. B. F. Boyle 
came February 25, 1900, and continued as pastor until in tlie fall of 1911. 
Rev. W. I. Alexander came in November, 191 1, and continued his labors 
until September, 1914. Rev. W. C. Tsett was called in September. 1015. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 25 1 

For some months after its organization the church had no regular min- 
ister and services \\f«re held in a store room, hall and private residences. For 
a time the church held meetings in Bang's Hall on Commercial street, and 
in Price's Hall, on the corner of Fourth and Main streets. During the pas- 
torate of Rev. Lewis, the building on Fourth street, between Commercial and 
Main streets, known as "the Presbyterian hall," was erected, and the con- 
gregation commenced using it as a place of worship in 1865. The congre- 
gation began the erection of the present church building in 1880. The cor- 
ner stone was laid on September 15 of that year. About the time of begin- 
ning the building, Mrs. S. Donald, Mrs. Judge Berry, Mrs. C. A. Stuart and 
Mrs. A. J. North canvassed the city and secured large subscriptions to the 
building fund. The building committee consisted of A. W. Simpson, A. F. 
Martin and J. M. Covert. The elders in 1880 were as follows : A. B. Mc- 
Queen, A. J. North, J. M. Covert, J. W. Allen, J. S. Trimble, and Harry 
Harkness. The deacons in the same year were as follows : B. F. Hudson, J. 
Edward Lewis, S. D. D. Smith and D. M. Wynkoop. The trustees were 
as follows : B. F. Hudson, president ; A. F. Martin, secretary ; David Lukens, 
treasurer; E. K. Blair, R. B. Drury, A. W. Simpson, S. D. D. Smith. Offi- 
cers of the Sunday school were as follows : A. F. Martin, superintendent ; 
J. M. Covert, assistant superintendent, and J. E. Lewis, secretary and treas- 
urer. Officers of the Ladies' Aid Society were as follows : Mrs. A. J. North, 
president ; Mrs. W. C. North, secretary ; Mrs. E. K. Blair, treasurer. Young 
Ladies' Society: Miss May Seaton, president; Miss Tola Thomas, secretary; 
Miss Nellie George, treasurer. In the year 1858 the persons active in the 
church at that time were : Mrs. Thomas Seip, Mr. and Mrs. William Davis, 
Mr. and Mrs. A. B. McQueen. The first deaconesses were: Mrs. C. J. Par- 
menter and Miss Anna J. North, ordained in 1888. 

BAl'TIST. 

The First Baptist Church of Atchison was organized in 1858, in Allen's 
Hall, on the northwest corner of Second and Commercial streets. At the 
time of the organization there were but nine members, of whom three are 
still living and members of the church, though non-resident : Mrs. L. A. 
Alderson, Mrs. Aaron Stephenson and Mrs. Mary A. Challiss. Dr. W. L. 
Challiss was soon added to the membership. The lots on the corner of Ninth 
street and Kansas avenue were donated by Luther C. Challiss, and a Iiouse 



252 HISTORY OF ATCHISOX COUNTY 

of worship was erected upon it. and 'this location lias l)een the home of the 
church ever since. 

Rev. L. A. Alderson was the first pastor of the church, and he served 
faithfully three years without salarj'. Then followed Rev. Dr. Perkins from 
New Jersey, and Rev. Frank Remington. 

Just at this time the troubles of the war came on and very little could 
be accomplished. Rev. J. W. Warder became pastor in 1866 and the church 
grew strong under his ministry. Rev. H. A. Guild successfully served the 
church for a time in 1868. Rev. J. Sawyer accepted the pastorate, and then 
Rev. E. Gunn. 

Rev. J. W. Luke was pastor directly before Rev. Alulford. He bap- 
tized some of our best workers and did excellent and permanent work for 
the church. 

The twenty-fifth anniversary was fittingly celebrated at the home of 
Mrs. John M. Price, and a silver offering was received toward a new build- 
ing which came soon after, under the pastorate of Rev. J. B. Mulford. who 
was called to his reward from here. 

Rev. D. D. Proper followed and Rev. E. P. Brand and Rev. G. W. 
Rogers, all of whom served the church under great difficulties. There was 
a heavy debt left upon the new building, which was drawing a high rate of 
interest, and the constant calls for money which was paid with apparently no 
returns, discouraged the membership. Still, the pastors resolutely worked 
at the great task. Rev. G. W. Rogers undertook to raise $5,000 of the 
mortgage, and B. P. Waggener, who had always been a generous contribu- 
tor, gave $2,000, and made a liberal loan tesides. Not long after Rev. Rog- 
ers was called to another field, and again the church had a pastorless period, 
but greatly enjoyed the ministrations of the late Dr. Murphy. l\e\'. J. R. 
Comer was called to the pastorate June i, 1895, and faithfully served the 
church twelve years. Much of the money pledged during Dr. Rogers' pas- 
torate was paid in or collected while Rev. J. R. Comer was pastor. Then 
the remaining $1,500 mortgage and all other debts were bravely taken up 
and paid, and the church celebrated its victory in burning the mortgage and 
a general rejoicing, and also a firm determination ne\er to go deeply in debt 
again. 

During the present pastorate of more than eight years the church has 
strictly followed this rule, but this has not prevented some large purchases. 
In 1909 the church purchased and placed a new ])ipe organ at a cost of $4,500, 
and two years later purchased the property adjoining the church on the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 253 

west for the accommodation of the g^rowing Sunday school. This was done 
at a cost of $5,500 for property and furniture, and the money was raised at 
a Sunday morning service. It is in the minds of many of the members of 
the cliurch tliat in the near future there must be a new cliurch building, and 
to that end over $6,000 has been accumulated and is being- held for the time 
when the membersiiip of the church shall be ready to erect a structure that 
shall be worthy of the city and an honor to God. 

The work of tlie church has grown and developed and every depart- 
ment has accepted a larger share in work, local and world-wide. Last year 
the church contributed over $1,200 for missionary and benevolent work, be- 
sides some gifts which did not pass through the church treasury. 

The church stands for a strong and helpful and constructive religious 
work, and a faithful adherence to the teachings of the Bible, and a loyalty 
to the Lord.ship of Christ. The present pastor is Rev. A. J. Haggett, who 
has served his congregation long and well. 

S.\LEM CHURCH. 

The Evangelical Association located a mission m .Vtcliison in iSSj, with 
Rev. C. Brandt as the first missionary. A number of German families were 
gathered and signified their willingness to effect a church organization. Ac- 
cordingly, a hall was rented at 614 Commercial street and services held. In 
1884 the organization numbered forty-seven nicml)ers, and the Kansas con- 
ference of the Evangelical Association at its annual session in 1884 decided 
to build a church at this time. Rev. Daniel R. Zellner was appointed pas- 
tor, and Rev. John Wuerth, presiding elder of the Holton district. During 
the pastorate of Rev. D. R. Zellner in 1S84 the clun-cli was built at 522 .\tch- 
ison street, and dedicated by Rev. John Wuerth, presiding elder, as the Salem 
church of the Evangelical Association, and ser\'ice has continued uninter- 
ruptedly e\er since. Following are the ministers who served consecutively 
as pastors : Rev. C. Brandt, D. R. Zellner, C. Brant, second pastorate ; C. F. 
Erffmeyer, Samuel Mueller, Jacob Schmidle, John Wuerth, C. F. Iwig, Peter 
Scheumann, D. R. Zellner, third pastorate ; Charles Linge, E. E. Erf fmever, 
D. R. Zellner, fourth pastorate, L. M. Nanninga, J. M. Fricker, Samuel 
Breithaupt, present pastor (1916). 

The following served as presiding elders during the past thirty-four 
years: John Wuerth, Henry Mattill, J. F. Schreiber, Alliert Brunner, C. F. 
Erffmeyer, Wl. F. Wothensen and C. F. Iwig. The Evangelical Association 



254 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

was organized as a denomination in 1800, with Jacob Allbright as its founder. 

Originally, the language used was German, but in the past half cen- 
tury the German language was rapidly superseded by the English language. 
At this time there are very few congregations in the denomination that wor- 
ship in the German language exclusively. The sendees in the Evangelical 
church in this city for the past few years are conducted in English. 

This society maintains a well organized Sunday school, with weekly 
sessions every Sunday at 10 o'clock a. m. G. W. Bradley is superintendent; 
a Young People's Alliance, E. B. Breithaupt, president, and a Woman's 
Missionary Society, Mrs. Samuel Breithaupt, president. This organization 
maintains free pews and extends an invitation to strangers when in the city 
to worship with them. 

GERMAN EVANGELICAL ZION CHURCH. 

In the summer of 1893 a number of men, among them Rev. Nestel, of 
St. Joseph, Mo., who had received a special invitation, met at the home of 
August Manglesdorf, Sr., and organized a German Evangelical congregation. 
It was decided to have services in Odd Fellows hall. Rev. Nestel came over 
from St. Joe from time to time and conducted the services. In Januar}', 1894, 
Rev. C. Stork, of Concordia, Mo., took charge of the congregation as their 
first own pastor. In 1894 two lots of land, at the northwest corner of Ninth 
and Santa Fe streets, were bought, upon which the church was built. In 
1895 the congregation became a member of the German Evangelical Synod 
of North America. In the same year the parsonage was erected, and in 1908 
a school building was added to the church. Besides Rev. Stork, the following 
ministers served the congregation: H. Limper. 1897 to 1901 ; C. Bechtold, 
1901 to 1905; P. Stoerker, from 1905 to 1909, and Emil Vogt, the present 
pastor. Besides the annual donations for their own church, the members 
have spent $2,000 for home and foreign missions. The church has a Sun- 
day school, a teachers' training course, a choir, a Young People's Society, 
and a Ladies' Aid Society. 

FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST. 

Mrs. Henrietta E. Graybill, of Ad^ilwaukee, might properly be called the 
founder of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Atchison. She was the 
original first reader when she came to Atchison from Kansas City in 1894. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



= D0 



In March, 1895, she began a class in instruction at tlie Byram Hotel. This 
was the beginning of the local church. On September 7, 1895, the followers 
met in temporary quarters in the Ingalls' building, at Seventh and Com- 
mercial streets, seven being present. The church was organized April 9, 
1895, ^^''th seven charter members. The first testimonial meeting was held 
January 3, 1896, and January 15, 1896, the first Sunday school was organ- 
ized, with seven children m attendance. Before the end of 1896 the church 
was moved to more commodious quarters, at the southeast corner of Fourth 
and Commercial streets. These quarters were soon outgrown, and in March, 




First Church of Christ Scientist , Atchison, Kan. 



1897, the German Methodist church at Ninth and Santa Fe streets was pur- 
chased and the first services held there were on July 4, 1897, This church 
was dedicated in April, 1900, by Mrs. G. W. Pennell, who had become first 
reader, and from the start had been a constant and enthusiastic worker. 
Ten years later, March 28, 1910, lots at the northwest corner of Fourth and 
Santa Fe streets were purchased, as a site for the permanent church. Land 
was secured and the foundation started September 11, 1911 ; corner stone 



256 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

was laid July 7, 1912, and first services held in the Sunday school room May 
25, 1913. First services were held in the auditorium September 7, 1913, and 
the church dedicated October 19, 1913. Among the permanent members of 
the church are Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Pennell. !\lr. and Mrs. James W. Orr, 
L. H. Munson, Miss N. S. Donald and Miss Emma Maage. the first reader, 
and D. W. Rowe. 

The present churcii edifice was erected largely through the liberality of 
Mr. Pennell. at a cost of $50,000, and is pronounced an architectural gem. 

ST. p.\trick's, jit. ple.\sant. 

St. Patrick's congregation, near Mt. Pleasant, was founded in the early 
fall of 1857. by the Rev. Father Augustine W'irth, O. S. B. He came from 
Doniphan, Kan., over the prairies and through dense timber on foot, not hav- 
ing the means to l:)uy a liorse or secure any kind of a conveyance, in the sum- 
mer of 1857. The Benedictine Fathers had been sent west by an American 
founder, Rt. Rev. Boniface W'immer, O. S. B., to establish a priory in the 
eastern part of Kansas. They settled in the hills of Doniphan, and from 
this county they founded and attended missions in Atchison, Brown, Nemaha 
and Jefferson counties. Among the first parishes established by these priests 
was one near Mt. Pleasant. Mt. Pleasant at that time was quite a commercial 
center, owing largely to the overland freighting outfits that passed through 
there on their way to Denver and the Pacific coast. Patrick Durkin, who is 
a resident of \\"alnut township in 1916, and the late John Delaney were 
teamsters on this route, and had many interesting experiences and struggles 
with Indians and Jayhawkers. Following the first visit of Father Augustine, 
after he had told the few Catholic settlers how he had traveled on foot from 
Donijilian. a small congregation collected enough money to pay for a horse, 
saddle and bridle, and presented it to him. 

Father Augustine attended to the spiritual demands of thr early Cath- 
olic settlers in the Mt. Pleasant district about once a month during the period 
of his services there. There was no church edifice during that period, and 
divine services were held in the humble log cabins of the Catholic settlers, 
usually at the homes of John Knowlcs, Owen Grady. Ned Cotter, Bernard 
Lee and James McArdle. Mary Honorah Clare was the first child Ixip- 
tized at St. Patrick's parish, September 28, 1857. The first marriage was 
that of James Barry to Catherine Hennesy, May 9, 1857, at the home of Ed- 
ward Cotter. The ceremony was conducted by Rev. .Augustine W'irth. In 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



-0/ 



tlie fall of 1857 the first church was built, which was a small affair, con- 
structed out of native timber. It was poorly constructed and was of short 
duration, as it was blown down b_\' a strong wind one cold winter day, and 
wrecked beyond repair. Following the destruction of the first church, the 
members concluded to build a more substantial edifice of stone, and in the 
spring of 1866 the walls were built. The stone work was done bv the late 
Nicholas Greiner, a German stone mason, who came to Sumner in the late 
fifties, and subsequently died, one of the wealthiest farmers of Walnut town- 
ship. The church was dedicated December 8, 1866. 

In addition to the church proper, the Catholic settlers of Walnut town- 
ship, near Mt. Pleasant. ha\e also erected a commodious parish house for 
their priest, and a hall for public meetings. 

The following is a list of the priests in charge of St. Patrick's Church 
since it was established : 

Irregular pastors. — Rev. Augustine Wirth, O. S. B., Septeinber, 1857, to 
November, 1859: died, December 20, 1901. Rev. Edmund Langenfelder, 
O. S. B., November, 1857, to December, i860: died, April 18, 1885. Rev. 
Philip Vogt, O. S. B., February, i860, to January, 1861 ; date of death not 
known. Rev. Emanuel Hartig, O. S. B., December, i860, to June, 1861 : 
died, September i, 1910. Rev. Thomas Bartel, O. S. B., April, 1862, to 
August, 1867; died, November 30, 1885. 

Regular pastors. — Rev. Timothy Luljer, O. S. B., January, 1864, to 
March, 1871. Rev. Placidus McKeever, O. S. B., March, 1871, to August, 
1873: died, September 22. 1896. Rev. Maurice Lynch, O. S. B., August, 
1873, to -August, 1875: died. December 13, 1887. Rev. Eugene Bode, O. S. 
B., August, 1875, to A])ril. 1880. Rev. Raymond Danial, O. S. B., .April. 
1880, to September, 1880: died, September 25, 1910. Rev. Peter Kas.sens, 
O. S B., September, 1880, to April, 1S81. Rev. .Adolph We.s.seling, O. S. B.. 
April, 1881, to April, 1883; died, September 24, 1891. Rev. Urban Tracv, 
O. S. B., .April, 1883, to .April, 1885: died, May 13, 1915. Rev. Timothy 
Luber, O. S. P... Ajiril, 1883. to AprW, 1890; died, March 29, 1901. Rev. 
Augustine Baker, O. S. B., .\pril, 1890, to December, 1893; died. June 23, 
1909. Rev. Thomas Burk. O. S. B., December, 1893, to December, 1897. 
Rev. Columban Meaney, O. S. B., December, 1897, to December, 1910: died. 
January 8, 1911. Rev. Ignatius Stein, O. S. B., January, 191 1. to September, 
1912. Rev. Lawrence Theis, O. S. B., September, 1912, to September, 1913 
Rev. Robert Salmon, O. S. B., September, 1913, to September, 1914. Rev 
Lawrence Theis, O. S. P.., Septeml)er, i(ji4: still in charge ( 1916). 

17 



2!;8 IlISiOKV Ol- ATCHISON COUNTY 



TRINITY CHURCH, EPISCOPAL. 



This church was organized November 3. 1857, as St. Mary Magdalene's 
Church, by Rev. Lewis R. Staudenmayer, John H. Stringfellow, Joseph P. 
Carr, G. \\'. Bowman, William O. Gould, John M. Maury, James W. String- 
fellow and Daniel Adams. The Rev. L. R. Staudenmayer, a German, of 
middle age, was the first pastor, and the first property owned by the parish 
was at the northeast corner of Kansas avenue and Ninth street, where a 
small rectory was built in 1859. The first vestry was as follow- s : Richard 
C. Mackall, A. Hanson W'eightman, James L. McClure, Philipp Link, John 
M. Maury and Joseph P. Carr, and in October, 1859, a committee from the 
vestry was authorized to procure estinjates for building a church on its prop- 
erty upon Kansas a\enue at a cost of $1,500. The foundation for this edi- 
fice was laid and some money expended, but the resignation of Mr. Stauden- 
mayer in January, i860, and his removal from the city, brought to a stand- 
still the construction of the edifice. The court house and Price's Hall were 
used as places of worship for ten years. The Rev. Faber Byllsby succeeded 
Mr. Staudenmayer, and in 1863 the Rev. John E. Ryan succeeded Mr. Bylls- 
by. After Mr. Ryan's resignation, in September, 1864, Bishop Thomas H. 
Vail was made rector of the church, and notwithstanding the manifold duties 
which pressed upon him as bishop of the diocese, he gave much of his time 
to his work here, with the assistance of his son-in-law, Rev. John Bakewell. 
who proved to be a ver\- successful rector. It was during his rectorship that 
agitation for a new church building was started, and due to the efforts of 
Mr. Bakewell, Col. William Osborne, Richard A. Park, Judge Otis and E. S. 
Wills, the present church edifice at the corner of Utah avenue and Fifth 
street was erected, at a cost of $20,000. It is built of stone, in the early Eng- 
lish style of Gothic architecture, slate roof and interior finished in black 
walnut and pine, and stands today one of the ornaments of Atchison. In 
1871 Mr. Bakewell resigned and was succeeded by Rev. P. Nelson Meade in 
January, 1872, and continued in charge until April, 1874, when he was suc- 
ceeded by the Rev. Thomas G. Garver, who resigned in September, 1875. 
Rev. Frank O. Osborne liecame rector in February, 1876, and was succeeded 
by Rev. .\l)iel Leonard. Rev. M. Leonard found a congregation of 150 com- 
municants, who in May, 1882, erected a two-story brick rectory on T street 
for him. It was during the Rev. Mr. Leonard's rectorship that St. Andrew's 
Mission, on west Commercial street, was built. Mr. Leonard was succeeded 
by the Rev. Francis K. Brooke, who in turn was succeeded by the Rev. John 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 259 

Henry Hopkins, who built a parish house adjoining the church, wliich was 
opened for use in 1905. Upon the resignation of Mr. Hopkins, Rev. John 
E. Sulger became rector, but he remained only a short time, and was suc- 
ceeded by the Rev. John Henry Molineux. Rev. William R. Cross suc- 
ceeded Mr. Molineux, and then came the Rev. Francis S. White, who re- 
mained in the parish until 1911, and was succeeded by the Rev. Otis E. Gray. 
The present vestry of the church is composed as follows : E. A. Mize, 
senior warden: Dr. W. G. Beitzel, junior warden and clerk, and W. W. 
' Hetherington, T. L. Lawrence, Clyde Hastings, J. W. Barlow, W. J. Brown- 
son, Henry Diegel and Sheffield Ingalls. 

ST. M.\RK's ENGLISH LUTHERAN. 

The history of English Lutheranism in Atchison is interesting. The 
work of establishing St. Mark's was fraught with hardship and discourage- 
ment. Several of the early efforts failed. But the battle was renewed and 
success at last achieved. Early in 1867 J. H. Talbott, through the Lutheran 
Observer, called attention to Atchison as a point for a Lutheran mission. By 
correspondence he secured tlie interest of Rev. Morris Officer, then secretary 
of the general synod's home mission board. At the convention of the gen- 
eral synod at Harrisburg, Pa., in 1868, the Rev. Officer persuaded the Rev. 
M. G. Boyer, then pastor at Marklesburg, Pa., to become a missionary to 
Atchison. Rev. Bover and his young wife arrived here June 30, that year. 
Price's Hall, South Fourth street, between Main and Commercial, was rented 
and fitted up as a meeting place. Services were begun and a Sunday school 
organized. On September 20, 1868, the congregation was organized with 
twenty-five members. The first church council consisted of C. Weber and 
H. Gehrett, elders ; J. H. Talbott, J. Beamer, H. Snyder and F. Brcndt, 
deacons. 

In the spring of 1869 the board of church extension granted the con- 
gregation a loan of $500, which amount was invested in the purchase of an 
excellent lot on Kansas avenue.' There were bright hopes of having a chapel 
soon, but these hopes were scattered when an aged minister advised delay 
on account of the financial stringency of the times, and the numerical weak- 
ness of the church. Among the members at this time was the Rev. A. W. 
Wagnalls, afterward one of the founders of the publishing house of Funk & 
Wagnalls, New York City. While here he was in the real estate business. 
At his suggestion the congregation purchased a fifteen acre tract adjoining 



26o HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

tlie city of Atchison on tlie nortliwest, which section was platted and offered 
for sale with the hope of makings enough profit to erect a church building. 
"In this the Lutherans were disappointed," says the historian, "for they sold 
only enough lots to pay for the land." 

.After that venture the congregation used the Congregational church 
building. About that time many English Lutherans left the city. Rev. 
Boyer resigned at the end of the year 1869, and for ten years the church was 
without a pastor. The Rev. Wagnalls supplied the pulpit now and then until 
his removal in 1876, but finally the congregation dislranded. The lots belong- 
ing to the church were sold for taxes, but were redeemed at the eleventh 
lidur through Mr. Talbott's efforts, and deeded to the board of clunxh 
extension. 

Li 1880 the Rev. \V. L Cutter, a returned missionary to India, with the 
assistance of Rev. David Earhart and his daughter, Mrs. H. E. Monroe, 
gathered the English Lutherans together again. Mrs. Monroe was then con- 
ducting a private school known as the "Atchison Institute," and she offered 
her school room as a place of worship. On the eighth of August the congre- 
gation was re-organized and the following officers elected: Elders, J. H. 
Berlin, W. H. Kuhns and X. D. Kistler; deacons, J- L. Heisey, E. D. Kistler, 
and John Fusselman; trustees. J. H. Talbott, W. H. Smith and S. J. Clark. 
Rev. Cutter served as pastor two years. During part of this time aid was 
received from the Home Mission Board. In 1882 this aid was withdrawn 
and Rev. Cutter resigned. 

Xot vmtil 1884 did the second organization flourish. In November of 
that year the Rev. George S. Diven was commissioned to come to .Atchison 
and revive the mission. New interest was taken and the rejux'enated con- 
gregation held its first service in the home of Henry Snell at 921 South Sev- 
enth street. The Odd Fellows' hall was then secured as a place of worship 
and a Sunday school was organized. Under the leadership of Pastor Diven 
this school is said to have quicklv become the largest in the city. Tliat year 
the pastor reported sixty members. 

Atchison's boom season occurred during Rev, Diven's pastorate, and 
everything was rushed along at a tremendous pace. The movement for a 
Lutheran college for Atchison started at this time. The location of Midland 
College here was largely due to the efforts of Rev. Diven and his congrega- 
tion, supported by the public spirited citizens of the city. In Februarj', 1885, 
the church was incorporated as St. Mark's English Lutheran Church. Rev. 
Diven resigned in 1887 and was succeeded by the Rev. \V. F. Rentz, in .\pril. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 261 

1888. Rev. Rentz set to work at once to secure a lot and erect a church 
building. The present location, corner of Sixth and Park streets, was pur- 
chased for $5,000. The southern vnd of the lot with the dwelling on it ( now 
the Keith home), was sold to the pastor for $1,750. The chapel (now the 
Sunday school room) was erected in 1888, the cornerstone Ijeing laid August 
19, and the church dedicated December 16. The building and equipment cost 
$4,010. Pastor Rentz served nine years, resigning in May, 1897. 

The Rev. L. S. Keyser, now professor of dogmatics in Hamma Divinity 
Scliool, Wittenberg College, became pastor November 7, 1897, a"d served 
most acceptably until April 7, 1903. During his pastorate the church became 
self-supporting, after receiving aid for fifteen years from the Home Alission 
Board. The Rev. R. W. Hufford, D. D., served as pastor from January 9, 
1904. to November 27, 1904. After a vacancy of nine months the Rev. A. E. 
Renn became pastor August 18, 1905. 

The outstanding achievement of Re\-. Renn's pastorate was the erection 
of the present church building. The movement began October 21. 1907. 
Plans were adopted March 17. 1908, and the building committee ordered to 
proceed. The cornerstone was laid during the summer following. The 
building was erected under the supervision of A. B. Zimmerman, contractor, 
and cost, including organ and furnishings, about $14,000, a marvel of churcli 
financing. The opening service was held May 23, 1909, and marked an 
epocli in Kansas Lutheranism. During this pastorate the congregation 
."dopted tile historic Lutheran vestments for pastor and choir, and advanced 
in chinxhly worship. Rev. Renn resigned September i, 191 1. 

The Rev. How-ard C. Garvic was installed pastor the first Sunda_\- in 
March. 1912. No pastor of St. Mark's sui-passed him in zeal and energy for 
the upbuilding of the Lord's kingdom. Day and night he labored in per- 
sonal appeal and in teaching classes of adults and children. Li a little more 
than two years 175 names were added to the church roll, constituting the 
largest growtli of any pastorate. The death of the pastor in the prime of 
manhood in March, 1915. produced a profound impression upon St. Mark's 
and the city of Atchison. The Rev. Robert L. Patterson, D. D.. liecame 
pastor October 17, 191 5. 

ST. Benedict's .\bbev. 

St. Benedict's Abbey, church and college, are conducted by the Bene- 
dictine Fathers. The first Benedictine father that came to Kansas was Henry', 
Lemke, O. S. B.. who arrived in Doniphan in 1855, where he laid the tounda- 



262 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

tion of a monastery. He was shortly followed to Kansas by a number of 
brother workers, who were sent here by Father Boniface W'immer, O. S. B.. 
who founded the monaster}' of St. Vincent's, in Westmoreland county, Penn- 
sylvania. They immediately opened a Latin school with a few pupils, but 
Veni- Rev. Augustine Wirtii, O. S. B., soon discovered that Atchison would 
surpass Doniphan, and on this account the Catholic brothers transferred their 
home to Atchison in about 1859. The Rev. Augustine Wirth. O. S. B., came 
to .Atchison from Doniphan once a month to hold religious services, which 
were conducted in the home of Charles Burnes, located on the southwest cor- 
ner of Second and L streets. Tlie following year Father Augustine built a 
frame parish church in which services were held for the first time 
on Christmas day. In this rude structure the faithful worshipped until about 
1865, when the parish, having increased to such number, it became necessary 
to build a larger church. Under the aggressi\e leadersliip of Father Augus- 
tine, the parishioners concluded to invest in this structure $25,000. Francis 
George Himpler, now living in New York, and for many years a partner of 
the late J- P. Brown, was employed as architect. The work was pushed for- 
ward and instead of the proposed church, a magnificent Basilica was con- 
ceived, and the construction of it was carried forward with great earnestness. 
The foundation was completed in 1866. and the cornerstone was laid in 
Octol^er. The Rev. John Hennessy. O. S. B., who later was archbishop of 
Dubuque, and one of the most eloquent orators of the church, delivered the 
dedication sermon. To obtain brick for the church walls. Father Augustine 
bought expensive machinery, and, under the supervision of the late Peter 
Bless, started a brickyard in East Atchison, but the undertaking proved a 
failure, as the bricks were not servicable for the church. Instead of using 
them in the construction of the churcli they were used to build several cot- 
ta.ges and store buildings in tlie immediate neigliborhnnd and, later on, when 
suitable bricks were obtained, the work on the church was continued, and by 
the summer of 1868 the walls were finished to the window sills. 

Father Au.giistine resigned June 18. 1868. and went to ^Minnesota, and 
subsequently died while pa.stor at Melrose in that State, Deceml^er 19, 1901, 
at the age of seventy-tliree years. He was succeeded by the Very Rev. 
Louis ^fary Fink, O. S. B.. July. 1868, and it was during his pastorate that 
the church was solemnly dedicated Trinity Sunday. 1869, but it was not 
completed at that time. and. in fact was not completed for many years there- 
after. The church is built in Roman style and is 152 feet long and fifty- 
six feet wide. Father Louis was succeeded liy tlic \>ry Rev. Giles Christoph, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



263 




St. Benedict's; Abbey, Atchison, Kan 



O. S. B., who was appointed jji-inr in July, 1871. In January, 1S75, Very 
Rev. Ouswalfl Moosennieller, O. S. 1'.., became i)ri(ir. Under his direction 
the church flourished and he is particularly remembered for his exertions in 
founding- and building- u]) a goixl library for the cliin-ch and sclmnl. The 
members oi the church had grown sufficiently large, so that the |)riory was 
promoted to an abljey April 7, 1S77, and on Septenil)cr 29 of that year Rev. 
Innocent Wolf, O. S. B., was elected abbot, and still retains bis place ( i()i6). 
loved by all. Rev. Innocent Wolf's election as abbot was celebrated with 
anpropriate ceremonies, and the Very Rev. Boniface X'erbeyen, O. .S. B., was 
appointed pastor, and at that time the status of the bouse was as follows: 
Rt. Rev. Innocent Wolf. O. S. B.. abbot: \'ery Uvv. lioniface X'erheyen, 
O. S. B., prior; Very Rev. I'irmin Kaumly, O. .S. 1',., prior of St. Benedict's; 
Rev. Augustine \\'irth. O. S. B., Kmanuel Horlig, O. S. !'... Rev. Timothy 
Litber, O. S. T... Rev. Peter Kassens, O. S. B.. Rev. Eugene Bode, (). S. B., 
Rev. Adolpb Wessebng. (), .S. I',,, Re\'. In-rdinand Wolf. O^ S. I',.. Re\-. W'in- 



fried .Schnndt, (). .S. I',.. Re\ . lobn .Slcodcr. (). .S. 



and 



.Mrillhew 



264 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 




Kt. Rrv. Iniuwiit Wolf. I). S. li., 
President St. Beiicdict's College, Atchison, Kan. 

P.radley, O. S. 11. Besides these there were four ];riests from St. N'incent's, 
Pa., who acted as assistants, whose names were Rev. .\ni1)rose Huclmer. O. S. 
B., Rev. Casimir Elsesser, O. S. B.. l-iev. Tlieodore .Scliniilt. O. S. B.. and Rev. 
Anslem Soehiiler, O. S. B. Tliere were seven clerics, ten lay brothers, five 
candidates and ten scholastics. Rev. Charles Sloekle. O. S. B., succeeded 
Father Adolph as pastor of St. Benedict's Chuvcli in 1890, and remained pas- 
tor until 1898, when he was succceilcd 1 \ i\e\ . Lonjjinus Xew. O. S. B.. who 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 265 

was one of the most beloved and acti\e pastors of the church. He was a priest 
burning with zeal and he delighted in preaching. He was a powerful speaker, 
and his sermons were always well prepared and written out. He had a strong 
voice ; used plain and simple language, and spoke with such zeal and sincerity 
that he left a lasting impression on all of his hearers. His health failed him, 
however, and he was compelled to seek a southern climate, and died in a hos- 
pital at Birmingham, Ala.. March 2, 1899, aged fifty-three years, and in the 
twenty-eighth year of his priesthood. He was succeeded' by Rev. Girard 
Hemz, O. S. B., who was appointed to take his place Januar\- i. i8()q, and 
Facher Girard remains the pastor of the church in 1916. 

FIRST GERM.\N EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH. 

This church was_organized in 1866 by Rev_^C-F:-fci€be, home mission- 
ary of the Evangelical Lutheran synod of Missouri, Kansas, Ohio, and other 
states. The first regular minister was Rev. Mr. Menge, who was installed in 
1S67. Rev. G. Landgraf succeeded Mr. Menge in December and was in- 
stalled the first day of that month. The church Ijuilding at the corner of 
Tenth and Commercial streets was dedicated at the same time. In 1869 a 
parsonage, adjoining the church, was erected, and the following year C. Jan- 
zow, of Weston, Mo., succeeded Mr. Landgraf, who in turn was followed 
by Rev. C. Hartman, who died in the fall of 1872. and after which the call 
was extended to Rev. W: Zschoche, of Miami county, Kansas. Under the 
pastorate of Rev. Mr. Zschoche the congregation increased to a membership 
of 130, and a day school was conducted in connection with the church by 
Mr. Zschoche until 1881. 

Rev. C. Vedder succeeded Rev. Zschoche, who in turn was succeeded by 
Rev. Theodore Bundenthal, whose untimely death in the latter part of 1915 
deprived the church and its congregation of one of the best ministers it ever 
had. Mr. Bundenthal was succeeded by Rev. Frederic Xiedncr, who is in 
charge of the church in 1916. The present church building at the corner of 
Eighth and Laramie streets was Ijuilt in 1889. There are 500 communi- 
cants and the cluirch is affiliated with the Missouri synod. 

In addition to the churches already enumerated, there are several neo-ro 
churches, of which the Ebenezer Baptist Church, organized in 1867, and the 
African Methodist Episcopal Church, organized in the summer of 1868, are 
the most pronn'ncnt. Tlierc are also several other denominations represented 
in Atchison, including the Latter Day Saints, and the Holy Rollers. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 



FIRST SCHOOLS, PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

EARLY SCHOOLS AND PIONEER TEACHERS DISTRICT SCHOOLS STATIS- 
TICS MANUAL TRAINING ATCHISON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL COUNTY 

SUPERINTENDENTS OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION ATCHISON CITY SCHOOLS 

PRIVATE SCHOOLS— MT. ST. SCHOLASTICA's ACADEMY PAROCHIAL 

SCHOOLS MIDLAND COLLEGE AND WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 

ST. benedict's COLLEGE. 

Durinof the turmoil and confusion that accompanied the movement of 
population into Atchison when the town and county were orjjanized, the 
question of schools appeared to be a secondary one. It was not until the 
bitter days of 1854, 1855 and 1856 had passed that the attention of the people 
was directed to this important question. The first schools in Atchison were 
private institutions, and a number of them flourished until after the beginning 
of the Civil war. Among- those which were first in the educational field here 
was the Baptist Seminary, at the northeast corner of Elexenth and Santa Fe 
streets. It was a school for young women and was conducted by Mr. Stork. 
Later Mrs. Lizzie Abbott, who afterwards became the wife of Judge Cassius 
G. Foster, conducted a young ladies' school at the northeast comer of Sixth 
and Laramie streets, and in the eighties Miss Mary Teasdale conducted a 
private school at the same place. Miss Lizzie^ay, the daughter of Hugh 
Bay, a prosperous farmer living southwest of Atchison, was als o activ e in 
early day educational affairs, and so was Mrs. Amanda Blair, at that time 
Miss Amanda Meeker, who is a resident of Atchison in 1916. Mrs. Blair was 
the first teacher in Atchison county. While there was no activity in educa- 
tional affairs during the period just mentioned, the first Territorial legisla- 
ture did, in fact, pass a law in the summer of 1855 providing for the estalilish- 

266 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 26/ 

ment of common schools, but the history of the Atchison county school system 
did not begin until 1858. The city of Atchison, District Number i, was 
organized August 5, 1858. On September 13th of that year a meeting was' 
held in the law office of Franklin B. Adams, and the following school offi- 
cers were elected: James A. Coulter, director; Dr. William Grimes, treasurer, 
and Franklin G. Adams, clerk. O. F. Short was the other member. Phillip 

D. Plattenburg, who had previously served as county superintendent of Ful-^ 
ton county, Illinois, was elected principal of the schools and Mrs. Blair his 
assistant. School was opened the first week in November, in two rooms 
over Bury's Grocery Store, on the corner of Fourth and Commercial streets, 
where the Y. M. C. A. building now stands. The next year the corps of 
teachers had increased to four, and Miss Lizzie Bay and Miss Melissa Kipp, - 
who subsequently became the wife of Chief Justice Martin, became the other 
two teachers. The school was mov€d to the old Masonic building further 
west on Commercial street, where it was conducted for two years. Mr. 
Plattenburg was also appointed county superintendent, and the first teacher's 
certificate issued by him in Atchison county was to D. W. Rippy, who died in 
Severance, Kan., in 1914, the richest man in Doniphan county. Mr. Rippy 
taught the first school in the Second district, organized near the Waggener 
farm, southwest of Atchison. Mrs. Blair had her teaching certificate when 
she arrived in Atchison, as one was issued to her by Dr. Plattenburg in Ful- 
ton county, Illinois, before she came to Atchison. Her school opened in 
Atchison the first Monday in November, 1858, and she had charge of the 
primary and intermediate departments. Dr. Plattenburg received a salary 
of $100.00 a 'month and Mrs. Blair a salary of $45.00, whicli was increased 
to $50.00 by Dr. Plattenburg giving her $5.00 of his own salary. Mrs. Blair 
had sixty-five pupils. Mrs. Blair says that the first spelling match in Atchi- 
son county took place in W. D. Rippy's school. She participated in the 
spelling match, and was spelled down on the word "Poisonous." 

Mr. Plattenburg served in the capacity of principal and superintendent 
of schools until May, 1861, when the schools were closed for lack of funds. 
Because of the Civil war very little progress in education was made, and the 
records of the county superintendent's office for that period are not avail- 
able. The earliest record in the office of the county superinendent concern- 
ing the schools of Atchison county is found in an old record book of July 7, 
1863, as follows : 

"Through the kindness of the present board of County Commissioners, 

E. Leighton, B. Wallack and C. G. Foster, this book was furnished for the 



268 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 




Old High School Building, Atchison, Kan. 



records of the public schools of Atchison count}-. It is lioped that every 
superintendent, into whose possession this book may fall, will perform every 
duty devolving upon him officially, and make every effort to advance the 
cause of education. 

"Orlando Sawyer, 
"Superintendent of Public Instruction, 
"Atchison County." 

In spite of tlie fact that the recoi-ds of County Superintendent Sawyer, 
who held his office from 1863 to 1867, are somewhat incomplete, they contain 
much interesting' information. 

The average lengtli of the school term for the first year was tin-ee and 
one-half months, and in some districts, owing to the distance and the rigors of 
the winter climate, school was held only during the summer months. Among 
the early teachers in this county were Miss Lizzie Keith, who taught in Dis- 
trict No. 29 in 1863; Miss Mary A. Shields, who taught in District No. 16 in 
the same year ; Miss Helen E. Bishop, of District No. 26, and Miss Stewart, of 
District No. 31. Miss Bishop was a pioneer in advocating the teaching of 
vocational subjects in the public schools, including domestic science, manual 
training, agriculture and sewing, and for her zeal in this respect she was de- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 269 

rided and laughed at. Women teaclners in those days, as now, outnumbered 
the men. The following are the names of those who received teaclier's cer- 
tificates in 1863: July 8, Michael Roach; July 27, Mrs. Esther Thayer; July 
30. \\'. D. Barnett: August 15, Mary A. Shields: August 13, Solomon K. 
McCrary ; August 27, Richard Dunn : September 14, Martha Stewart ; Sep- 
tember 25, Allen Abbott: September 27, Adelia Guest: October 11, Carlos E. 
Pease; October 14, John C. Butman : Xovember 23, I. J. Adams; December 
I, R. S. Cook; December 4, L. A. Messenger: December 4, Harriet Hollis- 
ter, and December 4, W. R. DeWitt. 

There were thirty-one districts in the county in that year, and the 
amount of State funds appurtioned to Atchison county was $295.30. Tlie 
school population was 1941, with an enrollment of 1,072, and an average 
daily attendance of 500. Twenty-nine teachers were employed, twenty-two 
women and seven men, with an average monthly salary for the men of $25.20 
and $16.75 tor the women. Tlie total \-aIuatinn of school houses was $1,050, 
and the amount of money received from the county was $827.05. The fol- 
lowing is a list of the Atchison county school officers in the year 1863 : 

District No. i : P. H. Woodard, director ; M. S. Gaylord, clerk ; F. Bier, 
treasurer: District No. 3: Peter Boyer, L. A. Messenger and A. \\'heeler: 
District No. 5 : Natiian McClintic, Hosea Noj-ris and James Cravins ; District 
No. 6, W. H. Bowen, J. W. Cain and Jonathan Hartman; District No. 8: 
S. Cummings, Milo Carleton and Lewis Brockman ; District No. 9 : George 
Scarborough, Joseph Scarborough and Jacob Poehler; District No. 10: Jacob 
Beck, Frederick Neerman and James A. Smith : District No. 1 1 : John Graves, 
Henry Shell and Henry \\'idner; District No. 15 : John \V. Best, George Lam- ' 
berson and Boaz W. Williamson: District No. 17: Hiram Quiett, Chas. Wil-) 
liamson and Wm. Cummings: District No. 18: W. J. Young. I*". L. Fortun^ 
and A. J. Reed; Di.strict No. 19: Henry Cline, E. Leighton and W. J. May- 
field ; District No. 20 : W. J. Oliphant, D. H. Sprong and Dandridge Holla- 
day : District No. 21: Dwight \\'illiams. Jacob Reese and John J. Halligan : 
District No. 22: F. Roach, C. B. Keith and Joseph Speer; District No. 23: 
W. A. Adams, W. H. Seever and W^ M. Hamm : District No. 24 : James R. 
May, E. S. Evington and Jefferson Gragg; District No. 26: R. Breedlone, 
C. May and James Fletcher : District No. 27 : James F. Butcher, C. G. Means 
and W. L. Davis: District No. 28: Andrew C. Pittman, David Earhart and 
George H. McPherson ; District No. 29 : Anderson Pate, James M. W'ylie 
and H. T. Gill; District No. 30: P. B. Chadwick, J. W. Robcrson and R. A. 
Van Winkle: District No. 31: Samuel Vanatta, William Hamon and Hamil- 



270 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

ton Bailey; District No. 33: Benj. Rivers, Silas A. Hooey and J. Plotner; 
District No. 34 : D. Kottle, John S. Van Winkle and A. King ; District No. 35 
A. A. F. Randolph, D. M. Stillman and Joshua Wheeler; Union District No 
I : J. A. Anderson, M. C. Willis and George Storch; Union District No. 2 
James Cooley, L. H. Masterson and Wm. H. Cook; Union District No. 3 
W. J. Brown, Thos. A. Snodd\- and J. Lasswell, and Union District No. 4 
Richmon Dalton, Albert Henson and Frederick Eleman. 

The ne.xt record that can be found of tlie progress of schools in this 
county is of 1868, when Norman Dunsliee was county superintendent. In 
that year there were forty-six organized school districts, and a school popula- 
tion of 3,878, with a total enrollment of 2,247, and an average daily attend- 
ance of 1 28 1. The term for white children was increased to five and one-half 
months and for colored children to ten months. There was a total of sixty- 
four teachers, of whom thirty-seven were women and twenty-seven men. The 
visages of the men were $42.92 a month, and for the women, $28.76 a month, 
and there was a total of $15,117.87 paid out for wages. The amount received 
from the State was $2,627.09, and an additional source of revenue was from 
the pounding of stray livestock, which brought into the school fund of the 
county that year $589.58. The amount raised by district school tax was $24.- 
373.21, and there were forty-three school houses in the county, of which twelve 
were built of logs, twenty-six of frame construction, and five of stone, with 
a total valuation of $16,750.00. During the interim between 1863 and 1868, 
the Third Kansas Teachers' Association met in Atchison. The meeting was 
lield July, 1865, and there were fifty-nine teachers present in Price's Hall. 
John A. Martin, John J. Ingalls and Geo. \\'. Glick attended the meeting and 
made addresses. 

In comparison with the figures of those days, the figures of 1915 are 
interesting, and tliey are here given as follows: 

School population, June 30, 191 5 3o30 

Total enrollment, 1914-1915 2,477 

Average daily attendance, 1914-1915 1.915 

Teachers employed, 1915-1916, including county high 

school, males 23, females 81 104 

Teachers employed 1915-1916, including county high 

school, holding State certificates 19 

Normal training 33, first grade 22, second grade 27, ... . 
Teachers without previous- experience 21 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 2']\ 

Teachers serving first rear in present positions 56 

Teachers more than two years in present position. ... 16 

Average experience of teachers : 

One-teacher schools 5 years 

Graded schools 6 years 

Average length of term in weeks : 1914-15 1915-16 

One-teacher schools 30.4 30.65 

Graded schools 35.3 35.33 

Average salary of male teachers: 1914-15 1915-16 

One-teacher schools 63.75 67.25 

Graded schools - 84/7 85-81 

Average salar)' of female teachers : 1914-15 1915-16 

One-teacher schools 58.16 57-45 

Graded schools 5964 60.00 

Average attendance per teacher IQ14-15 

One-teacher schools 21 

Graded schools 26 

Average cost per pupil per month in 

attendance: 19 14-15 

One-teacher schools $ 3.69 

Graded schools 4-38 

Amount expended for school purposes: 1914-15 

One-teacher schools $39,756.47 

Graded schools 19,212.88 

County high school 17,719.71 



Total $76,689.06 

Common school graduates, 1915: 

Boys 57, girls 71, total 128. 
High school graduates, 1915: 

Boys 17, girls 19, total 2>(^. 

Total number of libraries in rural schools 63 

Number of volumes in rural libraries 4>3i4 

Number of schools having room or basement furnaces 66 
Number of county certificates issued during year: 

First grade 9 

Second grade 24 

Third grade 7 Total 40 



272 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Number of first grade renewed 5 

Number of State certificates registered 7 

Number teadiers normal training certificates regis- 
tered 13 

Number of first grades indorsed 3 

Number of second grades indorsed i 

Tlie city of Atchison is not included in any of tlie above statistics. 

It is interesting to note that the vision of Miss Helen E. Bishop of 1863 
has been realized, for in every school in Atchison county, not only agricul- 
ture is taught, but in al)out one-third of tlie schools, plain sewing and various 
kinds of fancy needlework are tauglit also, and while no rural scliool as yet is 
equipped to teach cooking, a number of the teachers are directing some work 
along this line and it is done in accordance with the teacher's directions in the 
homes, witli the assistance of the mothers. More attention tlian ever is also 
being give.n to drawing and music. Earnest efforts are being made by super- 
intendents and teachers to secure the cooperation of parents by means of 
community gatherings. In many districts teachers' associations, literary 
societies and debating clubs have been organized, in which parents as well as 
children are taking a great interest. Many of the districts have availed them- ■ 
selves of the opportunity to use tlie stereopticon lectures sent out by the Uni- 
versity of Kansas. Lecture courses are being made in some of the schools, 
and provisions have been made for serving hot lunches for children. Medical 
inspection is also provided for, through the efforts of teachers. One of the 
most interesting and valuable features introduced into the rural school work 
of the county in recent years is the community school fair. The plan is to 
have three to five schools unite and meet at a school house, wliere the children 
enter exhibits of corn, cereals, seeds of various kinds, vegetables and fruits, 
and in addition to these are also exhibited canned fruits, peaches, jelly and 
loaves of bread, and other samples of the art of cooking, together with arti- 
cles of fancy needlework and plain sewing. Many prizes are awarded for the 
best exhibit, and the result is that much interest is stimulated among tiie 
children in these accomplishments. The county farm agent is also lending 
great assistance in organizing school gardens, and boys' and girls' clubs of 
various kinds for the purpose of agricultural development. Much attention 
is also paid to the supers-ision of the children at play, on the theory tliat all 
work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. and the equipment for the plav- 
ground of various kinds has been supjilied. Six rural schools of the county 
have organized basketball teams. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 273 

Besides the rural and graded schools, Atchison county has four high 
schools. Muscotah maintains an accredited four-year high school, offering 
a college preparatory and general course, and the school building which was 
destroyed by fire January 13, 1916, will be replaced by a larger and better 
school, reference to which has already been made in this history. 

Under tlie direction of J. S. Blosser, an excellent two-year liigh school 
is maintained in Huron. 

THE ATCHISON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL. 

In 1888 Atchison county, in accordance with an act of the Kansas legis- 
lature of 1866, established the second county high school in the State, and 
it was due to the efforts of Senator B. F. \\'allack, and also the efforts of the 
puljlic spirited citizens of Effingham, that this school was located there. The 
first board of trustees of tliis school were as follows : A. J. Harwi, A. S. Best. 
J. E. Logan, F. E. Cloyes, L. R. Spangler and W. E. Knight. John Klopfen- 
stein. who was at that time crmnty superintendent, became the first president 
of the board. 

The present site, which comprises a spacious campus of eight acres, was 
purchased by the city of Effingham and donated to the county. A handsome 
pressed brick and stone building was erected in compliance with plans and 
specifications designed by Alfred Meier, of Atchison. The building, cost- 
ing more than $22,000.00, was completed in June. 1891. School opened 
September 14, 1891, with F. J. Squires, principal, assisted by J. O. W'ard, 
Miss Julia Heath, and Miss X. Grace Murphy. Tliree courses of study were 
provided for : Normal, general and college preparatory. 

On the night of November 6. 1893, the building was destroyed by fire. 
School was opened the next morning and was continued tlie remainder of the 
year down town in lodge rooms, churches, and the public school building. 
The present building, erected on the same site, was ready for occupancy b\' 
the fall of 1894. 

Following are the names of tlie principals who have served the school : 
J. F. Squires, 1891 to 1893; S. J. Hunter, 1893 and 1896; J. W. Wilson. 
1896 to 1907; W. H. Keller, 1907 to 1908; E. H. McMath, 1908 to 191 1 ; 
J. R. Thierstein, 191 1 to 1915, and A. J. AfcAllister and G. W. Salisbury, 
1915 to 1916. 

The county high school exists mainly tn afford free high school educa- 
tion to every bov and girl in tlie county. Since its students cnme principally 
18 ' ' 



2/4 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON" COUNTY 



1 




.\ti-lii>..ii (ni.iiitv Hi"li SriiLK.I. I'.tliii"h;un. K;;iisas 



from llie rural districts, it must educate them to become better liomemakers 
and better farmers, and to appreciate more fully the advantages of mral 
life. It must also help prepare better teacliers fur tlie rural schools and train 
them for business as well as for college. 

It has grown in efficiency and influence until it is recognized as one of 
the best high schools in tlie State and is on the accredited list of the North 
Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. This means that 
our school is recognized by the colleges of Kansas. Oklahoma. Missiiuri, Ne- 
braska. Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin. Michigan. Oliio, Indiana. Illinois. West 
Virginia. South Dakota. Wyoming and Colorado, whicli admit our graduates 
without examination. 

The faculty has increased in number from four in i(S92 to twelve in 191 5. 
The number of graduates in 1892 was two, in 191 5. thirty. Since its organ- 
ization the departments of commerce, music, manual training, domestic 
art, domestic science, and agriculture have been added, a farmers' short course 
established, and a demonstration farm in connection with tiie work in agricul- 
ture put into operation. 

The school is well equipped in laboratories, and has a library of 3.000 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 275 

volumes, and all the leading- magazines and papers. A lively interest is 
taken in athletics, both Young Men's Christian Association and Young Wom- 
en's Christian Association have a large membership. Every year the stu- 
dents have the benefit of a splendid lecture course. 

From its halls have been graduated 387 young men and young women. 
who are now filling positions of honor as doctors, lawyers, ministers, teach- 
ers, superintendents, farmers, bankers and missionaries, and are found in 
nearly every State in the Union and in some foreign countries. 

Atchison county further increased its educational advantages in June. 
191 5, by establishing at Potter, a rural high school, in accordance with a law- 
passed by the legislature in 191 5. This district is known as Rural High 
School, District No. i, and comprises 263/ square miles, including 
portions of nine school districts, five of which lie wholl)- in Atchison county, 
and the four others jointly in Atchison, Jefferson and Leavenworth counties. 

August 9, 191 5, the first school meeting in this district was held, and 
J. E. Remsburg was elected director, T. F. Hall, treasurer and D. H. Strong, 
Jr., clerk. It was not necessary for this district to vote bonds for a building, 
because Union District No. i, which includes Potter, and is a part of the new 
high school district, already had a beautiful modern four-room structure, which 
was leased to the ne\\-l}- organized high school district. A. T. Foster was 
elected first president, and Miss Sarah Armstrong, assistant. The school 
opened September 6, 191 5, with an enrollment of eighteen pupils. The course 
of study is that prescribed b}- the State, lioard of education, and covers four 
years. 

The year 191 5- 16 has been a year of progress for the schools of Atchison 
county. The State department of education, by virtue of authority given 
them by the State legislature in 191 5, established a definite standard of effi- 
ciency for the rural schools of the State, and formulated plans for standardiz- 
ing rural schools. As a result, two rural school supervisors were added to 
the State department. J. A. Shoemaker, county superintendent of this county, 
was apopinted as one of those supervisors, and was succeeded in office by 
Miss D. Anna Speer, who is making one of the most earnest and efficient 
county superintendents this county has ever had. It is universally conceded 
that the board of county commissioners made no mistake when they selected 
Miss Speer as a successor to Mr. Shoemaker. Miss Speer is making an earn- 
est effort to bring our schools up to the standard set l)y the State department 
of education, ni which she is receiving the cordial cooperation on the part 
of the sciiool officers, parents and children of the county. The work that 



276 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

is being accomplished here has been highly commended by Miss Julia Stone, 
one of the new State supervisors, and three schools, approved by the super- 
visor, have the honor of the first three "Standard Schools" in northeastern 
Kansas. These are: New Maiden District No. 45, H. S. Mahan and Eugene 
Crawford, teachers; Lancaster District No. 10, O. E. Seeber and Miss lone 
Gibson, teachers, and White Clay District No. 6, J. M. Pennington, teacher. 
In 191 5 the County Normal Institute was combined with Midland College 
Institute, at Midland College. A si.x weeks' session was held, June 15 to 
July 28. Besides thorough reviews of all subjects required for county teach- 
ers' certificates, numerous courses for college credit were offered. The 
corps of instructors consisted of county superintendent. Miss D. Anna Speer : 
professors, W. E. Tilberg, E. M. Stahl, S. L. Soper, D. W. Crouse, C. F. 
Malmberg and Bnnio Meinecke. 

The following is a list of county superintendents of public instruction of 
Atchison county from the beginning of our history to the present time: 

Philip D. Plattenburg, served September, 1858, to May, 1861. 

Orlando Sawyer, served July, 1830, to January, 1867. 

Norman Dunsher, served January, 1867, to January. 1869. 

Thomas F. Cook, ser\'ed January. 1869, to January, 1873. 

J. E. Remsburg, served January, 1873, to January, 1877. 

Mr. Martin, ser\-ed January, 1877, to January, 1879. 

W. H. Tucker, served January, 1879, to January, 1883. 

A. G. Drew, served January, 1883, to January, 1885. 

J. F. Class, served January, 1885, to January, 1887. 

George A. W'ard. ser\-ed Januar}-, 1887. to Januar\-, 1889. 

John Klopfenstein, served January, 1889, to January, 1893. 

Samuel Ernst, served January, 1893, to Januarj-, 1895. 

C. E. Reynolds, served January, 1895, to January, 1899. 

John Klopfenstein, served January, 1899, to January, 1901. 

E. E. Campbell, sensed January, 1901, to May, 1901. 

The Kansas legislature of 1901 changed the date of beginning of super- 
intendent's term from the second Monday in January to the second Monday 
in May, thus creating a vacancy in the office for four months. Mr. Campbell 
was appointed by the county commissioners to serve during that period. 

John Klopfenstein, sei-ved May, 1901, to May, 1903. 
O. O. Hastings, served May, 1903, to May, 1907. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 277 

J. W. Campbell, served May, 1907, to March 18, 1909, when he died. 

J. A. Shoemaker, served March 23, 1909, to July i, 1915. 

D. Anna Speer, served July i, 191 5, and still remains superintendent. 

ATCHISON CITY' SCHOOLS. 

It was lamentable, but, nevertheless true, tliat there were nianv residents 
of the city of Atchison of the early period in its history who doubted the jus- 
tice of supporting free schools. In i860 the school board refused to levy a f 
tax for school purposes in the city of Atchison. Following this, however, a 
more progressive spirit prevailed, and free schools were regularly supported 
by annual tax levies. For ten years the schools occupied rented quarters, ex-^ 
cepting two frame buildings in South Atchison. The basement of the Con- 
gregational church, the lower floor of the old Masonic building that stood 
near the corner of Eighth and Commercial streets, the upper floor of the 
Auld building on Commercial street, near Sixth, Price's Hall and probably 
other buildings were used during tiiose years. 

There was little or no general supervision of tiie work of the schools up 
to 1866, little or no system, and little distinction between public and private 
schools. 

During- this unorganized period the business affairs of the schools were 
administered by a district board of three meml^ers. 

Under a law approved ]\Iarch i, 1867, the Atchison cit}- schools were 
organized June 3, 1867, at which time the first board of education of Atchi- '. 
son was elected, as follows : First ward, W'm. Scoville, Wm. C. Smith ; Second , 
ward, M. L. Gaylord, L. R. Elliott ; Third ward, John A. Martin, Julius 
Holthaus; Fourth ward. Geo. W. Gillespie, Jacob Poehler. In the organiza-; 
tion of the first board, Wm. Scoville was elected jM-esident. John A. Martin, 
vice-president, and M. L. Gaylord, clerk. 

The board consisted of eight members until Atchison became a city of 
the first class in 1881, at which^tmieThe ward representation was increased to 
three members each, giving a board of twelve members. At the organization 
of the first enlarged board, J. C. Fox was elected president; J. B. Kurtli. vice- 
president. The time of organization was the first regular meeting in August, 
a change from tlie former time, the first regular meeting in May, which was 
the law till 1881. During this year the time of organization was extended 
three months, giving fifteen months' service under the organization of May, 
1880. Another change made at this time was the election of a clerk not a 



2/8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

member of the board. At the organization, August i, 1881, M. Noll was 
elected clerk. He was succeeded in October, by C. N. Seip, who was fol- 
lowed in May, 1882, by James H. Garside. 

By the addition of the Fifth ward, 1884, the boarti organized in August, 
that year had fifteen members. Tlie board organized in August, 1885, had ten 
members. This representation continued till the law of 191 1 provided for the 
reduction to six members, and for a term of four years instead of two years. 
The reduction was completed in 1913, and since August of that year the board 
has had six members, elected without regard to city wards. 

The presidents of the board from 1871 have been as follows: For the 
year ending in May, 1872, H. S. Baker; J. T. Coplan, to May, 1873; J- K. 
Fisher, to May, 1874; A. J. North, three years, to May, 1877: John Seaton, 
two years, to May, 1879; A. F. Martin, two and one-fourth years, to August, 
1881 : J. C. Fox. to August, 1882: John B. Kurth, to August, 1883; J. C. 
Fox, to August, 1884; Seneca Heath, two years, to August, 1886; E. A. Mize, 
five years, to Augiist, 1891 ; R. C. Meade, to August. 1892 ; J. T. Herse\-, two 
years, to August, 1894; J. F. Woodhouse, to August, 1895 ; J. T. Allensworth, 
to August, 1896; \V. L. Bailey, to August, 1897; Chas. S. Osborn, ten years, 
to August, 1907; H. H. Hackney, eight years, to August, 191 5: Alva Clapp, 
now serving his first year. 

WHiile tiie records of the early days are not available, there are indications 
that the chaos of the early schools was reduced to order in the middle sixties, 
the graded S3'stem unifying the free schools being established at tliat time by 
D. T. Bradford, who served as su]>erintendent and principal of the high school 
for four years. In those early days the superintendent tauglit during the 
greater part of his time. 

Mr. Bradford was followed by a Mr. Owens, who served one year and 
was followed by R. H. Jackson. Available records show that Mr. Jackson 
was superintendent in August, 1871, and served till June, 1876. How long 
he served prior to the election of May, 187 1, is not indicated by records at hand. 

The superintendents following Mr. Jackson are as follows : I. C. Scott, 
to 1878; C. S. Sheffield, to 1880; R. C. Meade, to December, 1886; F. M. 
Draper, to 1889; Buel T. Davis, to 1891 : John H. Glorfelter, to 1901 ; Nathan 
T. Veatch, serving at present (January, 1916). 

The principals of the liigh school serving prior to the union of the 
duties of superintendent and ])rincipal of tlie high school were, P. D. Platten- 
burg, Orlando Sawyer and David Negley. 

The course of study in the high school tjien was Latin, followed later 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



279 




"The Ingalls School," Atchison, Kan. 



by the Latin-Scientific. Little change was made for years, except the intro- 
duction of German in the fall of 1871. For more than thirty years there 
was little change in the subject matter of the work. The most important 
change during those thirty years or more was the complete organization of 
the high school by Superintendent R. C. Meade, in 1880, at which time a dis- 
tinct principal was placed in charge of the re-organized high school. The 
first principal under the new plan was F. \\'. Bartlett. Definite classes were 
started and the first class graduated June 7, 1881, in Corinthian Hall, as fol- 
lows: Jane Boone, Artluu" Challiss, Blanche Challiss, Daisy, L. -Denton, Delia 
Estes, Mary E. Fox, Frances L. Garside. Lilly G. Hathaway, Maggie R. 
Hedges, May Hosier, Victor Linley, Nellie G. Reid, Mary E. Scott, Annie 
Underwnod, 14. Total graduates to date (January, 1916), 568. 

l'\ W. Bartlett was ])rincipal of the high school until 1883. The follow- 
ing is the list of principals since 1883: J. B. Gash, lo 1885; Geo. D. Ostrom, 
to 1887; J. T. Dobell, to 1895; C. A. Shively. to 1900: W. C. Janu'eson, to 
1902; A. H. Speer, to 1909: W. H. Livers, to 1910: j. 'I". Rosson, lo 191 1 : 
H, P. Shepherd, now serving his fifth year. 



28o HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

The superintendent and pn'ncii)al aided by one assistant taught the high 
school subjects till 1882. With the opening of school in September, of that 
year, the high school course of study was changed from two years to a full 
three-years course. Miss Sarali E. Steele and Miss Anna M. Niklaus were 
assistants during tliose early years. 

The addition to tlie teacliing force, the lengthened course and tlie tendency 
toward greater latitude in the choice of subjects soon doubled the high school 
enrollment. The start toward vocational studies began in September. 1881, 
when, at the suggestion of J. H. Garside. bookkeeping was made an optional 
study. , 

The growth of the high schoorwas gradual. During the late eighties, an- 
other year was added to the course and an additional assistant was employed. 
Manual training was added in December, 1903: sewing, 1907; commercial 
subjects were added from time to time till the introduction of a full business 
course, including shorthand and typewriting, in 1910; normal training, 1909; 
cooking, 1910; physical training, 1910; elementary agriculture, 1913; school 
nurse, January, 1914; special music director, 1915. The addition of courses 
and optional subjects has so increased tlie high school work as to require eight- 
een teachers, in addition to the principal, and the enrollment has grown to 393. 
The school is on the accredited list of the University of Kansas and of the 
North Central Association of Colleges. A school paper, the Optimist, is now 
in its sixth year. A Glee Clttb and orchestra have been organized. A Young 
Men's Christian Association and a Young Women's Christian Association are 
doing good work. Tlie atliletic association is giving an nutlet for the surplus 
energy in football, basketball, etc. 

Grades and teachers were added in tlie different Ijuildings until there 
are now (January, 1916) five buildings having full eight grades of work, 
one building with three grades, and the Branchton school ha\ing two grades. 
The Branchton building belongs to district 65. Manual training for the 
boys and sewiog for the girls are given in sixth, seventh and eighth grades and 
liigh school. All tlie grades have the Ijenefit of inspection by the school 
nurse, and instruction in music bv tlie special director. 

In 1S82 the teaching force was lliirty beside tiie superintendent. This 
grew to forty-one by 1901, and to sixly-ti\e in 19T5. 

During March, 1881, it was resolved that a "kindergarten" be opened 
during the next term. No record is found indicating the opening of such 
school. Tlie kindergarten was not made a part of the system till 1910. 
Such work was offered earlier in rooms granted by the lioard. This was. how- 
ever, the result of private cnterinise. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 281 

At the opening of the new high school building in 1910, the first public 
kindergarten was established. In tlie spring of 1914, another kindergarten 
was opened in the new Washington school. 

The corner stone of tlie Central building was laid in August, 1868. This 
building was destroyed by fire in October. 1869. The construction of a new 
building on the old foundation began as soon as plans were completed. This 
was the three-story brick building, costing $35,000, torn down in 1908, to 
make room for the magnificent high school building completed in 1910, and 
occupied for all school purposes in September of that year. On October 5, 
1892, the name was changed to "The Ingalls School." 

The building begim in 1869 and, when completed, said to be "one of 
the finest in the State," was opened in 1870 and served without cliange till 
1903, when a three-story addition, costing $5,264.00 was built to provide for 
the office, manual training, one high school room and sanitary fixtures. It 
was finally outgrown after serving thirty-eight years. While the present 
building was being constructed, the high school was housed in the old three- 
story Douglas building, Fifth and R streets, and in two rooms of the did 
Washington Ixiilding, Sixth and O streets. 

During the two years' waiting for the new Ingalls building the colored 
pupils from Douglas school were housed in a vacant store at Sixth and Spring 
streets for one year, and in Lincoln school for part of the second year, and the 
grades of Ingalls school were housed as follows : Seventh and eighth, banquet 
room of Odd Fellows Hall; sixth, Martin school; fifth, Pioneer Hall; second, 
third and fourth, basement of Congregational church ; first, basement of 
Presbyterian church; manual training, in old fire department for the first 
year, and in a vacant store room till the latter part of Decemljer of the second 
year, when it was moved to the new Iniilding. 

Tlie present high school building, the Ingalls school, cost about $103,500. 
The equipment and added lots at the southwest corner of the block, improve- 
ment of grounds, etc., will bring the present value of the property at least to 
$130,000. 

Governor George W. Glick was largel\- instrumental in tlie work of 
securing the lots for the Ingalls school. The ten lots purchased prior to the 
erection of the first building cost, approximately, $3,500. Lots 8 and 9 in the 
same block secured by condemnation in 191 1, cost $2,250. 

The three-story brick building at the corner of Fifth and R streets, built 
in 1873 at a cost of $15,000, was originally called Wa,shinglon school. A 
three-room, one-story frame building, erected on this site in tlic middle sixties. 



282 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

was the first building owned by district No. i, and served till 1873. The 
lots cost $1,200 and the building $2,425. At that time a frame building at 
the corner of Sixth and O streets was used by the colored pupils and was 
called Douglas school. This was built in the middle sixties. It was at first 
a two-room, one-story building. Later, a third room was added. The lots 
cost $820. This was the second building owned by district No. i. Early 
maps of Atchison show tlie locations of Washington and Douglas here given. 

The names "Central," "Washington," "Franklin." "Lincoln" and 
"Douglas" were authorized Februan,- 2, 1880. 

In 1884 work began on two new buildings, one a ten-room brick building 
to take the place of the frame building called "Douglas," and the other an 
eight-room brick building at Sixth and Division streets, named North Atchi- 
son school. The one at Sixth and O streets cost $18,682, and was occupied 
for school purposes January 3, 1885. The white pupils in "Washington" 
school were taken to the new building, and the colored school formerly housed 
in "Douglas" was taken to the "Washington." The names were also trans- 
ferred soon after the new order of things was established. 

The ten-room \\"ashington building was used till the close of school for 
vacation, December, 1913. On January 5, IQ14, the school began work in 
the present beautiful building, south of R street, between Fifth and Sixth 
streets. The old property at Sixth and O streets was sold for $2,300, but 
the name of the school was retained. The new building with grounds and 
equipment cost $63,000. The site was secured by condemnation and cost 

$5,350. 

The original "W a;-hingtnn" remained the "Douglas" uinii the com- 
pletion of the new Douglas on Sixth, between U and V streets. The pupils 
of "Douglas" were housed in "Lincoln" till late in the fall of 1909. The 
site of this building, lots 18. 19, 20 and 21, block 35, South Atchison, was 
secured in March, 1909, in exchange for lots 10 and 11, same block, the old 
hospital property, which had previously lieen donated to the board of educa- 
tion for school purposes, the money in\-olved being the payment of some back 
taxes by the board. 

The North Atchison school, Sixth and Division streets, was occupied 
for school purposes in September, 1885. The lots cost $800 and the bnilding, 
equipment and retaining walls, $5,381.94. On October 5, 1892, the name of 
this school was changed to "The John A. Martin School." This building 
was used till the last of May, 191 5. Immediately after the close of school, 
May 28, 1915, it was wrecked to make way for the new building now in 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 283 

course of constructicm. The added lefrnund. secured by condemnation, cost 
$6,200 and the building, equipment and improvement of grounds will cost, 
approximately, $56,500. During the year 191 5-1 6 this school is housed in 
the Ingalls building. 

The West Atchison school building, named Franklin school, February 2, 
1880, was, originally, a three-room, one-story brick, costing $2,617.10. This 
was changed to six rooms by the addition of a second story in 1883, at a cost 
of $2,498. and was remodeled and changed to an eight-room building in 1908, 
at a cost of $12,500. and reoccupied early in 1909. The lots cost $400. Dur- 
ing the change in Franklin, the pupils were housed in the "Green-Tree House" 
and in a \acant store room at 1521 Main street. 

The Lincoln school (colored). Eighth and Atchison streets, was origi- 
nally a three-room, one-story brick building erected in 1871 at a cost of 
$2,425. The lots cost $750. In 1883, this was changed to a six-room build- 
ing at a cost of $2,498. This is the only school building in the city not 
modernized. 

The records reveal some interesting things. In 1878 it was decided 
that "the work of the grades should be completed in eight years." In 1884 
an attempt was made to establish a branch high school in South Atchison. 
While this failed, it was voted that "a sub-junior grade be maintained in the 
Washington school." This was discontinued within a few years. 

In March. 1883, it was ordered that the schools close because of lack of 
funds. The city council came to the rescue and appropriated $4,000 for 
school purposes. The schools re-opened March 29. 

The school year was shortened several times in those early days. 

The school spirit is in splendid condition. The increased material 
equipment is adding greatly to the educational opportunities. "Continuation 
schools" have been conducted for several years, with good attendance. 

The improvements have been made without bonds, excepting the $100,- 
000 issue fiir the high school in 1908. The total bonded indebtedness (January, 
1916) is $122,000. Of this amount, $4,000 will be paid July i, 1916. Of the 
issue of 1908, $94,000 remain unpaid, and will fall due in 1923. The $24,- 
000 refunding- bonds issued in 1913 will be due in 1933. The board of edu- 
cation is not using the full limit of its taxing power. 

It is only fair to add a tribute at this point to the faithful, enthusiastic 
and efficient work rendered by Prof. Nathan T. Veatch to the public school 
system of Atchison. During the period of his service here, Atchison has seen 



284 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

its greatest development in its public school system, and this has not only been 
brought about by the fine public spirit that exists here but by the splendid co- 
operation which Prof. Veatch has given it. 

PRIVATE SCHOOLS. 

In addition to the private schools tliat existed here in an early day, 
there were a number of private schools which did good work in Atchison 
subsequently to the Teasdale school, which was operated here in the eighties. 
Mrs. Harriet E. Monroe rendered the cause of education in Atchison county 
an invaluable and also an imperishable service. Mrs. Monroe founded the 
Atchison Institute. In 1871 she erected a building at the northwest corner 
of Third and Kansas avenue, to which a wing was added in 1876, and three 
years later the large brick building, all of which are still standing. The prop- 
erty represented an investment of $25,000, and the success of Mrs. Monroe's 
enterprise was phenomenal. She received no bonus or assistance from city, 
county, State, church or individual. She had nine students when she started 
her school, and subsequently increased her enrollment to 300. She had a 
musical department and an art department, and they were admitted to have 
no superior in the Missouri valley at that time. She also conducted a kinder- 
garten, primary, intermediate and academic grades. Also a collegiate de- 
partment, consisting of preparatory, scientific, classical and literary courses, 
together with the normal and commercial courses. She had thirteen teacliers. 
Her vocational department covered all tlie arts of domestic economy and 
domestic science, before which she employed most eminent women in their 
special lines to deliver lectures. Mrs. Monroe was then, and is now, a truly 
remarkable woman. Her school was a forerunner of Midland College, 
and when it came to Atchison in 1887, Mrs. Monroe closed her school shortly 
thereafter and has since been a resident of \\''ashingti)n, D. C. She is a highly 
educated lady of refinement and culture, and has spent niucli lime u])(in the 
lecture platform. 

Following the Monroe Institute, some years later, Prof. Flint conducted 
a Latin school iiere, which was largely attended. Mr. Flint was succeeded 
by Prof. Foot, and as an outgrowth of these two schools, Misses Helen and 
Abigail Scofield opened a preparatory school, and successfully conducted it 
for a number of years, when they were succeeded by Miss Maiy Walton, who 
ran her school in the building owned by Mrs. J. W. Parker, on Laramie 
street, between Third and Fourth streets, until a few years ago. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 285 

In 1916 the public school system is augmented in its work by several 
parochial and denominational schools, conducted by the Catholics and tlie 
German Lutherans. 

MT. ST. SCHOLASTICA's ACADEMY. 

One of the first sights to impress the visitor to Atchison is the impos- 
ing collection of buildings which crowns its southern hill, now commonly 
known as Mt. St. Scholastica. 

Mt. St. Scholastica is practically as old as Atchison itself, the first sisters 
having come here in 1863. Few who gaze upon the massive and commodious 
array of buildings, surrounded as they now are by well-kept lawns, spacious 
meadow and woodland, stop to think of its humble beginning and the many 
trials which beset the earlv foundation. But the first sisters were in time to 
feel the effects of the Civil war and the hardships attendant upon the same. 

At the request of Rev. Augustine Wirth, O. S. B., then prior of St. 
Benedict's College, and the first pastor of the church in Atchison, Rev. 
Mother E\-angelista and six companions were sent from the Benedictine 
con\-ent in St. Cloud, jNIinn., to establish a school in Atchison. Two more 
sisters were sent the following April. As these latter were on their way, they 
were detained at Hannibal for two days. The funeral cortege of President 
Lincoln having reached that city at the same time as the sisters, one of their 
sad privileges was that of attending the obsequies of the martyred President 
before continuing their journey Kansasward. 

The little convent, situated at the corner of Second and Division streets, 
near St. Benedict's church, was the cradle of the present institution. Second 
street at that time was not a street at all. but rather a passageway cut through 
the hazel brush, then so abundant in Atchison. 

The academy organized its classes December i, 1863. It was incor- 
porated in 1873. Its roster bears the names of many of Atchison's best 
families of both town and county. 

In the summer of 1877 the Price villa was purchased. A new building 
was added in 1889. The third building was commenced in 1900. The build- 
ings are surrounded by thirty-eight acres of woodland and meadow. 

Besides the academy in Atchison, the sisters supply teachers for a large 
number of missions or parochial schools in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and 
Iowa, also one large school in Walsenburg, Colo. The institution in Atchison 




3! 



■Ji 

■Jl 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 287 

is tlie center or mother house of all these branch houses, and in vacation all 
the sisters from the missions assemble here for the annual retreat, and for 
the summer normal. 

The \-enerab!e Mother Evangelista, the first mother and foundress, was 
succeeded in office by Sister Theresa, who governed the community as Rev- 
erend mother for the next twelve years. Since that time Mother Aloysia 
has ably carried on the work of her predecessors. 

The early days of Mt. St. Scholastica, like the early days of Kansas, 
were times of struggle and hardships. Yet, these brave pioneer sisters were 
of the true Kansas type, and tell us that they never for a moment regretted 
their mission to the Sunflower State. They tell us, too, that the sunflower 
itself had a strange power to cheer and encourage their early da_\-s. Its sturdy 
stalk and bright disk seem so fit a type of faith, labor and grateful content, 
that even to the present day this rustic flower always finds a place in the 
convent garden. 

The later history of Mt. St. Scholastica is too well known to need repeti- 
tion. Its actual growth began with the purchase of Price villa in 1877, since 
which time progress has been steady and vigorous. 

A most comprehensive plan of stud}- is pursued at Mt. St. Scholastica. 
It includes all branches needful for a thorough, lil^eral and refined education, 
the outcome of long years of experience and thoughtful consideration. That 
this fact is appreciated, not only by neighboring cities and towns, may be seen 
by consulting the academy roster, which records a long list of names from 
many and various sections of the country. Besides the academic or classical 
course, Mt. St. Scholastica furnishes a complete commercial course, together 
with special advantages for the study of music and art. 

The home life of Mt. St. Scholastica is ideal. The association of fellow- 
students amid wholesome environments has the tendency to bring out and de- 
velop every noble and womanly quality, while the lieneficient and judicious 
guidance of the sisters wisely leads to the attainment of those lofty princi- 
ples so needful to right living. 

Sacred Heart parochial school, in Atchison, is also controlled by the 
Benedictine sisters, and is supported by tuitjon. Its curriailum extencls 
through the grades, and the school is under the direction of Sister Monica, 
O. S. B., and one assistant. Both boys and girls attend, and the enrollment 
in 1 916 is seventy-four. 

St. Louis College is another parochial .school, offering work through the 



2<5<5 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

grades, and admitting both boys and girls. It is maintained by St. Benedict's 
parish. Number of teachers employed is six, and the Rev. Gerard Heinz, O. 
S. B., is principal. Enrollment in 1916 is 293. 

St. Patrick's parochial school is located near St. Patrick's churcii, in 
Union District No. 2, about seven miles south of Atchison. " Two teachers 
are employed in the school, and Ven. Sr. Menvina, O. S. B., is directress. 
It is controlled and supported by St. Patrick's parish, and its curriculum ex- 
tends through the grades. Boys and girls attend the scliool, and the enroll- 
ment in 19 1 6 was sixty-seven. 

St. Ann's school is a Catholic parochial school, at Effingham. It is 
controlled and supported by St. Ann's parish. Both boys and girls enroll in 
the school, which completes the work of the grades. The past year, forty- 
six pupils were in attendance. Two teachers are employed, one of whom is 
Sister Sr. M. Marcellina, O. S. B., the directress. 

■ The Trinity Lutheran parochial school is controlled and supported by the 
Trinity Lutheran parish, corner of Eighth and Laramie streets. The cur- 
riculum extends to the eighth grade, and work is offered to both boys and 
girls. The enrollment in 1916 is fifty-three, and Rev. Carl W. Greinki is 
principal. 

MIDLAND COLLEGE AND WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMIN.\Ry. 

The board of education of the general synod of the Evangelical Luth- 
eran church, after considering propositions from a number of cities in the 
Middle West, decided on Atchison as the most suitable location for a Luth- 
eran institution. It is easy of access from the whole territory from which 
students are most likely to come, and the offer of the city to give $50,000 
in money for buildings, twenty acres of land for a campus and professors' 
houses, a half interest in the sale of 500 acres of land, and to furnish 200 stu- 
dents the first year, was a tempting offer. 

Owing to some difficulties that arose, this offer was not entirely ful- 
filled, but the twenty acres of ground was donated, and about $33,000 put 
into buildings. The college was opened on tlie fifteenth of September, 1887, 
with loi students registered. 

In 1888 the main building, known as Atchison Hall, was begTJn, and 
turned over to the board of trustees in tlie spring of 1889, and formally 
dedicated on the 30th day of September of the same year. The institution 
was given over to the care of a self-perpetuating board. From time to time 
the constitution has been changed, so that the trustees would be elected by the 
synods supporting the college. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



289 



At the present time tlie board is composed of twenty-nine members; foiu" 
are elected by tlie board from the citizens of Atchison, six from each of tlie 
Kansas. English Nebraska and German Nebraska synods ; two from the 
Rocky Mountain and Iowa synods each, and tliree from the Alumni Associa- 
tion, with the president of the college advisory menilier. ex-officio. 



Carnegie Library. 
Midland College. 
Atchison. Kans. 




Ciiriicnic l^il)iai'y. Atcliisoii, Kansas 



Rev. Jacob A. Clutz, D. D., was elected first president, and served 
efficiently in that capacity for fourteen and one-half _\ears. In 1904 Rev. M. 
F. Troxell. D. D., pastor of the English Lutheran church of St. Joseph, Mo. 
was elected president, and was succeeded bv Dr. Rufus B. Peery. 

In 1891 Oak Hall, a dormitory for girls, was erected, to which, about 
ten years later, the annex was added, giving accommodations for thirt\- 
young women. In 1893 the gymnasium was erected, the money being 
solicited by the students of the institution. Through the solicitations of Dr. 
Clutz, a splendid six-inch telescope was donated, and an observatory built in 
1899. Through the efforts of Dr. Troxell a proposition was secured from 
Andrew Carnegie to donate $15,000 towards the building of a library, pro- 
vided the same amount could be raised for its upkeep. From the synods on 
the territory, alumni and friends of the college, this amount was secured, and 

19 



290 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the handsome library building was erected during the winter of 1910-igil, 
and formally dedicated on May 30. 191 1. A legacy of $5,000, given several 
years before, was added to the building fund in order to have a public hall, 
and a memorial tablet was placed in the hall to the memory of the generous 
donor, Rev. J. G. Griffith, D. D. On the retirement of Dr. Clutz, his home 
was bought by the college board for the use of the president. 

The W'estern Theological Seminary was organized in 1895, and the first 
president and professor, Rev. F. D. Altman, D. D.. was inaugurated. 

The German department of the seminary was added a few years later, 
with Dr. J. L. Neve as dean of the department. The home owned by ex- 
Senator John J. Ingalls was secured in 1908 for seminarj- purposes. It is ad- 
mirably adapted to that purpose. At the annual meeting of the college trus- 
tees in 1910 the board of education turned over the management of the 
seminary to this board. 

ST. benedict's college. 

St. Benedict's College is the product of Benedictine activity in Kansas, in 
the cause of Christian civilization. Father Boniface Wimmer, O. S. B., the 
founder of the Benedictines in the United States, settled in Pennsylvania in 
1846, and ten years later he sent missionaries in all directions, and where 
they settled, promptly there, too, their schools soon were founded. Father 
Henry Lempe, O. S. B., was the first Benedictine to touch upon Kansas 
soil in 1856, and he inspired Bishop Miege, S. J., of Leavenworth, witli the 
idea of inviting Abbott W'immer to make a foundation in Kansas, and tliere- 
after Father Augustine Wirth, O. S. B., was sent out to Doniphan, in 1857, 
but in 1838 he moved to Atchison. Father Augustine's management of the 
college continued until 1868. when he was succeeded by Louis M. Fink, O. S. 
B., who remained at the head of the institution until 1871. It was under 
Father Louis that the first printed catalog of St. Benedict's College appears. 
Father Giles Christoph, O. S. B., succeeded Father Louis, and held the posi- 
tion three years, from 187 1 to 1874, and was succeeded by Father Oswald 
Moosmueller, O. S. B. The college is situated on the hills north of Atchison 
and commands an extensive view of the Missouri river and surrounding 
country. In 1908 the college planned to erect a new group of buildings to 
crown the brow of the hill, east of the old college, new St. Benedict is to be 
not only first class, but it is to be a monument of beautiful architecture, 
which will be in Tudor Gothic and uniform throughout. Tlie administra- 
tion building, already erected, comprises the first of the group, part of which 



Cd 



O 

o 




2g2 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

comprises living quarters of the students. It is a fire-proof building of re- 
inforced concrete and vitrified brick, spacious, well ventilated, and conve- 
niently arranged. The buildings in the old group are of substantial structure, 
well fitted to serve tlieir purposes. They comprise an auditorium, recitation 
room, kitchen and dining rooms, scientific laboratories, museum of natural 
history, music and typewriting departments. The college has two distinct 
libraries, one for the exclusive use of the students, and the other, the college 
library proper. The students' library contains upwards of 5.000 volumes, in 
addition to a number of papers and magazines. The college library 
proper, maintained for the use of the professors, occupies four rooms and the 
monastery, and it contains more than 27,400 Ijound volumes and over 5,000 
pamphlets. The scientific laboratories are adequate for present use, and the 
museum is one of the best of its kind in this part of the country. The play- 
grounds of the college are large and well suited to afford all manner of 
healthful exercise for tlie students. 

The courses available in the college are the academic, the collegiate, busi- 
ness and stenographic, which are presided over by twenty-two professors, 
and in which are 300 students. St. Benedict's is one of the finest Catholic 
institutions in the West. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



BENCH AND BAR. 



EARLY MECCA OF LEGAL TALENT ORGANIZATION OF JUDICIAL DISTRICT 

EARLY JUDGES PROMINENT PIONEER LAWYERS MEMBERS OF THE 

ATCHISON COUNTY BAR. 

Atchison county has always been particularly proud of the high order of 
talent that has graced its bench and bar. From the very earliest days of its 
history, the legal profession has lieen well represented here. Men who have 
reached a high order of distinction in the profession have had their begin- 
ning at the bar of this county. In fact, this county has been somewhat 
unif|ue in this respect, for there is perhaps no other county in Kansas that 
has furnished a greater number of (listinguished representatives of this noble 
profession, wlm have shed their luster upon the fair name of the State.- For 
a long period, indeed, Atchison seemed to be the Mecca towards which the best 
legal talent from all quarters of the country gathered, and it was the Atchison 
bar that furnished three chief justices of the supreme court of Kansas, one 
United States district judge, an attorney-general, a governor, a L'nited 
States senator, and a general counsel for a large railroad system. 

No attempt will be made in this chapter to give a complete roster of 
names of the many lawyers who have successfully practiced their profession 
here. The list is too numerous, but reference will be made to a numlier of 
conspicuous leaders, whose names stand out prominently in the history of 
the State, and whose careers have enriched the story of success and achieve- 
ment. 

Atchison county was one of the counties of the second judicial district, 
which composed, in addition to Atchison county, Doniphan, Brown, Nemaha, 
Marshall and Washington counties. The first judge of the district was Hon. 
Alljert L. Lee, who lived at Fhvood. Dimiphan county, and served from Jan- 

293 



294 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUXTY 

uary 29 to October 31, 1861. He died in New York City December 31, 1907. 
The second judge of this district was Hon. Albert H. Horton. Judge Hor- 
ton was born in Orange county. New York, Marcli 12. 1837. and was edu- 
cated at Farmers' Hall Acadeniw in that cnunt}-. and al Ann Arbnr L'ni\er- 
sity. He was admitted to practice in the supreme court of New "^'ork. at 
Brooklyn, in 1859, and continued the practice of his profession at Goshen 
until i860, when he removed to Kansas, locating at Atchison. His first pub- 
lic office here was city attr)niey. to whicli place lie was elected in the spring 
of 1861. upon the Republican ticket, and the same year was appointed by 
Governor Robinson judge of the second judicial district, and held this office, 
by election, until 1866. when he resigned. He was a Republican presidential 
elector in 1868, and in 1869 was appointed a district attorney of Kansas by 
President Grant, which office he held until 1873. when he was elected a 
member of the house of representati\es from this county. Three years later 
he was elected to the State senate, and was also a delegate to the National 
Republican conventirm in June of that year, and in the same year was ap- 
pointed chief justice of the supreme court of Kansas by (lovernor Thomas 
A. Osborn, to succeed Hon. S. .-\. Kingman, who was before that time a 
prominent practitioner in Atchison. In 1877 Judge Horton was nominated 
on the Republican ticket to the office of chief justice of the State, and he 
served in that capacitv for seventeen years, at the end of which time he re- 
turned to Atchison and formed a partnership with Hon. B. P. Waggener. 
Judge Horton was an able jurist and lawyer, a strong argumentative and 
fluent speaker. "He displayed marked ability as a parliamentarian while in 
the legislature, and was. altogether, a man of strong mental capacity, good 
judgment, coupled with executive ability, and much practical experience. 
Ater a number of years' practice here, following his resignation as chief jus- 
tice of the State, he subsefpiently was reelected to the same position. He 
died on the second day of Septemljer. 1902. 

Judge Horton was succeeded as judge of the district court of this dis- 
trict by Hon. St. Clair Graham Mav 11, 1866. Judge Graham served as 
judge until January 11. 1869, and was on the bench at the time that the cele- 
brated Regis Liosel land contest was tried in Nemaha county, in which John 
J. ln.galls. another Atchison lawyer, represented some claimants to 38,111 
acres of land in the counties of Nemaha, Marshall. Jackson and Pottawato- 
mie. It was one of the celebrated cases of that day. The litigation grew out 
of a French land grant, which subsequently was confirmed by an act of Con- 
gress in 1858. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



295 



Judge Graham was succeeded by Hon. Nathan Price, of Troy, Doniphan 
county, January 11, 1869. Judge Price served until March i, 1872. He 
practiced law in the district for a number of years thereafter, and died in 
Troy March 8, 1883. B. P. Waggener, who began his wonderful career as 
a lawyer during the administration of Judge Price, and who has been in the 
active practice in Atchison since that time, is authority for the statement that 
Judge Price was one of the most brilliant judges that ever adorned llie 
bench. He is described Iiy Mr. Waggener as being a man of a ])owerful per- 
sonality, and thorouglily grounded in the principles of the law. 





S. C. KINGMAN 



P. T. ABELL 



During this period in the history of the county, Atchison had one of the 
strongest bars in the State of Kansas. Among tiie able lawyers then in the 
active practice were : P. T. Abell, about whom much has appeared in this his- 
tory; Gen. Benjamin F. Stringfellow, Alfred G. Otis, John J. Tngalls, George 
W. Glick, Samuel C. Kingman, J. T. Hereford, Gen. W. W. Guthrie, Albert 
H. Horton, Cassius G. Foster, S. H. Glenn, F. D. ]\Iills and David Martin, 
and one of that number, Air. Waggener, is also authority for the statement 
that Benjamin F. Stringfellow was the most brilliant. General Stringfellow 
was a brother of Dr. John H. Stringfellow, one of the founders of Atchison, 
and, like his lirotlier, was a strong pro-slavery leader. He was famous be- 
fore he came to Atchison, because of his widely known views with regard 
to the opening of Kansas as a slave State, and for the depth and force of 



296 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

his arguments upon the points then at issue. General Stringfellow was born 
in Fredericksburg. Va., September 3, 1816, and before coming to Kansas he 
was a resident of Missouri. He first located in Louisville, Ky.. and tiien 
went to St. Louis, and from St. Louis to Huntsville, Mo., finally locating at 
Keytesville. where he settled down in liis profession, and was recognized as 
being a young lawyer of fine ability. He declined the position of circuit 
attorne)', but upon the earnest solicitation of the governor, he finally yielded 
and entered upon the duties of that office, and subsequently was elected without 
opposition, and held that office for a term of four years at a salary of $250 
a year. He subsequently was elected to the legislature, with the largest 
majority ever received in a count)', and immediately became a very active, 
popular and influential member of that body. Shortly thereafter the position 
of attorney-general of the State of Missouri became vacant, and General 
Stringfellow was appointed to that place. He held the office of attorney- 
general for four years. It was then that he formed a partnership wit!: Hon. 
P. T. Abell, which continued until the fall of 185 1. and they removed to 
Weston, Platte county, Missouri, in the fall of 1853. 

At the opening of Kansas to settlement in 1854, General Stringfellow 
found the abolitionists preparing to get control of the country, and. in opposi- 
tion to the formation of the Massachusetts Immigrants' Aid Society, he took 
part in the organization of a pro-slavery organization at W'eston. Mo., 
known as the Platte County Self-Defensive Association, of which he was 
secretary, and one of its most active members. General Stringfellow, fore- 
i;eeing the conflict, insisted that the only means of preventing or deferring it, 
was to make Kansas a slave State, and thus retain sufficient power in the 
T7nited States Senate to defeat aggression l)y tlie abolitionists on the rights 
of the South. General Stringfellow, with all the power and enthusiasm of 
his southern temperament, labored ceaselessly for the success of his cause. 
He was the active man of what was generally called "Atchison. Stringfellow 
& Company." 

When the pro-slavery forces finally succeeded, and the destiny of Kansas 
was fixed. General Stringfellow went to Memphis. Tenn.. in 1858. but not 
liking the climate, and compelled by his financial interests to look after prop- 
erty in .\tchison, he brought his family here and b,ecame a resident of Atchi- 
son county in the fall of 1859, and remained here during all the bitter con- 
flict that followed, beloved and respected by friends and opponents alike. He 
submitted gracefully to the final decision, and. while never seeking office, 
and influenced in his political action by what he deemed the best interests 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



297 



of the people of the State, he cordially cooperated with the Republican party 
in Kansas, but he was preeminently a lawyer, although he had a large out- 
side business interests during his residence here. He was active in the organ- 
ization and construction of the Atchison & St. Joseph railroad, which was 
the first railroad connecting Kansas with the East, and was its first attorney. 
Shorly before his death he made a trip around the world. He died in 
Chicago in the early nineti*. 




GEN. H. F. STRINGFELLOW 




COL. J. A, .\1AUXI.\ 



A few years after General Stringfellow immigrated from Missouri into 
Kansas, there came another famous lawyer, who was also formerly an attor- 
ney-general of ^Missouri, Gen. Bela M. Hughes. General Hughes was also 
one of the brilliant la\vyers of an early day, whu remained in Atchison but 
a few years as general counsel for the Overland Stage Line. Before coming 
to Atchison, General Hughes was a resident of St. Joseph, where he was the 
president and general counsel for the Central Overland California & PiUe's 
Peak Express Company, \^'hcn this line was sold, under a mortgage fore- 
closure, to Ben Holladay, in 1862, General Hughes came to .\tchison. He 
served as general counsel for Mr. Holladay until the line was purchased 
by Wells, Fargo & Company. He was retained by this company as its gen- 



298 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

eral counsel, which continued to operate the overland stage hne, until a rail- 
road was built across the plains, meanwhile moving to Denver, where he was 
elected the first president and general counsel of the Denver & Pacific rail- 
way, the first railroad to enter Denver, in July, 1870, and he later became 
general counsel for the Denver & South Park railroad, and a member of the 
last territorial legislature of Colorado. General Hughes was born in Ken- 
tucky, educated at Augusta College, and removed with his parents at an early 
date to Liberty, Mo. He was a member of the Missouri legislature, prose- 
cuting attorney, and receiver of the United States land office at Plattsburg, 
from which place he went to St. Joseph. In his early youth he was a soldier 
in the Black Hawk war, serving with the Missouri volunteers. He took up 
his residence in Denver in the late sixties, when the city had less than 5.000 
inliabitants. He died in Denver in 1904, at the age of eighty-six years. 

Judge Samuel C. Kingman was born in Worthington. I\Iass.. June 6, 
1818. He attended a common school and academies of his home town, and 
became proficient in higher mathematics and Latin, but his regular attendance 
at school ended when he was seventeen years old. He was always a sickly 
man, and at times during his life was compelled to lay aside all study and 
attention to active affairs. At the age of twenty he drifted to Kentucky, 
where he remained eighteen years, teaching school, reading law and practic- 
ing as an attorney. He held offices as county clerk and county attorney in 
Kentucky, and was a member of the legislature of that State in 1850. In 
1856 he came to Iowa, and in the following year moved to Brown county, 
Kansas, where he lived on a farm for a year, and then opened a law office 
in Hiawatha. Jud.ge Kingman was a member of the Wyandotte Constitu- 
tional convention, which framed the constitution of the State, and the same 
year was elected a judge of the supreme court, taking his seat upon the ad- 
mission of the State into the Union in 1861, holding his office for four years. 
In 1866 he was elected chief justice, and reelected in 1872, but because of ill 
health he resigned in 1877. and retired from active professional life. Judge 
Kingman was for a time a resident of Atchison and a law partner of John 
J. Ingalls. He died in Topeka September 9, 1904. 

Cassius G. Foster, another one of the brilliant galaxy of lawyers, who 
practiced in Atchison during the term of Judge Price on the bench, was born 
at Webster, Monroe county. New York, June 22, 1837. He was lirought up 
on a farm until he was fourteen years of age, and having only the advantages 
of a common district school, he attended high school at Palmyra. N. Y., after 
which he went to Michigan, where he lived on a farm near Adrian, where he 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 299 

worked for his uncle. Meanwhile, he attended school at the academy in Adrian. 
He studied law with Fernando C. Beaman, of Adrian, and afterwards re- 
moved to Rochester, N. Y. In June, 1859, he came to Kansas, having pre- 
viously been greatly interested in the Free State struggle, and upon arriving 
in Atchison, he formed a partnership with Judge S. H. Glenn, and immedi- 
ately won for himself a high position at the bar of the State and Federal 
courts. He was elected State senator from Atchison county in 1862, and was 
mayor of Atchison in 1867. He practiced law here until 1874, when he was 
appointed United States district judge of Kansas. 

Hon. P. L. Hubbard, of Atchison, succeeded Judge Price on the bench 
March 2, 1872, and served until January 8, 1877, and following Judge Hub- 
bard, Hon. Alfred G. Otis was elected judge of the second judicial district 
January 8, 1877, and served until January, 188 1. Judge Otis was born in 
Cortland county, New York, December 13, 1828, and came to Kansas in 
October, 1855, and immediately became engaged in land litigation, which at 
that time was very active here. During the early career of Judge Otis in 
Atchison county, and for many years thereafter, land litigation was the chief 
source of revenue for lawyers. There were no great corporations then as 
now; no railroads for clients, and aside from land litigation and a general 
practice of the law, including criminal cases, there was but little business for 
lawyers. At that time the criminal practice was not looked upon with the 
same disapprobation on the part of the profession as it is in these days. A 
good criminal lawyer then was an ornament to the profession, and a good 
criminal advocate was in constant demand and his services brought him large 
remuneration. Judge Otis was a Democrat, but a Union man, and in addi- 
tion to his activities in his profession, he was also prominent in the business 
affairs of the town, and for a long time took an active part in the manage- 
ment of the Atchison Savings Bank, of which he was for many years presi- 
dent. Judge Otis died in Atchison May 7, 1912. 

Judge Otis was succeeded by Hon. David Martin in January, 188 1. 
Judge Martin served until April, 1887, and was one of the eminent members 
of the Atchison county bar. In personal appearance he was unique among 
his fellows, and in physical appearance was the counterpart of Dickens' 
famous Mr. Pickwick. He was a partner of B. P. Waggener for a number of 
years, and was subsequently elected to the position of chief justice of the 
supreme court of Kansas, where he served with great distinction. He was 
a thorough lawyer and a scholar. He died at Atchison March 2, 1901. 

It was between the terms of Judge Price and Judge David Martin that 



300 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the bar of Atchison county reached its greatest eminence, and. wliile there 
have been good lawyers here since that time, there never has been a period 
in the histor}'^ of the county when there were so many brilhant practitioners at 
the bar. During several years following Judge Martin, the second judicial 
district, which constituted Atchison county alone, was torn by internal dis- 
sension, and upon the resignation of Judge Martin. Hon. H. M. Jackson was 
elected to the bench, April i, 1887, and served until January, 1888. There 
never was a more conscientious or painstaking lawyer a resident of Atchi- 
son than Judge Jackson. He was not only a fine lawyer, but he was a good 
citizen, useful to clients and the pul>lic alike. At his death, May 7, 191 2, he 
left a large practice, which has since been conducted by his son, Z. E. Jackson. 
Following a bitter contest, Hon. W. D. Gilbert succeeded Judge Jackson in 
January, 1888, and served until 1889, and then came Hon. Robert N. Eaton, 
whose term began in January, 1889. and ended in January, 1893. J"<^1&^ 
Eaton was succeeded by Hon. W. D. Webb, who in turn was succeeded by 
Hon, W. T. Bland, who served from January, 1897, to January, 1902. and 
resigned to go into the wholesale drug business. Hon. Benjamin F. Hudson, 
one of the oldest practitioners at the bar. succeeded Judge Bland and served 
until October 11, 1909, and was succeeded by Hon. \\'illiam A. Jackson, the 
present judge, a sketch of whose career appears in another part of this history. 

During the turbulent years that followed the organization of the second 
judicial district, down to 1916, there was no greater lawyer at the Atchison 
county bar than B. P. Waggener, about whom there appears an historical 
sketch in another part of this history. Mr. Waggener. in addition to being 
a native genius, inherited or acquired a faculty for unremitting toil. These 
qualifications make him stand out in 1916 as a brilliant leader of his pro- 
fession in Atchison county. He has been associated as a partner with many 
men who have been preeminent in their profession at different periods in his 
career, Horton. Martin and Doster, all of whom served as chief justices of 
the State, were his jjartners, and in addition to these, Aaron S. Everest was 
at one time a jiartner under tlie firm name of Everest & Waggener. In 
January. 1876, this firm was appointed general attorneys for northern Kan- 
sas of the Missouri Pacific and the Central Branch railroads, and from that 
date to 1916 Mr. Waggener has been in the constant service of this road, 
first as general attorney and later as general counsel for the states of Kan- 
sas, Nebraska and Colorado. 

Col. Aaron S. Everest was an interesting member of this bar. He was a 
native of Plattsburg, N. Y., and located in Kansas in 1871. His first partner 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 301 

was A. G. Otis, and when he and Mr. Waggcner were associated, they were 
not only attorneys for the Missouri Pacific Railway Company, but for the 
Pacific Express Company, the Western Union Telegraph Company, three 
Atchison banks, the Atchison Bridge Company, and the firm was also con- 
nected with the Union Pacific Railroad Company. Mr. Everest retired from 
active practice a number of years before his death, having acquired a com- 
fortable fortune in the practice of law and in business operations. He died in 
St. Louis a number of years ago. 

The present membership of the Atchison county bar is composed of law- 
yers of fine abilities, and the active members are as follows : James \\\ Orr, 
for many years a partner of Mr. Waggener, and now special counsel for the 
Government in important litigation against the Central Pacific railroad; \V. 
P. Waggener, general attorney for the Missouri Pacific Railway Company in 
Kansas; J. M. Challiss, former county attorney, and a member of the firm 
of Waggener, Challiss & Crane, of which A. E. Crane is the other member ; 
W. A. Jackson, district judge; Charles J. Conlon, county attorney, C. D. 
Walker and T. A. Moxcey, both of whom were former county attorneys ; W. 
E. Brown, city attorney; Z. E. Jackson, of the firm of Jackson & Jackson; 
Judge J. L. Berry, P. Ha^es. Hugo Orlopp, E. W. Clausen, Ralph u' Pfouts,' 
Charles T. Gundy, judge of the city court, George L. Brown. William O.' 
Cain, and Andrew Deduall. 



CHAPTER XIX 



MEDICAL PROFESSION. 



FIRST PHYSICIANS EARLY PRACTICE PIONEER REMEDIES MODERN MEDICINE 

AND SURGERY PROMINENT PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS ATCHISON 

COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY. 

Any history of this county would be incomplete did it not dwell at some 
length upon the activities of the splendid sei^vice rendered the community by 
the physicians and surgeons who were among the earliest arrivals upon the 
frontier, and have presided at the births and administered to the sick and dying 
for the past sixty years. 

It was peculiarly fitting and appropriate when Atchison, was born, that a 
prominent physician of those days was on hand to assist in the delivery. In 
truth, Dr. J. H. Stringfellow was not only the physician in charge, but he also 
was one of the parents also, and from that time to the present the medical 
profession has been active in the affairs of the county. There have teen many 
splendid representatives of the profession here since the days of Dr. String- 
fellow, and the vicissitudes and trials and hardships they went through 
make up a romantic chapter in our history. The oldest physician in the city 
of Atchison in 1916 in point of service is Dr. E. T. Shelly, and it might be 
said, without disparagement to others, he is not only the oldest, but he is per- 
haps held in as high esteem and respect as any other physician who ever 
practiced here. Dr. Shelly combines the qualities that make for good citizen- 
ship. He treats his profession as a good Christian treats his religion. He is 
a man of ideals, of vision, of integrity, and his life rings true. Yet, withal, 
Dr. Shelly is not a professional hermit. While his profession comes first, he 
does not allow it to exclude him from an active interest and participation in 
the affairs of life. He is a student of political and economic questions, an 
essayist, and a vigorous advocate of a liberal democracy. His views on these 

302 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 3O3 

questions are wholesome and instructive, but it is to the profession of medi- 
cine tliat Dr. Slielly addressed himself in a recent interview the author of this 
history had with him, and his views were expressed as follows : 

"What changes liave occurred in the practice of medicine since the days 
of the first physicians here ! He did his work on horseback with his medicines 
in saddle-bags thrown over the horse, and often had to go many miles to 
visit a patient over a sparsel}- settled prairie with roads that were little more 
than trails. The streams he had to cross were bridgeless. and the larger ones 
could be crossed only at fords, which, after heavy rains or during freezing 
weather, were very dangerous. 

"Today, in this section of the State, these primitive conditions can hardly 
be imagined. Nearly every country doctor now has an automobile, and 
crosses gullies and streams on concrete bridges and travels over 'dragged' 
roads. Instead of passing through a sparsely settled country, he finds a fine 
large farm house on nearly every 'quarter' or 'eighty' supplemented bv a sub- 
stantial barn and spacious granaries. He passes a school house every few 
miles and occasionally a rural church, and lives in a comfortable, modern 
home in a flourishing, well kept country town. 

"In the science and art of medicine the change has been no less marked 
than in its general practice. 

"Until forty years ago, doctors possessed a few great remedies which 
they often used very skillfully, but the knowledge of the nature of disease 
was very slight. Treatment was largely symptomatic; that is, remedies were 
expected chiefly to combat certain symptoms, rather tlian to treat underlying 
causes. 

"A notion very prevalent until then, and which has not yet disappeared 
entirely, was that there is a remedy for every disease, and that whenever a 
patient is not cured of his illness it is due, not to the limitations of the heaUng 
art, but to the fact that treatment was not begun early enough, or his doctor 
didn't know enough, or didn't care enough to give him the right medicine. 
About that time it began to dawn on the most thoughtful and capable med- 
ical men that the course of disease can usually not be quickly checked; that 
most diseases run a definite course ; that most patients recover spontaneously, 
or the disease persists to the end and is not much influenced by any of the 
remedies used. About that time medical men began to appreciate also an- 
other fact: that underlying most diseases, there is a natural tendency toward 
recovery, which means that most diseases will cure themselves if given time 
enough. 



304 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

"While medical men insist that the practice of medicine is both a science 
and an art, they are also perfectly willing to admit that it is neither an exact 
science nor a perfect art. In other words, modern medicine admits that it 
has not yet scaled the heights or fathomed the depths of scientific knowledge 
in regard to the nature of disease or of its cure. It is still willing to learn. 
Indeed, it realizes the fact that there is still infinitely more to learn than has 
yet been found out. And there is no avenue of human knowledge which it 
is not willing to explore in order to find out things that will get the sick 
well and keep the well from getting sick. 

"A stunning blow to the old notions of the nature of disease and to the 
old methods of treatment, was administered about thirty years ago by the dis- 
covery that most diseases are due to infinitely small, living organisms, called 
germs or liacteria, wliicli pre\- upon, or poison the tissues of the body, and 
therein- disturl), more or less seriously, some, or all, of the norma! functions 
of the body. The scientific laboratory thereupon became the shrine of mod- 
ern medicine ; a new epoch in medicine had arrived. 

"This new epoch meant not only that medical and surgical disorders 
were henceforth to be treated in a much more scientific and rational way than 
they had been in the past, but that one of the greatest scientific conquests of 
the ages was underway — the intelligent prevention of disease. Preventive 
medicine had been born. Soon thereafter a new and unprecedented popular 
interest in medical matters liecame prevalent. Newspapers, magazines and the 
public forum took a hand in popularizing this new knowledge of the nature 
of disease and the methods of preventing disease, which was founded on the 
new knowledge. Disease began to be looked on no longer as only a mys- 
terious dispensation of Providence, but as a thing which, as scientific medi- 
cine advanced, was more and more to come under the knowledge and con- 
trol of science. 

"In no domain of modern medicine have greater advances been made 
than in surgery, due chiefly to the discovery of the role which germs play 
in the causation of surgical troubles. Because of the discovery of the neces- 
sity of asepsis (the absence of germs) in surgical operations and its practical 
application, operations, which, if done thirty years ago, would have been 
almost invariably fatal, can now be done nearly with impunity. Then, surgi- 
cal operations in large surgical clinics were done by men in Prince Albert 
coats. Today, the surgeon and his assistants are arrayed in sterilized white 
gowns and rubber gloves with caps for their heads and special coverings for 
mouth and nose, which are worn in order to prevent any unfiltered, con- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTV 305 

taminated vapor from these orifices coming in contact with the freshly 'made 
wound. Where proper precautions are taken, and no pus or other fihh has 
come in contact with the wound, some of the most extensive operations are 
followed by immediate repair, without the formation of pus in the wound. To 
enumerate even a small part of the triumphs of modern surg-ery would 
occupy too much space and is uncalled for here, and these triumphs would 
have been impossible before the advent of surgical cleanliness. 

"But modern medicine does not stop at treating or curing people. It 
does something even bigger and better — it tries to keep them well. Indeed, 
the medical profession is the only immolating profession there is — the only 
profession that is all the time tr\ing, by its efforts in the direction of pre- 
ventive medicine, to destroy its onI\- source of income — the treatment of 
disease — by doing all within its power to make disease less and less prev- 
alent. It is continually urging Ijetter personal and public hygiene and san- 
itation. Because medical men understand the stunting effects of ill health 
on the growing mind and body of the child, they are urging careful med- 
ical inspection of schools and school children, and they call for better health 
conditions in the family, the factory, and the mine, and they denounce with- 
out measure unhealthy child labor. Modern medicine tries to banish from 
the home and school, as nearly as may be, that brutal precept — "He that 
spareth the rod, hateth his son" — because it knows that the irritable, petulent, 
stubborn child may be a sick child, or has fools for parents, while the incor- 
rigible boy or girl needs the attention of an exi)ert in nerv(jus and mental 
diseases rather than the lirutality of an impatient, ignorant parent or 
policeman. 

"Modern medicine enters the jungle and by proper sanitary rules and 
regulations makes a deadly, miasmatic swamp a model of cleanliness and 
healthfulness, as was done in the Panama canal zone, and without which the 
building of the canal would have been impossible. 

"Modern medicine seeks to help and to save mankind, not only from 
physical ills, but from moral ills as well. By the careful study of the in- 
fluence of inheritance and environment on the development and the conduct 
of the child, it tries to make his physical inheritance as favorable as possil)le. 
and his economic and social environment as helpful as may be, realizing that 
much of our moral delinquency is due to unjust civic and economic 
conditions." 

It would require a \-olume to tell the story of the lives of all the early- 
day physicians of this county. Investigation discloses the fact that they were 
numerous, and that in addition to Dr. Stringfellow. who gave more of his time 

20 



306 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

to political matters than to his profession, there was a Dr. D. McVay here 
prior to i860. He was a southern gentleman, but apparently had more dis- 
cretion than valor, for he fled from Atchison at the beginning of the Civil 
war. Dr. William Grimes, concerning whose life brief mention has been 
heretofore made in this histoiy, was a physician at Atchison in 1858. Dr. W. W. 
Cochrane was another physician of the old school, a courtly, amiable gentle- 
man, and a good physician. He was for a number of years treasurer of the 
Kansas Medical Society, and was a pioneer among pliysicians in administer- 
ing chloroform in childbirth cases. Dr. Arnold was here in 1859, and later, 
on a trip to Denver, he was scalped by the Indians. Dr. Joseph Malin, of 
Weston, Mo., who married one of the McAdows, was a physician in Atch- 
ison in 1861, and Dr. J. V. Brining practiced in Atchison in 1862. and re- 
mained a practitioner here until 1914. 

Dr. William Gough, who iiad been a Confederate army surgeon, located 
in Atchison shortly after the war. He practiced in St. Joseph before coming 
to Atchison, and also at DeKalb, where he married Mrs. Annie Dunning. 
From DeKalb he moved to Rushville, and then came to Atchison, where he 
formed a partnership with the late Dr. J. M. Linley. Together they enjoyed 
an extensive medical and surgical practice, until 1887, when Dr. Gough moved 
to Los Angeles, Cal., for the benefit of his health. He died there in 1908. 
Dr. Gough is described by his friends as being a man of large physique, the 
soul of honor, and displayed the utmost care and gentleness in the care of his 
patients. 

Dr. W. L. Challiss came to Atchison in 1857, and while standing 
high in his profession, gave most of his time to business affairs, and prac- 
ticed only spasmodically. There was also a Dr. Buddington in Atchison in 
1864, who ran a drug store at Fourth and Commercial streets. 

One of the most interesting members of the medical profession in an 
early day was Dr. Charles F. Kob, a German physician, who lived here about 
1858. Dr. Kob had been a surgeon in the army and a member of the Mas- 
sachusetts and Connecticut Medical Society. He founded the town of Bunker 
Hill, on Independence creek, ten miles north of Atchison, to which reference 
has already been made in this history. He lived and practiced in Boston be- 
fore coming to Atchison. Dr. Amaziah Moore was another very early day 
physician, who located on a farm three or four miles west of Lancaster, in 
1857. He came from Ohio. In 1861 he helped organize a company for the 
Civil war, which became Company D of the Second Kansas cavalry, of which 
he was captain. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



307 





DR. W. W. COCHRANE 



WILLIAM L. CHALLIS 



Dr. John C. Batsell lived about two and one-half miles northwest of 
Monrovia. He was a native of Kentucky, and was born in Marion county 
March 16, 181S. He was reared and educated in his native county, where he 
<ook up the study of medicine, and became proficient in the science. He com- 
menced the practice of his profession in Valeene, Orange county, Indiana, 
where he continued successfully for over seven years. In the autumn of 1855 
he came to Atcliison county, along with John Graves and others, and after 
looking around, went to DeKalb, Mo., where he remained until the sprin.g 
of 1866, when he returned to Atchison county, and preempted a quarter sec- 
lion, upon which he Jived, northwest of Monrovia. He engaged in the prac- 
tice of medicine in connection with farming, being frequently called into 
Doniphan and Brown counties. Malarial diseases prevailed to a great ex- 
tent in those early days, and the people were in straitened circumstances. 
He furnished medicine and attended to their wants, losing largely in a 
financial way, as the greater portion of the first dwellers moved away. In 
1863 Dr. Batsell organized one-half of Company D, Thirteenth Kansas, of 
which he was tendered the captaincy, but declined and accepted the position of 
first lieutenant. On account of serious illness he only served three months 
in the army. He was major of the Thirteenth Kansas during the Price raid, 
and at the close of the war was elected to the legislature by the Republican 
party. He was originally an old-line Whig, but upon the organization of the 



308 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Republican party he joined it, as he was in favor of the aboHtion of slavery'. 
During his latter years he discontinued his practice and devoted his time to 
his farm. He died about ten years ago. 

Dr. David Wait came from Missouri to Kansas in 1859 and settled on 
a farm near Eden postoffice, now known as the Vollmer farm. He was a 
striking-looking man and was looked upon as very proficient in his pro- 
fession. He was an ardent Union man. In fact. Dr. Moore, Dr. Batsell and 
Dr. Wait were all of great help to the Union cause in the days before the war. 

Among other leading physicians of the county, outside of Atchison, of 
the early days, were Dr. J- F. Martin, Dr. S. G. Page, Dr. C. C. Stivers, and 
Dr. Desmond, concerning whom the following informatitm is available: 

Dr. J. F. Martin was one of the first practitioners in Atchison county. 
He was a native of Bourbon county, Kentucky, and was born September 29, 
1828. He graduated at the Transylvania Medical University, in 1854. and 
afterwards took a course of lectures in St. Louis Medical Uni\ersity. Sub- 
sequentlv he removed to DeKalb, Mo., wliere he practiced until 1836. coming 
to Kansas about the same time that Dr. Batsell came. He had a large prac- 
tice in Doniphan and Brown counties. He practiced ten years, and returned 
to Decatur. 111., in 1866, where he remained seven years, ami returned to 
Kansas, locating in Effingham. He died in Effingham in 1877. 

Dr. S. G. Page, a native of Juniata county, Pennsylvania, was born 
Julv 16, 1845. He attended Bellevue Hospital Medical College in Xew York 
in 1867: came to Kansas in 1868, and located in Center townsln'p, five miles 
south of Effingham, where he located on a farm which he operated a few 
years, and then located in Effingham. 

Dr. C. C. Stivers, a native of Brown county, Ohio, was born January 
6, 1842. He enlisted in Company A, Sixtieth Ohio Volunteer infantry: par- 
ticipated in the battles of Bull Run, Cross Keys and Port Royal. Returning 
from the war, he took a course of lectures at IMiami University in Oxford 
Ohio: located in Eden in 1877 and practiced until 188 1. when he became a 
resident of Effingham. In 1880 he attemlcd Keokuk Medical College, grad- 
uating from that institution. He had the reputation of being a brilliant con- 
versationalist and a \'ery interesting gentleman. 

The first doctor to locate at Lancaster was Dr. Desmond, who went there 
in the latter seventies. While there he married a Miss Streeper, of Good 
Intent, and alx)ut 1885 moved to Stewartsville, Mo. Dr. Desmond was suc- 
ceeded at Lancaster by Dr. A. L. Charles, who came there from Bunker Hill, 
Russell county, Kansas, where he had gone four years previousl)^ after grad- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 3O9 

uating- from the Kansas City ^ledical College. Soon after locating at Lan- 
caster. Dr. Charles married IMiss Alice Keeney, who lived near Lancaster. 
Dr. and Mrs. Charles raised a family of seven children, the eldest of whom 
is the Atchison surgeon. Dr. Hugh L. Charles. Mrs. Charles died of pneu- 
monia in the Atchison hospital in January, 191 5. Dr. Charles has been a very 
successful physician. He enjoys the profoundest respect of his colleagues 
throughout the county, who regard him as an ideal physician. It is need- 
less to add that he also enjoys the the utmost confidence and esteem of a 
clientele whose numbers are limited only by his ability to serve. 

The first physician at Mt. Pleasant was Dr. Eagle, who located there 
during territorial days and practiced for a number of years. Dr. Jacob Larry 
also located at Mt. Pleasant about 1856. He was a South Carolinian, and 
a graduate of Charleston Medical College. During the war he was a surgeon 
in the army. He located in latan. Mo., and was building u]) a large practice 
when he committed suicide by taking strychnine and then Ijlowing his brains 
out with a pistol. Before moving to latan Dr. Larry induced Dr. John Par- 
sons, of King's Bridge, N. Y., who also had been an army surgeon, to come 
to Mt. Pleasant. Dr. Parsons practiced there several years, and his prac- 
tice became so large that he finally induced Dr. George W. Redmon to locate 
at Mt. Pleasant and assist him. Dr. Redmon located there in the fall of 1872, 
and remained a number of years, later locating at Oak Mills. There was also 
a Dr. \\'. ^^'. Crook at Mt. Pleasant, in the seventies. Dr. Crook also prac- 
ticed in Doniphan, and later moved to Wyoming. Dr. P. R. Moore was 
another physician who located in Mt. Pleasant townsh.ip during the seventies, 
as was also Dr. Johnson. Dr. Charles H. Linley, now a resident physician 
of Atchison, practiced in Mt. Pleasant for a number of years, and following 
Dr. Linley came Dr. Miller and Dr. Rice. Dr. Roberts had a small drug store 
and practiced medicine at Oak Mills in the early days. He was addicted to 
the liquor habit, and was found dead in his office one morning. He had been 
preceded in practice at Oak Mills by Dr. Earle, who lived about half wav be- 
tween Oak Mills and Kickapoo, and who settled there during the fifties. 

Dr. J. M. Linley came to Atchison March 14, 1865. He was born in 
Concord, Ky., October 28, 1837. He attended college at Princeton, Ky., and 
was graduated from Miami Medical College at Cincinnati, Ohio, in March. 
1858, and subseciuently attended lectures in Bellevue College, New York. He 
was post surgeon at New Madrid, Mo., in 1864. Dr. Linley was one of the 
most successful practitioners of Atchison and was held in high esteem. In 
1891 he went abroad and attended clinics in hospitals of Berlin and Lnndnn. 
He died in Phoenix, .Ariz., November 28, iqoo. 



3IO HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

The following are the members of the Atchison County Medical 
Society as reported in 1915: Dr. C. H. Johnson, Dr. H. L. Charles, 
Dr. M. T. Dingess, Dr. E. J. Bribach, Dr. Robert Dickey, Dr. E. P. Pitts, 
Dr. C. A. Lilly, Dr. Charles Robinson, Dr. C. H. Linley, Dr. T. E. Homer, 
Dr. F. A. Pearl, Dr. P. R. Moore, Emmingham, Dr. S. M. Myers, Potter, 
Dr. G. E. White, Effingham, Dr. G. W. Allaman, Dr. \V: F. Smith. Dr. 
Virgil Morrison, Dr. E. T. Shelly. 



CHAPTER XX. 



INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL. 



MUCH WEALTH AND ENTERPRISE ABOUND MANUFACTURING MILLING 

EXTENSIVE WHOLESALE HARDWARE AND GROCERY ESTABLISHMENTS 

PLANING MILLS VARIOUS JOBBING -AND RETAIL INTERESTS. 

Industrial enterprises of Atchison county, so far as manufacturing and 
jobbing interests are concerned, are confined exclusively to the city of Atchi- 
son. There are no mills or factories or large manufacturing institutions in 
any of the smaller towns of the county. Outside of Atchison the labor and 
industry of the citizens are directed in agricultural pursuits ; the tilling of the 
soil, the breeding of live stock and the development of all the other arts of 
husbandry, but in the city of Atchison there are a number of establishments 
which give emplo}ment to labor, and which in a number of instances ship 
their finished products to all parts of the United States and into the ports of 
foreign countries. 

Atchison, however, strictly speaking, is not a factory town, nor a great 
manufacturing center. Tliere have been times in its history when it was more 
important, commercially, than now, but that was in the days before the great 
onrush to Kansas City. Yet the town today is a substantial, solid community, 
where much wealth and enterprise abound, and where there has been a 
steady, healthy commercial growth. 

The largest manufacturing plant is the John Seaton Foundry Company, 
and the Locomotive Finished Material Company, an associated enterprise, es- 
tablished by the late John Seaton, who moved to Atcliison from Alton, III., in 
1 87 1, having been induced to come to Atchison by a handsome donation from 
the citizens of the town. Mr. Seaton originally manufactured much architec- 
tural work; iron and brass casting, boilers, jail and sheet iron work. For a 
while it was conducted under the firm name of Seaton & Lea, i)iu shortly be- 

311 



312 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



fore the death of Captain Seaton, a few years ago, the Locomotive Finished 
Material Company was organized to put the finishing touches on castings and 
at the death of Mr. Seaton, H. E. Muchnic hecame president and general 
manager of the company, with John C. Seaton, Clive Hastings, \V. S. Fer- 
guson and G. L. Seaton as associate directors. Tlic average numljer of em- 
ployees is about 226, when the total horse power is 500. They ha\T a payroll 
of over $14,000 a month, and are dciing a large business with railroads and 
other hig industrial i)lants throughout llie countr_\-. 

The Manglesdorf Brothers Company is one of the oldest establishments 
in the city. It began in 1875 as a side line in connection with the retail gro- 
cery business, by August and William Manglesdorf, and is now conducted by 
the sons of tlie founders. It is one of the largest seed houses in the West. 
The business was incorporated in 1887, and the officers in 1916 are as fol- 
lows: August Manglesdorf, president: A. F. Manglesdorf, vice-president; Ed. 
F. Manglesdorf, vice-president; F. H. Manglesdorf, treasurer, and F. \\'. 
Manglesdorf, secretary. 




The business has grown to sucli an extent that it was thought advisable 
to close out the retail end of it and it is now conducted as an exclusively whole- 
sale seed house. The new warehouse, whicli the firm now occupies, was 
erected last year and gives it one of the largest and most complete plants in 
the West. The new building is modern in e\ery way, strictly fire-proof and 



HISTORY OF ATCHIS.ON COUNTY 3I3 

provides an enormous space for storing and handling the stocks, whicli are 
accumulated for the spring trade. The seed line, perhaps more than any other, 
is a seasonable one, and by far the greater proportion of the year's business 
must be crowded into a few spring months. It is necessary, therefore, to 
move goods quickly and in large quantities, when the season is on. For this 
purpose, the warehouses are equipped with suitable machinery and devices, 
which are kept up to the highest possible efficiency for handling and cleaning 
the seed. The stocks are obtained in all parts of the world. When crops 
fail in one part of the country, it is the business of the seed dealers to supply 
the deficiency from some other sections, where conditions have been more fav- 
orable. Thus, the source of suppl\' and the outlet for it are constantly shift- 
ing and it requires keeping in touch with the progress of the crops and market 
conditions in many different producing districts. 

The firm does a considerable export business also, particularly in blue 
grass and timothy, which are produced here, cheaper and in better quality 
than they are in Europe. During each year the firm's travelers cover the 
States of Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, parts of Nebra.ska, Colorado and 
Texas. Its line of garden seeds may be obtained from the local merchants 
in nearly every town in this territory. 

The Bailor Plow Company, of Atchison, organized in 1910 with an 
authorized capital of $50,000. J. AI. Schott, president ; Charles Linley, vice- 
president ; \V. P. Byram, secretary ; E. V. Jones, treasurer and manager. 
Manufacturers of a two-row cultivator. S. E. Bailor, then of Beatrice. Neb., 
some twenty years since built and Ijeg^an experimenting with a two-row cul- 
tivator. About 1905, the late David Rankin, of Tarkio, Mo., placed fifty 
Bailor cultivators in use on his 25,000-acre farm near Tarkio, giving them a 
thorough test for efficienc}'. The result was such that he induced Bailor to 
build a plant for their manufacture at Tarkio. In 1910 the Atchison Commer- 
cial Club, which had previouslv investigated the possibilities of Bailor's factory 
as a valuable addition to this city's industrial institutions, induced him to locate 
his business in Atchison. The Bailor Plow Company was promoted and in- 
corporated by the following- successful Inisiness men : Balie P. W'aggcncr, 
Henry Klostermeier, T. R. Clendinen, at that time president ol" the Commer- 
cial Club: O. A. Simmons, vice-president of the I'irst National I'.ank; E. V. 
Jones, J. M. Schott, \V. P. Byram, Charles Linley. at that time trca.surer of 
Atchison county, and S. E. Bailor, inventor of the culti\ator. During the 
year 1910, the first year of operation in Atchison, one hundred culti\ators 
were sold. The year 191 5 shows ;in output of jiroduct \-alued at aljout $250,- 



314 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

GOO. The company's plant has a floor space of 25,000 square feet ; forty men 
are on its payroll and it disburses in wages over $50,000 per annum. 

The National Poultry and Egg Company. This institution is one of the 
largest of its kind in the West, and is located on the corner of Fourteenth and 
Main streets. Under the able management of G. E. Hanna, it has steadily 
increased its capacity and enlarged its business operations until at the present 
time it employs an average of fifty-four men and women a montii and pays 
out in wages almost $30,000 each year. The plant and machiner}- represent 
an investment of about $70,000 and its sales are over a half million dollars a 
year. It is engaged in buying and selling poultn-, eggs and butter, and ships 
fancy dressed poultry to eastern markets. 

Deer Creek Creamery Company. This company has a capital stock of 
$10,000; employs eight men and four girls, with an annual payroll of $8,000. 
In addition to the employees in the local office, it also employs twenty men in 
the country to operate its numerous cream stations. The company manufac- 
tures over a half million pounds of butter a year, and it puts up and sells in 
Atchison from 80,000 to 100,000 gallons of milk every year, in addition to 
6,000 or 8,000 gallons of ice cream. Over $125,000 annually is paid out to 
Kansas farmers for cream; about $25,000 of this amount going to farmers in 
the immediate vicinity of Atchison. It is one of tlie growing institutions of 
the city, and the e.xcellence of the products it turns out is the cause for its 
constant increase of business. 

Atchison is also the home of two large manufacturers of saddler}-. The 
Atchison Saddlery Company is the successor to Louis Kiper & Sons and occu- 
pies a large building, on Kansas avenue between Fourth and Fifth streets. Its 
officers are George Diegel, president; George T. Lindsey, \ice-president, and 
Henry Diegel, secretary-treasurer. It has a capital stock of $150,000; em- 
ploys seventy-nine people. It ships its products into many States of the West 
and has been doing an exceedingly large business in the past few years. 

Kessler-Barkow Saddlery Company was incorporated several years ago, 
with G. T. Bolman, president ; F. A. Barkow, vice-president, and H. B. Kes- 
sler, secretary and treasurer. This company has a capital and surplus of 
$85,000, and employs sixty-five people, and has an average annual payroll of 
about $40,000.00. It manufactures harness and saddles for the jobbing trade 
exclusively and has large accounts with the Blish, Mize & Silliman Hardware 
Company, Montgomery, Ward & Company and Sears, Roebuck & Company. 

The Atchison Leather Products Company is another growing institu- 
tion of Atchison, the officers of which are the same as that of the Kessler- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 315 

Barkow Saddlen' Company. This company are producers of cut leather parts 
of all kinds, and are large buyers of scrap leather. It has a capital stock of 
$7,000.00 and employs fifteen people. Its sales for 191 5 amounted to over 
$65,000.00, and it also handles various leather specialties and automobile 
accessories. 

Atchison is also the home of three large mills. The Blair Milling Com- 
pany, the Cain Milling Company and the Lukens Milling Company, and 
these mills handle an average of 20,000 to 25,000 cars of grain annually, and 
ship out finished wheat and corn products of 4,000 to 5,000 cars every year. The 
Lukens Milling Company has recently erected cement storage tanks for stor- 
age of grain, of the capacity of 125,000 bushels, and the Blair Elevator Com- 
pany, which is operated by J. W. and W. A. Blair, in 191 5, also erected cement 
storage tanks to the capacity of 200,000 bushels. The growth of the mills 
of Atchison is logical, for they are located in a rich agricultural section, and 
consequently the mills are among the most important enterprises in the city. 
In each case the mills of Atchison are being operated by the sons of its 
founders. The Blair mill was established by E. K. Blair, in an early day of 
the history of Atchison, and is now managed by his sons, J. W. and W. A. 
Blair. The Lukens mill was founded by David Lukens, who came to Atchi- 
son in 1857. He operated a sawmill and raised corn in Missouri bottoms un- 
til 1877, when he built the Diamond Mills, now conducted by his sons, Arthur 
Lukens, Edwin Lukens and David Lukens. The original Cain Mill Company 
was established by John M. Cain and Alfred Cain, and its successor, the Cain 
Milling Company, is operated by Douglas M. Cain, the son of Alfred Cain. 

Atchison is also the home of two of the largest wholesale hardware 
stores on the Missouri river, both of which began operations here at approxi- 
mately the same time. The operations of the Blish, Mize & Silliman Hardware 
Company are the largest of the two companies. This company travels thirty 
men and has an office and store force of eighty-eight men and women. It has 
an annual payroll of $115,000.00. It was founded by D. P. Blish, E. A. 
Mize and J. B. Silliman, who were all related by marriage. The company be- 
gan in a small way as a successor to J. E. Wagner & Company, and has 
branched out in its business until it covers several States and territories. It 
occupies a magnificent re-inforced concrete fire-proof structure at the corner 
of Fifth and Utah avenue, and its business has been increasing from year 
to year. 

The A. J. Harwi Hardware Company is owned and controlled largely 
by F. E. Harwi, the son of its founder, and a full account of its operations 
appears in a sketch of the life and career of A. J. Harwi in this history. 



3l6 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Atchison is particularly proud of the fact that it is one of the best job- 
bing centers in this part of the country', and in this connection the wholesale 
groceiy business is well represented in the two splendid firms of the Dolan 
Mercantile Company and the Symns Grocery Company. The Dolan Mercan- 
tile Company was established In- \\". F. Dolan, one of the pioneers of Atchison, 
who started in a small way as a retail grocer merchant, and died leaving a 
splendidly established wholesale grocery business, which is now conducted 
by M. J. Horan and Leo Nusbaum. This house, under the able management 
of these two young men is rapidly making for itself a big reputation among 
wholesale dealers and grocers. In addition to jobbing regular lines of mer- 
chandise this company has recently installed its own plant for the manufacture 
of fluid extracts, baking powder and ])ancake flour, and also roasts its own 
coffees. It has a large traveling force, visiting the States of Nebraska, Mis- 
souri, Kansas and Oklahoma, and the Dolan brands are well known thrnugh- 
out this whole territory. 

The Symns Grocery Company was established by A. B. Symns, who came 
to Kansas from West Virginia, with his three brothers, in 1858, where he set- 
tled in the town of Doniphan and engaged in mercantile pursuits, until he 
removed to Atchison in 1872. He opened a wholesale and retail grocery here 
in that year, and continued in business without a partner until Marcli, 1878, 
when the firm became Symns & Turner, under which name it was run until 
1880, when it was changed to A. B. Symns & Company. It was subsequently 
incorporated into the Symns Grocery Company, and at the death of A. B. 
Symns, the business was run Ijy J- ^^'■ Allen, J. E. Moore, C. A. Lockwood 
and Tom Gray. It operates in about the same territory that the Dolan ^ler- 
cantile Company operates in, and its present enterprising management is 
keeping up the splendid reputation establishefl b}- its founder. 

The Odell Cider & Vinegar Ciim])any is a new institution in Atchison. 
A. Leo is manager, and $30,000.00 is invested in the plant and equipment 
here. This company pressed out over 200,00 bushels of apples in 191 5, and 
iTiade 650,000 gallons of vinegar. Forty men are employed during the press- 
ing season, and over $30,000.00 a year is paid out for apples, which are 
converted into 150,000 gallons of vinegar, whicli is shi])ped to various jioints 
in the United States during 191 5. 

The Stevenson planing mill employs twelve men, with a i)ayroll of about 
$10,000.00 a year and annual sales aggregating $27,000.00. S. R. Steven- 
son, who for many years was employed by the old Atchison Furniture Com- 
pany, is at the head of this business. He settled in Atchi.'^on in 1865, and 
learned cabinet making with Dickinson & Company, of this citw 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 3I7 

It would require a volume to properly elaborate upou the operations of 
the various commercial enterprises of Atchison. What has been given is the 
merest outline of the industrial activities here. The brief reference to the 
several business houses and manufacturing plants is made merelv for the pur- 
pose of showing the character of the industrial life of the county. 

In addition to those enumerated there are other jobbing and manufac- 
turing interests operating, in some instances on as large a scale, and in other 
instances on a smaller scale, but which in themselves are just as important. 
Reference has not been made to the Klostermeier Hardware Company, one 
of the largest jobbers in hardware in northeastern Kansas, or to L. W. Voigt 
& Company, large shippers of fruit, vegetables and produce, or to Kean & 
Tucker, operating along the same line ; neither has the James Poultry Com- 
pany been mentioned, which is one of Atchison's growing concerns. There 
are also manufacturers of cigars, brooms and barrels; large distributors of 
automobiles and automobile accessories, and candy manufacturers. The Rail- 
way Specialty Company, manufacturers of gasoline propelled railway track 
cars is making substantial progress. From a small beginning it has forged 
ahead, under the able management <if Clive Hastings, until it has reached a 
point where it will soon take its place among the leading track car manu- 
facturers of this country. Already the company has shipped its cars to for- 
eign parts, and it has also supplied many of the large railroads of the United 
States with its cars. The Weiss Cornice Company is the latest arrival in 
Atchison. This company makes metal cornices, window frames and other 
builders' fire-proof specialties. It recently moved here from Kansas City and 
is already a large employer of labor. The Washer Grain Company, estab- 
lished by Maj. S. H. Washer, does a large grain business, and is still managed 
by Major Washer, who recently passed his eightieth birthday. He is ably 
assisted by his son, W. R. Washer, who is also otherwise prominently identi- 
fied with the commercial and shipping interests of the county. 

Atchison also is a fine retail center, and draws trade from the surrounding 
territory for a distance of from fifty to seventy-five miles. It has fine dry goods 
stores, which carry the latest merchandise ; good shoe stores, millinery shops, 
grocery and hardware stores and shops of all kinds, all of which are run b-\' 
enterprising merchants. Atchison is a good town in which to live; a city of 
beautiful homes; fine paved and well lighted streets; a good water system and 
adequate street car service, and a fine, prosperous set of people. The future 
of Atchison, as a commercial center, is particularly bright, and it may look 
back with a justifiable pride to what has already been accomplished, and 
forward to a better tlay that is yet to come. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS. 



ATCHISON POSTOFFICE COURT HOUSE^COUNTY HOSPITAL YOUNG MENS 

CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION STATE ORPHANS' HOME ATCHISON PUBLIC 

LIBRARY ATCHISON HOSPITAL MASONIC TEMPLE. 

The first postoffice in Atchison opened in a small, one-story, stone 
building, on the south side of Commercial street, between Second and Tliird. 
The room was about 20x26 feet in dimensions, but large enough for the 
purpose for which it was intended at that time. The location of the post- 
office was removed in 1S56 to the store of Messrs. Woolfolk & Cabell, on the 
levee. During the war in Kansas, in August, the headquarters of the United 
States mail service were removed to the law office of P. P. Wilcox. From 
there the office was removed to a building on the north side of Commercial 
street, between Third and Fourth, and it was there that in July, 1882, the 
free delivery system was inaugurated in Atchison, which, with her money 
order department fully equipped the postoffice. A number of years later 
agitation was started for the erection of a new postoffice, and through the 
efforts of Senator Ingalls a site at the northeast corner of Seventh and Kan- 
sas avenue was purchased from Dr. Cochrane by the Government, and the 
contract was awarded for the erection of the postoffice June 24, 1892, at a 
cost of $61,703.17. 

The names and terms of the postmasters of Atchison since the founding 
of the office are as follows: Robert S. Kelly, March 13. 1855; John H. Blas- 
ingham. December 20, 1855; Henry Addoms, July 28, 1857; John A. Martin, 
April 26, 1861 ; Benjamin B. Gale, March 5, 1874; John M. Price, February 
6, 1879; Melleville C. Winegar, March 10, 1882; H. Clay Park, March 30, 
1886: Solomon R. Washer, March 20, 1890; Edgar C. Post, June 7, 1894; 
James M. Chisham, June 3, 1898; William D. Casey, December 14, 1910; 
Louis C. Orr December 29, 1914, who is postmaster in 1916. 

318 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 319 

COURT HOUSE. 

The present court house of this county occupies lots i, 2 and 3, in block 
65, Old Atchison, and the contract for the building was entered into on the 
twenty-first day of May, 1896, and accepted by the board of county com- 
missioners September 13, 1897. The total cost of building and fixtures was 
$83,154.48. 

COUNTY HOSPITAL. 

The present county hospital for the poor is located on the southeast 
quarter of section 14, township 6, range 20. The farm was purchased from 
R. A. Park October 7, 1903, for $9,540, and the hospital was erected Jan- 
uary 3, 1905, at a cost of $27,501. The average cost of operating the hos- 
pital and farm of 160 acres is approximately $2,109.16 per year, and the 
average number of inmates is thirty. The present superintendent is J. S. 
Clingan. 

THE YOUNG MEN's CHRISTIAN ASS0CI.\TI0N. 

On December 2, 191 1, there met in the office of C. S. Hull a small group 
of men interested in securing a modern Young Men's Christian Association 
building for the city of Atchison. Although this is the first formal meeting 
of which there are any minutes recorded it is known that the idea of an 
organization and building had long existed in the mind of William Carlisle, 
and that encouragement was given him by many others. At the meeting held 
on December 2 the Atchison Y. M. C. A. Promotion Club was formally 
launched with Claude B. Fisk as president. 

At the next meeting, held January i, 1912, an executive committee, com- 
posed of R. W. Ramsay, W. B. Collett, Fred Oliver, and C. S. Hull was 
elected and the secretary was authorized to invite John E. Manley, State 
secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association, to be present at the ne.xt 
meeting of the club. 

On March 6, 19 12, the club met at the Ryram Hotel for luncheon. Mr. 
Manley was present at this meeting and outlined a plan for a campaign to 
raise the necessary funds to erect a modern building. The luncheon meeting 
adjourned to meet at the office of H. H. Hackney at 4 p. m., at which time 
a business committee of twenty-five men was appointed. The following com- 
posed this committee : H. B. Mize, Fred Oliver, Eugene Flowe, W. B. Col- 
lett, C. S. Hull, George Guerrier, R. W. Ramsay, Sheffield Ingalls, D. M. 



320 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTV 

Cain, F. W. Woodford, A. F. Heck, August Manglesdorf, Jr.. T. A. Moxcey, 
Eugene Pulliam, E. W. Clausen, Clive Hastings, H. H. Hackney, N. T. 
Veatch, \V. P. Waggener, W. J. Bailey, Charles Linley, Roy Seaton. Claude 
Fisk, J. A. Shoemaker, Holmes Dysinger. This committee was later in- 
creased to twenty-seven, and the names of W. A. Carlisle and W. A. Jackson 
were added. 

The first regular meeting of the provisional committee, as it was now 
called, was held at the Blish, Mize & Silliman offices March 13 and a perma- 
nent organization effected. State Secretary Manley was present. R. W. 
Ramsay, the present incumbent, was made president at this meeting: Charles 
Linley, \-ice-prcsident ; C. S. Hull, recording secretary, and George (iuerrier, 
treasurer. '!'. C. Treat at this time tendered the use of a room in the Simp- 
son building for an office for the organization, which was gratefully accepted. 

At a meeting of the executive committee, held March 18, 191 2. L. V. 
Starkey was employed as general secretary and took active charge of the 
building campaign April 15. 

At the meeting held April 22 it was decided to raise $100,000 by public 
subscription, and the following team captains were elected : S. R. Beebe, O. 
A. Simmons, H. B. Mize, John R. Taylor, F. M. Woodford, L. M. Baker, 
Charles A. Brown. W. D. Casey, W. W. Hetherington. and W. A. Jackson. 

The charter for the organization bears the date of April 6 and was duly 
acted upon and signed by the committee of twenty-seven at a meeting held 
April 22. 

In a ten days' campaign conducted May 15-25, i<)i2, an amount ap])roxi- 
mating $85,000 was raised by popular subscription. The heatlquarters of the 
campaign were in a room' furnished by J. C. Killarney at 105-107 North 
Fifth street. 

The latter part of June, i<)T2, the site at the northeast corner of Fourth 
and Commercial streets was contracted Un and work begun at once on the 
building. On December 4, 1913, the splendid building which now occupies 
that corner was formally opened for the regiilar work of the association. 
The membership soon reached 450, and has been maintained at aliout that 
point ever since. 

The entire cost of building, including site and furnishings, amounted to 
$1 13.000. 

The Y. M. C. A. building contains thirty-four living rooms with a 
capacity for fifty men. These rooms are now kept filled practically all the 
time. A restaurant is operated on the ground floor and there are excellent 






HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 32 I 

facilities for liandling- banquets and committee meetings. Tlie iDuikling- is 
always at the tlisposal of church societies and other organizations for gatlicr • 
ings of any kind. 

There is a gymnasium, -14x72 feet, thoroughly ecjuipped with all neces- 
sary apparatus and a white tile-lined swimming pool. 20x50 feet. With a 
separate entrance on Fourth street, there is a special game room for boys ten 
to fifteen years of age. 

The present board of directors is composed of R. W. Ramsay as presi- 
dent ; B. L. Brockett, vice-president; H. H. Hackney, recording secretary; 
Charles Lmley, treasurer ; Messrs. W. B. Collett, M. T. Dingess. Claud B. 
Fisk, J. A. Fletcher, C. C. Ham, W. \V. Hetherington, Martin Jensen, J. F. 
Krueger, H. P. Shepherd, and F. M. Woodford. 

The present general secretary, Ira J. Beard, came to the association in 
April, 1914. Fmmett T. Ireland is the present physical director, and George 
Kassabaum is the assistant secretary. 

On the fourth of December, 1914, an anniversary banquet was held in 
the gymnasium, celebrating the first year of the association in its new build- 
ing, and the reports of the work accomplished at that time dispelled any feel- 
ing there may ha\e lieen on tlie part of some that such an institution could 
not be successfully maintained in Atchisf)n. This banquet was attended by 
200 enthusiastic friends and members of the asociation, and Governor Arthur 
Capper was a guest of honor. 

Membership in the Young Men's Christian Association is open to any 
boy or man of good character who is over ten years of age. Memliership in 
the Atchison association is accepted and honored in all other ^'oung Men's 
Christian associations throughout the country. The dominant purjjose of the 
association is the building up of Christian character. 

STATE orphans' HOME. 

The legislature of the State of Kansas at the session of 1885 enacted the 
first law for the establi.shing of a Soldiers' Orphans' Home at Atchison, Kan. 
For the purpose of erecting the first building the legislature appropriated the 
sum of $24,300 on condition that the land should be donated to the State. 

The act of the legislature provided that said Soldiers' Orphans' Home 
".shall be an institution for the nurture, education and maintenance, without 
charge, for all indigent children of soldiers who served in the army and navy 
of the Union during the late rebellion, and who have been disabled from 

21 



322 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

wounds or disease, or who have since died in indigent circumstances, and 
other indigent orphan children of the State." The institution was located at 
Atchison, Kan., on the present site which was purchased from the late J. P. 
Brown and donated to the State. In pursuance of the act of the legislature a 
portion of what is now the main building was erected and by a subsequent 
appropriation was finished, and the first children were admitted on July 
I, 1887. 

The original building was a four-story brick building with a basement. 
The fourth story was made into a dormitory, with five rooms for employes. 
The third story consisted of a smaller dormitory, lavatories, rooms for em- 
ployes and sleeping room for the superintendent. The second story had 
school rooms, superintendent's office, parlor, lavatories and rooms for em- 
ployes. The first floor rooms were dining room, kitchen, store room, school 
rooms. The basement was used for boilers, store rooms, laundrs- and boys' 
lavatory. 

The laws regulating the home were amended and enlarged by Uie legis- 
lature at its session of 1889, so that all children sound in mind and body and 
over two years of age and under fourteen years, belonging to any one of the 
following named classes shall be eligible for admission to the home : "First, 
any child dependent upon the public for support; any dependent, neglected 
and ill-treated child who is an object of public concern, and whom the State 
may have power to exercise and extend its protection and control." 

This act of the legislature so increased the number of eligible for admis- 
sion to the home that it soon became necessary to enlarge the building. In 
1 89 1 the legislature again appropriated the sum of $7,000 for the erection of 
the west wing, to be the same width and heighth as the main building, and 
to increase the length by thirty feet and this gave play room, sitting room, 
school room and sleeping room for the kindergarden children, also a room in 
which the John A. Martin Memorial Library was placed, and a reading room 
in the upper story for the larger boys. 

Connected with this appropriation was $1,000 for a hospital building 
which is detached from the main building by about 100 feet. 

The growth of the institution and the number desiring admission made 
it necessary to again ask for an appropriation for more buildings. At the 
session of the legislature of 1895 the legislature appropriated $91,800 for the 
erection of the east wing and for three cottages, 50x42 feet, and a building 
for domestic purposes, 40x110 feet, which contains the chapel, children's 
dining room, one large school room, kitchen, store room, one employes' din- 
ing room and eight rooms for employes. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 323 

At the legislative session of 1907 an appropriation of $25,000 was made 
for the purpose of erecting a new cottage on the Orphans' Home grounds, to 
be used for the purpose of caring for destitute crippled children who were 
otherwise unprovided for under the various acts of the legislature providing 
for the Orphans' Home. The foundation for this building was commenced 
on the seventeenth day of October, 1909, and the building was completed, 
and ready for the occupancy of children July i, 1910. The law providing for 
the admission of children has never been changed and very few crippled chil- 
and ready for the occupancy b}' children July i. 1910. The law providing for 
only children sound in mind and body between the ages of two and fourteen 
years shall be admitted. This cottage at the present time is used for the elder 
girls of the institution and it seems very well adapted for that purpose. 

The legislature of 1903 very generously appropriated $20,000 to build a 
brick pavement form the city to the home. This road was completed to the 
city limits in 1904. Since that time the city has extended its pavement so 
that now there is a pavement road all the way from the home to the busi- 
ness district of Atchison. 

The two latest improvements of great value to the home are. first 
the connecting up of tlie home with the Atchison Water Company, so that 
now we receive a supply of water adequate for all purposes. This was done 
in 1913 and 1914. Previous to that time water had been obtained from 
various sources and the supply was always poor in quality and verv inadequate 
in quantity. This apparently settles the question of water, so far as this 
institution is concerned, and we now have a plentiful supply of the purest of 
water. Second : From the very first beginning of the home the question 
of sewage disposal has been one of great difficulty and a source of much 
annoyance and discomfort to those around about, particularly the neighbor- 
ing farmers. For years the sewage of the institution flowed out through 
the pasture land and fields of our neighbors, and various attempts to build 
sewage disposal plants were made by the board of control and others who 
had charge of the State institutions, but with little or no success. At the 
present time we are engaged in connecting up the institution with the city 
sewer system at a cost of approximately $6,000. 

The original cost of the land occupied by the State Orphans' Home, and 
purchased from J. P. Brown, as hereinbefore mentioned, was $16,000. 

No institution in this State occupies a more beautiful and sightly loca- 
tion. It is situated at an elevation of 275 feet above the Missouri river, and 
overlooking the winding- course of that stream for miles, with the city of 



3^4 HISTORY OV ATCHISON COUNTY 

Atchison at its feet and with the view north and west unobstructed for miles, 
it is the wonder and admiration of all who behold it. It is impossible for me 
to state exactly or to ascertain exactly the cost of the institution, properly 
known as the State Orphans' Home, but it is approximately in the neighbor- 
hood of $300,000. 

The first superintendent was John Pierson; his wife, Mrs. M. A. Pierson, 
was his matron, and the celebrated Dr. Eva Harding, now a physician, located 
in Topeka. and running for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 
First district, was his physician. Mr. Pierson was not veiy long in this office. 
The records do not show just how long, but he was succeeded by Charles 
E. Faulkner, who is now serving as superintendent of the Washburn Memorial 
Orphans' Asylum, at Minneapolis, Minn. It was during Faulkner's admin- 
istration that most of the improvements heretofore noted were made. Faulk- 
ner was succeeded by C. A. Woodworth in 1898 and served but two years, 
when H. H. Young was appointed. He served but a short time and was suc- 
ceeded by E. L. Hillis. who held the office until the time of his resignation, 
April I, 1907, because of ill health. Mr. Hillis was succeeded by E. C. Willis, 
of Newton, Kan., on April 10, 1907, who remained superintendent until he 
was succeeded by Mrs. E. K. Burnes on the first day of September, 1913. 
Mrs. Bumes held the place for two years, being succeeded by E. C. Willis on 
the first of Septemlier, 1915, who is still the superintendent at the present 
time. 

More than 6,000 have been inmates nf the humc at sometime or another, 
and of the 6,000 Duly 200 are here at the present time. All of the oth- 
ers who are still living are out in the world and doing for themselves like 
other people with various degrees of success. Some of them are doing well ; 
others exceedingly well, and are occupying good ])Ositions, or are in business 
for themselves. 

Very sincerely, 

Edw.vkd C. Willis, 

Superintendent. 

ATCHISON PUBLIC LIBRARY. 

Major W. W. Downs was the promoter of the associatinn. He was at 
Kansas in the spring of 1879 and opened its doors to the public November 
17 of that year. 

Major W. W. Downs was the propoter of the association. He was at 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 325 

that time superintendent of the Central Branch railroad and realized the need 
of reading and amusement rooms for the young men in this city. He suc- 
ceeded in interesting a number of influential Atchison women in the work and 
promised a generous personal donation and the cooperation of the various 
railroads centering here. 

It was unfortunate that before the doors of the library swung open the 
Central Branch changed officials. In spite of this discouragement the Atchi- 
son ladies continued to work, and since its organization it lias always been 
managed by a board of fifteen women. 

Funds are raised by the sale of membership and donations and a small 
monthy stipend from the city. J. P. Pomeroy subsequently made a splendid 
donation, amounting to $10,000, and later on, A. J. Hanvi contributed a like 
amount for the support of this institution. It now has almost 11,000 books 
on its shelves besides hundreds of magazines and pamphlets. 

Mrs. Leontine Scofield was appointed librarian in Januar}', 1883, and 
has held that position from that time until 1916 uninterruptedly. She has en- 
deared iierself to the thousands of patrons who have visited this institution, 
and her familiarity witli tlie place and her fidelity to tlie work especially fits 
her for this important place. 

The following Atchison ladies are the officers of the association in 1916: 
Mrs. ^\'. W. (intln-if, president: Mrs. F. F. Harwi, vice-president; Mrs. W. 
,S. Beitzel, recording secretary: Miss Effie E. Symns, corresponding secre- 
tary; Mrs. Fannie W. Linley, treasurer. In addition to tliese ladies the fol- 
lowing are directresses : Miss Nellie Allen, Mrs. R. F. Clark, Mrs. L. R. Sea- 
ton, Mrs. G. W. Click, Mrs. E. S. Wills, Mrs. W. H. Scliulze, I\Irs. J. M. 
Challiss, Mrs. D. C. Newcnmb, and Miss Mary Lukens. Mrs. J. J. Ingalls is 
an lionorarv directress nf the association. 

ATCHISON HOSPITAL. 

The first attempt to found a hospital in the city of Atchison originated 
in 1884, and after a general meeting for organization a board was appointed 
which purchased and re-constructed a building situated on South Seventh 
street l)et\veen U and V, and the institution was open to tlie pulilic Mav 2q 
of that year. 

Tlie following named Atchi.son ladies \\ere prominently identified with 
the movement that was responsible for the building of the first hospital in 
Atchison: Mrs. A. .\. Carey, who was the first president of the association; 



326 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Mrs. J. J. Berrj', Mrs. W. W. Campbell, Mrs. E. A. Mize, Mrs. D. P. Blish, 
Mrs. C. B. Singleton, Mrs. ]. J. Ingalls, and Mrs. C. S. Osborn. 

After five years of activity this building as a hospital was closed through 
lack of support and the misapprehension of the purpose of a hospital on. the 
part of the community. 

From about 1889 until 1912 the hospital necessities of Atchison were 
provided by private institutions and cases were sent outside of the city, but in 
the fall of 1912 the need for a hospital within the city had become very appar- 
ent, and as a result the following public spirited citizens of the city associated 
themselves together for the purpose of building a modern hospital : W. P. 
Waggener. president ; R. W. Ramsay, vice-president : Otis E. Gray, secre- 
tary: Joseph M. Schott, treasurer. The directors with the above officers 
were : Frank Hanvi, T. M. Walker and L. R. Seaton. They instituted a cam- 
paign for the purpose of raising $50,000 to purchase a site and construct and 
equip a building for a general hospital. 

The campaign was to a ven,' large degree successful, sufficient money 
being raised in this initial effort to warrant the directors in purchasing a site, 
the square block situated on North Second street between N and O streets, 
where a fire -proof building was constructed to accommodate thirty-five 
patients with a maximum capacity of fifty. The building is equipped with 
the most modem appliances for hospital activities. The operating room was 
modeled and equipped after the suggestion of the most celebrated surgeons in 
the country, and since the opening of the hospital to receive patients in July. 
1914, its succes has been assured and its need demonstrated. It possesses 
appliances and equipment conservatively valued at $65,000. 

Tlie present board of directors are: W. P. W'aggener, president: Frank 
E. Harwi, vice-president : O. E. Gray, secretary ; Joseph M. Schott, treasurer. 
Directors: R. W. Ramsay, H. E. Muchnic, Eugene Howe and Leo Nusliaum. 

The purpose of this institution is to take care of tlie sick and injured 
of the community without distinction of race, color or creed. Those who can 
afford to pay are expected to pay the fees of the institution. No one is re- 
fused attendance by reason of his or her inability to pay for sucli service. The 
biological and X-Ray lalx)ratories are among the best equipped in the State 
and these laboratories with their e(|uipment. like most of tlie furnishings 
and equipment of the hospital, are memorials of the former residents of 
Atchison county. 

MASONIC TEMPLE. 

This magnificent new home for the Masonic orders of Atchison is a 
three-story structure of re-inforced concrete fire-proof construction with 



HISTORY 01' ATCHISON COUNTV 



}>^7 




Masonic Temple, Atcliison, Kan. 



basement. It is built of gray Brazil, Indiana, vitrified brick and trimmed with 
ocean colored terra cotta. The first floor is a store room and on the second 
floor there are a number of offices and the banquet hall with kitchen facilities. 
The third floor is used e.xclusively for Masonic purposes, and in the rear por- 
tion of the third floor is a mezzanine floor with tire-pn«if Inckers. The 
lodge room is embellished with an ornamental plaster cninice and with Seagli- 
ola columns and pilasters. The ceiling is circular with a large dome, and 
the memorial room is finished with ornamental plastering in elaborate Egyp- 
tian design. The total cost of this building with furniture and er|ui])ment was 
close to $60,000. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



SOCIETIES AND LODGES. 



ATCHISON COUNTY PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION BENEVOLENT AND PROTECTIVE 

ORDER OF ELKS FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES OTHER SECRET SOCIETIES 

CATHOLIC SOCIETIES. 

One of the strongest county organizations among the farmers is the 
Atchison County Protective Association. It had its origin in a vigilance 
committee whicli was organized at Gdiul Intent and Shannon, in 1883. For 
three years this committee operated as a vigilance committee and was organ- 
ized under tlie Central Protective Association, August 31, 1886, by William 
Conners, of Winthrop, Mo. L. P. Dubois, concerning whom a biographical 
sketch appears in another part of this history, was the first ])resident of the 
Good Intent lodge, and W. H. Smith was the first secretary. Hon. T. J. 
Emlen, county treasurer of this county, was the first treasurer i>f Shannon 
Hill lodge, and J. I. Holmes was the first secretary. 

The first work that was done by the consolidated lodges was in running 
down a thief who stole a team of ivirses from the late Rolla Streeper. Mem- 
bers of both lodges were taxed $10 each to defra\- the ex])ense of the chase. 
J. H. Barrv was sheriff of the county at that time and captured the thief 
in Nebraska. 

Following tliis cai)ture the lodges decided that the expense was too great 
to be borne by them alone and so tlie Atchison County Protective Association 
was formed in the spring of 1889. The first president was C. S. I'rim, and 
the second president was Hon. W. T. Bland, third president was Elias Graves. 
W. H. Busli was the fourth president, and he held office for ten years and 
was one of the most ]io])ular, tactful and conscientious officials the associa- 
tion ever liad. \\ ill Dcmlew nf the Good Intent ludge, was president of the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



329 



association in 1916, and no better man ever filled the position. The Hon- 
Edward Iverson, ex-county clerk, and now cashier of the Exchange State 
Bank, at Atchison, has been secretary of the association since 1901. The 
association has now a membership of 1,500 and with twenty-five lodges, and 
is affiliated with the Central Protective Association. 

BENEVOLENT .\ND PROTECTIVE ORDER OF ELKS. 

This lodge was organized January 17, iqoi, with 150 charter members. 
W. T. Bland, for many years district judge of this county, was elected the first 
exalted ruler. The lodge occupied temporary quarters for a number of years, 
and erected its present building at a cost of $20,000 and dedicated it in 1907. 
The prcFcnt membership of the Elk's lodge is 326, and the names of the past 




l-Jl. 



Club House, Atchison, Kan. 



exalted rulers, in .-iddition tn W. T. Bland, are as follows: Charles Einlev. 
T. S. Young. J. Ai. Challiss, James W. Orr, \V. S. Washer. Fred fnddings. 
W. r. Waggencr. I!. W. \"ickcry, W. 1). liarlmrger, Charles .\. I'.r.iwn. ( i. 
\\". .\l\ers, II. 1!. I'iliniek-, and Walter F.. liniwn, whose term expires 
March 31. nji'). 



330 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



ATCHISON AERIE, NO. 1 73, FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES. 

The Atcluson Aerie, Xo. 173, of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, was 
instituted on October 3, 1901. The officers in 1916 are as follows: Past 
worthy president, Owen Grady ; worthy president, John V. Smith ; worthy 
vice-president, Fred Ramhke ; worthy cliaplain, F. E. Kaaz ; treasurer, L. M. 
Baker; secretary, W. H. Smitli ; trustees, S. S. King, Carl Sclmiitt, E. N. 
Underwood ; aerie physician, Dr. C. F. Finney. 




Eagles" Hume, .\tchison, Kan. 

The aerie meets every W'ednesdav evening. The cost of t!ie present 
building was about $35,000. Tlie bu'lding belongs to the Eagles' Benevo- 
lent .Association. The present menil)erslii)i is 530. 



SECRET SOCIETIES. 

Ancient Order of United W'urknien — Atchison Lodge, No. 4, first and 
third Thursdays at Od Fellows' Hall. L. M. Baker, recorder. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 33 I 

Ancient Order of United Workmen — Mulford Lodge, No. 137. Sec- 
ond and fourth Thursdays at Odd Fellows' Hall. W. A. Wilson, recorder. 

Ancient Order of United Workmen — Degree of Honor — Columbia 
Lodge, No. 85. Second and fourth Thursdays. 

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks — Atchison Lodge, No. 647. 
First and third Tuesdays at 611 Kansas avenue. George R. Hooper, secre- 
tary. 

Central Protective Association — Atchison Lodge, No. 32. Meets at 
call of president. W. H. Smith, secretary. 

Court of Honor — (See Ancient Order of United Workmen.). 

Eagles — (See Fraternal Order of Eagles). 

Elks Club House — (See Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks). 

Fraternal Aid Association — Atchison Council, No. 7. First and third 
Wednesdays at Security Hall. Rosa S. Voorhees, secretary. 

Fraternal Order of Eagles — Atchison Aerie, No. 173. Every Wednes- 
day at Eagles' Hall. W. H. Smith, secretary. 

Grand Army of the Republic — A. S. Everest Post, No. 493. First and 
third Mondays at court house. 

Grand Army of the Republic — A. S. Everest Woman's Relief Corps, 
No. 148. First and third Thursdays at court house. Mrs. John Noron, 
secretary. 

Grand Army of the Republic — John A. Martin Post, No. 93. Fourth 
Sundays at court house. Willful A. Stanley, adjutant. C. H. Burrows, com- 
mander. 

Independent Order of Odd Fellows — (See Odd Fellows). 

Improved Order of Red Men — Miami Tribe, No. 15. Every Monday 
at Red Men's Wigwam. J. M. Tarman, sachem. 

Independent Order of Foresters — Court Atchison, No. 1741. Meets 
at call of Chief Ranger. George R. Hooper, secretary. 

Kansas Fraternal Citizens — Atchison Assembly, No. 15. First and 
third Thursdays at Odd Fellows' Hall. Walter North, secretary. 

Knights and Ladies of Security — Atchison Council, No. 267. Meets 
every Thursday at Security Hall. Courtney Turner, secretary. 

Knights and Ladies of Security — Harmony Council, No. 1375. Second 
and fourth Thursdays. C. H. Burrows, secretary. 

Knights of the Maccabees — Atchison Tent, No. 2. First and third Tues- 
days. F. M. Woodford, record keeper. 

Knights of Pythias — Golden Cross Lodge, No. 7. Every Thursday at 
Security Hall. W. M. Thistle, keeper of records and seal. 



332 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Masonic — Active Lodge, No. 158. Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. 
Second and fourth Mondays at Knights of Pythias Hall. A. W. Nicholson, 
secretary. 

Masonic — Washington Chapter, No. i, Royal Arch Masons. Second 
and fourth Thursdays at Asylum, 724I/2 Commercial street. J. E. Hender- 
son, secretary. 

Masonic — W'asliington Commandery, No. 2, Knights Templar. First 
and third Thursdays at Asylum, 724I/2 Commercial street. J. E. Henderson, 
recorder. 

Eagle's Benevolent Association — Meets at call of president. W. H. 
Smith, secretary. 

Masonic — Washington Council, No. 2, Royal and Select Masters. Third 
Saturdays at Asylum, Masonic Temple. J. E. Henderson, recorder. 

Ancient Free and Accepted Masons — Washington Lodge, No. 5, Ancient 
Free and Accepted Masons. First and third ^londays at Masonic Temple. 
J. E. Henderson, secretary. 

Ancient Free and Accepted Masons — Order of Eastern Star — Martha 
Washington Cliapter, No. 215. First and third Fridays at Masonic Temple. 
Miss Alice Noron, secretary. 

Modem Brotherhood of America — Atchison Lodge, No. 427. Second 
Tuesdays at Red Men's Wig\vam. Charles Pantle, secretary. 

Modern A\'oodmen of America — -L'nity Camp, No. 356. Second and 
fourth Fridays at Odd Fellows' Hall. T. J. Ritner, clerk. 

Mystic Workers of the World — First and tliird Tuesdays at Security 
Hall. Herman Haase, secretan-. 

Independent Order of Odd Fellows' Hall — Southwest corner Fifth and 
Kansas avenue, second and third floors. 

Independent Order of Odd Fellows — Friendship Lodge, No. 5. Every 
Tuesday at Odd Fellows' Hall. ^\^ H. Smith, secretary. 

Independent Order of Odd Fellows — Hesperian Encampment, No. 6. 
First and third Fridays at Odd Fellows' Hall. A. W. Heisey, secretarj-. 

Independent Order of Odd Fellows — Rebekah.s — I'^riendship Lodge, No. 
288. Second and fourth Mondays at Odd Fellows' Hall. Mrs. Bessie Jost, 
secretary. 

Independent Order of Odd Fellows — Schillers Lodge, No. 33. Every 
Wednesday at Odd Fellows' Hall. Charles Feierabend, secretary. 

Order of Eastern Star — (See Ancient Free and Accepted Masons). 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 333 

P. E. O. Society — Chapter J, Kansas. Every second Friday at homes 
of memljers. Mrs. Anna Lungwitz, secretary. PubHc rest room. 109 South 
Fifth avenue. 

Daughters of Rehekah — (See Independent Order of Odd Fellows). 

Red Men's Wigwam — Third floor, 500 Commercial street. 

Royal Arcanum — Atchison Commandery, No. 1035. Scott Jones, sec- 
retary. Meets at call of regent. 

Royal Neighl)ors — Atchison Camp, No. 1044. First and third Fridays 
at Odd Fellows" Hall. Mrs. Emma M. Christian, recorder. 

United Commercial Travelers of America — Atchison Council, No. 99. 
Fourth Saturdays at Masonic Temple. George R. Hooper, secretarv. 

Woodmen Circle — Atchison Grove, No. 13. First and third Mondavs 
at Odd Fellows' Hall. A. W. Heisey, secretary. 

Woodmen of the World — Atchison Camp, No. 9. First and second 
Mondays at Odd Fellows' Hall. Judge J. P. Adams, clerk. 

Security Hall — 524-526 Commercial street, third floor. 

CATHOLIC SOCIETIES. 

Carroll Club — First and tliird Tuesdays at St. Louis College Hall. Le- 
Roy Ostertag, secretary. 

Catholic Mutual Benevolent Association — No. 20. First Thursdays at 
St. Louis College Hall. Werner Xass, secretary. 

Knights of Columbus — Sacred Heart Council, No. 723. Second and 
Fourth Thursdays at Hall, 511,'^ Commercial street. William T. Jochems, 
financial secretary; Charles Smith, recording secretary. 

Ladies' Catholic Benevolent Association — No. 602. First and third 
Tuesdays at St. Louis College Flail. Agnes Langan, secretary. 

St. Joseph's Benevolent Society — Second Sundays at St. Louis College 
Hall. Joseph Tinschert, secretary. 

Odd Fellows — Abdallah Shrine Club — Meets at call of president. J. E. 
Henderson, secretary. 

Masonic Charity Association — Meets at call of president. A. W. Nich- 
olson, secretary-treasurer. 

Ladies' Catholic Benevolent Association — No. 942. Second and fourth 
Tuesdavs. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



THE afro-a:\ikricax race. 



EARLY DAY CONDITIONS THEIR ADVANCEMENT PRIOR DICKEY HENRY C. 

BUCHANAN EUGENE L. BELL CHARLES INGRAM CHARLES J. FER- 
GUSON HENRY DICKEY DR. FRANK ADRIAN PEARL^ M. D. DR. W. W. 

CALDWELL, M. D. 

The story of the African race in Atchison county makes an appeal to 
the thoughtful and intelligent student of history. It is not a mere platitude 
to say that the negro has made marvelous progress in many lines, and not 
the least striking illustration of this assertion is to point to what he has 
accomplished in this county under circumstances that have not been alto- 
gether propitious. The record of African bondage here is not voluminous, 
but it is sufficient upon which to base a story of his development. As early 
as 1856 a reference to slavery in Atchison county is found in the Squatter 
Sovereign, which on September 16 of that year contained the following 
advertisement : 

$500 REWARD. 

Ran away from the subscribers on the night of September 9. two negro 
boys, Ned and Harrison. 

Ned is about eighteen years old, stout and well built, about five feet, 
eight inches high, and weighs about 170 pounds. At the time of his leav- 
ing was dressed in a brown velvet coat. 

Harrison is a bright mulatto, about five feet, four inches high, weighs 
about 120 pounds, is about sixteen years old, and was rather shabbily dressed. 

Said negroes took with them two horses. 

One black, six years old, branded H on left Iiip, quite thin, about fifteen 
and one-half hands high. 

One claybank, dark mane and tail, rather bony, six years old, about 
fifteen and one-half hands high, paces. 

334 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 335 

Five hundred dollars reward will be given for the apprehension and 
safe return of the negroes, or $250 for the recovery of either of the negroes 
and horses. 

A. J. Frederick, 
R. H. Cabell. 
Atchison, K. T. 

A search of the files of the Squatter Sovereign fails to disclose the 
sequel to this ad\'ertisement. Whether or not "Ned and Harrison" were 
subsequently apprehended and the reward paid must Ije left to the imagina- 
tion, but doubtless they were among the four million black men from whose 
limbs, a few years later, Abraham Lincoln struck the shackles, and whose 
descendants this day are breathing the pure air of freedom. There is no defi- 
nite record of the number of slaves in Atchison county at the time the adver- 
tisement in the Squatter Sovereign appeared. When the first census was taken 
in 1855 no counties had been established and the territorv in Atchison county 
was included in the fifteenth election district. This census provided for the 
enumeration of the slaves in the territor}', and as far as can be determined, 
the following men in and around Atchison were slave owners: D. .A. N. 
Glover, three; \\'. M. Size, five; John Samuel, one; R. A. Walker, one; 
Charles Kcher, three; S. F. Raz, three; and Grafton Thomasson, the saw- 
mill man, of Atchison, owned three, one of whom drowned herself in the 
Missouri river, which fatality was the direct cause of the famous Pardee 
Butler incident. It is a far cry from "Ned and Harrison" to I'rior Dickey and 
Henry Buchanan, successful farmers of Walnut township, and it will be the 
object of this chapter to show how far that cry is, by tracing somewhat inti- 
mately the lives and careers of Dickey and Buchanan, and other leading 
negroes of the Mills neighborhood. 

Prior Dickey was born in Barren county, Kentucky, March 9, 1861, a 
son of Jackson and Edith Dickey, the father a native of West Virginia, and 
the mother of Kentucky. The first eighteen years of his life were spent in 
Kentucky, and in 1879 he came to Kansas, and his first employment was in 
a rock quarry at Millbrook, Graham county. He possessed $3.75 when he 
landed in this town. He helped build sod houses, and in fact turned his 
hand at anything that offered for his board and lodging. During the spring 
of 1880 he walked from Millbrook to Concordia, a distance of 200 miles, in 
search of work. He was accompanied by a friend, Calvin Trotter, and their 
joint capital was $1.25. After reaching Concordia, and also having gone 



336 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

without food for two days, he secured work willi a railroad construction 
crew, and was sent from Concordia to Atchison, and thence to Rich Hill, 
Mo., and later to Texas, wliere he worked on the extension of tlie Missouri, 
Kansas & Texas railway. W'lien this work was fini.shed he started for Kan- 
sas, and wishing to sa\e his money stowed himself in a box car. \\ hile the 
train was at a standstill in a Texas town, a wiiite man knocked on the door, 
demanding admittance. Prior was scared, and stealing out of the opposite 
door, started to run. Tiie wliite man called out, "Stop, neighbor." and Prior 
stopped. Tliey became friends, and came nortli together in the box car. 
On arriving at Ft. Scott, Prior gave his white friend $1, fed him at a res- 
taurant, and sent him on his way. From Ft. Scott he came to Atchison, 
and later was em])loved in railr^iad construction work of various kinds in 
Nel)raska, on the Central Branch railroad in Kansas, the Wabash in Missouri, 
and elsewhere. In 1833 he secured his first employment on a farm, a field 
of endeavor in which he has since made a signal success. From ten dollars a 
month to twenty-one dollars, with board and lodging, was his wage. Prior 
possessed a spirit of thrift and .saved his wages. In 1885, while working for 
Medad Har\-ey. in Grasshopper township. Atchison county, he bought liis 
first forty acres. On this place he put his fatlier and mother. l)ringing them 
from Kentucky. Tliey lived here until their deatiis, that of the father, in 
1895. and tlie mother in 191 1. Prior's example in caring for his aged par- 
ents, even refusing to marry on account of attendance on his mother, is 
worth\- of enuilation. Tlu"ee years after his first purchase of land lie i)ought 
liis second forty, a year later a third forty, then an eighty, and later from 
John J. Ingalls. he bought a 160 acre tract. He is also the owner of a 160 
acre farm in Oklahoma, and his various holdings total o\er 500 acres. He 
is a capable and industrious agriculturist, employs modern methods, is in 
close touch with the adxancement in scientific farming, and is a successful 
breeder of high grade cattle and hogs. His herd of grade Herefords is the 
equal of any in the county and numbers over fifty head. His property is 
well improved and well kept. He is a stockholder in the State Bank of 
Potter and conceded to be no mean financier. He is a stanch Republican 
and states "not a black man in the United States can conscientiously 1)e any- 
thing but a Republican." He cast his first vote in Graham county in the 
first election held in that county after its organization. He is a Mason and 
a Baptist. A sister and her children comprise his household. Possessed of 
ambition to succeed and gain an assured position in his adopted State, of 
untiring energy, intelligence and the quality of thrift, Prit)r Dickey has de- 
veloped into a citizen who is worth while. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 337 

Henry C. Buchanan was born in Lincoln county. Kentucky, on April 8,' 
1844. His father was a sku'e, owned by Dr. Thomas Montgomery, and 
named Martin Montgomery, and his mother was Violet Shanks, a slave 
girl, owned by Archie Shanks. Their son was l)orn an the Shanks planta- 
tion. Following the death of Archie Shanks, his daughter, Sarah, inherited 
the boy, Henry, along with thirty other slaves. She afterward married a 
man b}- the name of Buchanan, and this famih- name was g^iven the boy. He 
grew to young manhood on the Buchanan plantation, and was given fair 
treatment, but not any schooling. In 1864 he left the plantation and en- 
listed in the Fifth United States cavalry, at Camp Wilson, on the Kentucky 
river. He served about twent\-two months and was mustered out at Little 
Rock, Ark. He then returned to the old plantation in Kentucky, and found 
it had been made a Govenmient post. He was fairly well posted on farm- 
ing, as he had been one of the best field hands on the Buchanan plantation, 
and this fact being known to the land owners of the neighborhood, he bad 
no difficulty in leasing a portion of the old plantation. A brother-in-law was 
associated with him in this venture, but Henry was the manager. He later 
leased land in the adjoining county. His farming was profitable, and he 
saved his money, eventually accumulating enough capital to engage in the 
general merchandise business in Lancaster, Ky., on a small scale. In 188 1 
he concluded to go west, and chose Atchison Kan., as his place of location. 
He arrived here at the time of the great flood, and shortly afterward opened 
a grocery and produce store on Fifth street. He continued in this business 
until 189 1, when he sold out, and with the proceeds bought 100 acres of land 
in Walnut township. This property he improved, and as the vears have 
passed he has added to the acreage, until now he owns 400 acres. The 
property is well improved, well kept and well farmed. He was married in 
1878 to Belle Hogans, of Garritt county, Kentucky, who died in 1899. 
Handicapped by the lack of education, he has spared no reasonable expense 
in the matter of educating his cliildren, and his sons are now carrving for- 
ward their father's farm enterprise along modern lines, and are well edu- 
cated, intelligent members of the community. A deceased daughter, Luella 
B., graduated from the Atchison county high school, at Fffingham. Henry 
Buchanan has always been a Republican. He has served as precinct com- 
mitteeman, and as a member of the election board at several elections, and 
also as judge of election. He is a member of the Baptist church, and has been 
a member of the board of trustees of his local church for many years. Mea.s- 
ured from the standpoint of a man who has done the things which have 
come to his hand from time to time, he lias done those things well. He has 

22 



T,^8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

assisted in the development of the county's agricultural resources, has been 
thrifty, and has gained the respect and esteem of the residents of his town- 
ship and county. 

Eugene L. Bell, prosperous farmer, Walnut township, was bom at Oak 
Mills, lian., July 28, 1875, a son of Joseph and Sydney (King) Bell, natives 
of Missouri and Kentucky, respectively. Joseph Bell, the father, was born 
in October, 1844, in Platte county, Missouri, of slave parentage, lie lived 
in Missouri until 1863, and then located in Leavenworth, Kan., where he 
joined the United States army, becoming a member of Company G, Seventy- 
ninth regiment, United States Colorado infantr}^ He served until the close 
of the Civil war, taking part in fourteen battles. After the war he married- 
Miss Sydney King at Leavenworth, Kan. In 1872 he removed to Oak Mills, 
Atchison county, and settled on a farm in Walnut township. He was one 
of the pioneers of this settlement and developed a fine farm. Mr. Bell took 
an active part in matters pertaining to the betterment of his community and 
was an exemplary citizen. Many of the noted men of his day in Kansas were 
his warm and steadfast friends. Mr. and Mrs. Bell were the parents of nine 
children, six of whom were reared to maturity: Eugene L., the subject of 
this review; Mrs. Birdie Norman, of Omaha, Neb.; Mrs. T. C. Brown, and 
Miss Pearlie Bell, of Chicago, 111. ; Humphrey Bell, of Pittsburgh, Pa. ; and 
Mead Bell, of Cleveland, Ohio. Joseph Bell died May 30, 1914. Mrs. Bell 
died April 18, 1903. Like her husband, she ran away from slavery to Kansas. 

Eugene L. spent his boyhood days assisting his father in cultivating the 
home farm, and managed to attend school about two and one-half months 
out of the year until he attained the age of nineteen years. He then began 
to hustle for himself and completed a three years' course in the Atchison 
county high school at Effingham. Ambition and a desire to educate himself 
led him to make sacrifices in order to prepare himself to better cope with the 
struggle for a livelihood. The priceless boon of an education was his after 
considerable effort, and he graduated from the county high school in 1896. 
He then returned to the avocation of farmer and rented land in Walnut town- 
ship, which he cultivated for some years. Mr. Bell is the owner of a fine 
farm in Walnut township. 

He was married December 26, 1901, to Miss Mamie Churchhill, of Mon- 
rovia, Kan., a native of Hardin county, Kentucky. They settled in Atchison, 
Kan., and lived there three years after this marriage. Mr. Bel! then moved 
to Walnut township and taught school for two terms in District No. 20. He 
then bought forty acres of land, on which he has since made his home. Seven 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 339 

children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bell : Inez, Orville, Eugene, Leslie, 
Jr., Justin, Irene, Pearlie, Ruthanna. Mrs. Bell died December 7, 19 12. 

Mr. Bell has been the local newspaper correspondent of his neighbor- 
hood for several vears and has a decided literary talent. For the past eighteen 
years he has been connected with school district No. 20 in the capacity of 
teacher and school trustee. He is a progressive Republican in his political 
affiliations, and has been honored by his- party. On May 27, 191 5, he was 
appointed by Governor Capper as a member of the board of trustees of Ouin- 
daro University, Kansas, and also received a complimentarv appointment to 
attend the Farmers' Congress as a negro delegate, held at the Panama Exposi- 
tion at San Francisco. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church 
of Atchison, and has been a member of the Masonic fraternity for the past 
fifteen years. Mr. Bell has taken a prominent part in the educational and 
civic life of Atchison county. He has served as a delegate to county and State 
conventions of his party, and filled the position of doorkeeper and sergeant- 
at-arms in the house of representatives at Topeka. His newspaper experience 
mcludes a term of employment in the printing department of the Omaha Bee 
when nineteen years old, where he learned typesetting, going from there to 
Chicago and attending the World's Fair. After tliis experience he returned 
home with the intention of securing an education and succeeded. Mr. Bell 
is one of the well respected citizens of his community, and is one of the 
recognized leaders of his race in Kansas. His father, Joseph Bell, was a 
member of the Grand Anny of the Republic, Scott Post, of Hydro. Okla.. 
whither he removed in 1900. 

Charles Ingram, a well known farmer, of Walnut township, whose agri- 
cultural plant is located four miles distant from the town of Potter. Kan., 
consisting of 160 acres of good land, is a native of the Southland. He was 
born in 1S55, a son of Hart and Vinia Ingram, both of whom were born and 
reared in Tennessee. Just previous, or some years before the opening of the 
Civil war, his parents left Tennessee and came to Buchanan county, Missouri, 
as chattels of Jesse Ingram. The Ingram fann was located about four miles 
distant from St. Joseph, Mo. Here they toiled in the fields of the master 
and owner until given their freedom by Mr. Ingram near the end of the 
Civil war. The owner, on setting his slaves free, told them to go out and 
hustle for themselves. Hart Ingram and his family came to Kansas and 
lived during their first winter here in Atchison. He then located on a farm 
in Mt. Pleasant township, and worked for Mr. Speck for five years. He 



340 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

then rented land of John King- for one year, after which he invested his sav- 
ings in forty acres of land in W'alnnt township, upon which he resided until 
his demise. 

As a youth Charles had no opportuin'ly to acquire an education, and after 
his marriage in 1880 he rented land for several years, and eventually saved 
enough money to make a payment on forty acres of farm lands. He im- 
mediately made his home on his pwrchase and has added to his possessions 
until he is now the owner of 160 acres of excellent farm land, with good, 
comfortahle dwelling and improvements. Charles Ingram was married in 
1880 to Margarette Farner, of Atchison county. Five children have blessed 
this marriage, who are all receiving the benefits of a good school education 
by their ambitious parents. 

Mr. Ing-ram is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the Baptist 
church. He is a man of high and strong character, whicii has been developed 
in the stern and exacting school of adversity. Air. Ingram has seen the time 
when he was unable to borrow even twenty-five dollars, and his credit is now 
good for as much as $2,500, should be desire it. One of his daughters. Grace, 
is a graduate of the Atchison county high school at Fffingham, and the others 
have been given similar opportunity. Grace Ingram taught school in .Atchi- 
son county before her marriage. Mr. Ingram is a striking example of the 
progress which his race has made since the negroes have been freed from 
bondage. 

Charles J. Ferguson, farmer, of Oak Mills. Kan., was Ixirn in l^latte 
county, Missouri, in .\pril. t88i, a son of Daniel and Sarah (Williams) 
Ferguson, the former a native of Kentucky, and the latter a native of Mis- 
souri. The parents of Charles came to Kansas from Missouri in 1881, and 
settled on a small farm of twenty acres, wbicii Daniel bought with his sav- 
ings, and still owns. Charles attended school in District No. 20, and was 
reared on the parental farm. After his marriage in IQOO he began doing 
things for himself and has become the owner of 100 acres of fine farm lands, 
overlooking Bean I^ke. and located in Walnut townshi]i. Mr. Ferguson 
has attained to his comfortable position of affluence li)- industry, economy, 
and good financial mana.gement, and began his career with practically noth- 
ing. He was the first man in W'alnut township to ship a carload of wheat, 
and others have since followed his example. He shipped his first carload 
of wheat in 1910 and has become noted as a grower of small .grain, having 
raised 1,690 bushels of wheat in 1914, and raises on an average over 1,200 
bushels annually. He was married March 7, 1900. to Eliza, a daughter of 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 34I 

H. C. Buchanan, and is the father of the following children : Granville F., 
liorn Decemljer 19, 1900; Sarah, liorn March i, 1902; Sheffield, Ijorn January 
12, 1905; Rothschild, born Septembers. 1908; Luella, born June 17, T910: 
Decina, bom May 31, 1912. 

Mr. I-'ergusim is a Republican in politics and has taken an active and in- 
fluential part in the affah's of his party in Atchison county. He was elected 
a member of the county central committee in 1908, and has held this position 
since that time. He is treasurer of the school lx)ard of District No. 20 of 
his township. He is a member of the Knights of Tabor, of Atcliison. and is 
well thought of and highly respected by all who know him. 

Henry Dickey, farmer, of Walnut townshij), was Ijorn Feiiruarv 24. 1850, 
in Barron county, Kentucky. He was a son of Jackson. and Edith Dickey, 
who were slaves until freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. After the 
Civil war, whicii resulted in the Dickeys becoming freemen, the parents re- 
mained in Kentucky until 1884. Henry was at that time working on a farm 
in Kentucky for fifty cents a day, and he wished to better his condition and 
that of his parents. Accordingly, he came to Kansas in search of a location, 
and found it in Atchison county. After his brother, Prior Dickey, joined 
liim in this cmuU}', lie and Prior pooled their interests and invested in fann 
lands until they now own over 500 acres of land in partnership. Thev also 
own fort}- head of fine Hereford cattle, seven-eighths pure bred stock. 

Mr. Dickey was married February 23, 1903, to Celia Kerford, a daugh- 
ter of Abraham Kerford, a well known colored family of Atchison county. 
The Kerfords came from the home county of Abraham Lincoln, in Kentucky. 
One child has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dickey, Sarah E., born 
September 24, 1906. 

Politically, Mr. Dickey is allied with the Republican party, and has scr\ed 
as a meml)er of the school board of his district. He and his wife are mem- 
bers of the Baptist church. Mrs. Dickey is affiliated with the True Eleven 
lodge of Atchison. Mr. Dickey is one of the most influential and successful 
members of the negro race in Kansas, and is considered as one of the indus- 
trious and highly successful agriculturists and live stock men of Atchison 
coujTty. 

Dr. Frank .\drian Pearl, M. D., Atchison, Kan., is one of the self-made 
men of the present generation. He was born September 2, 1886, in the city 
of Atchison, a son of Ryes and Sarah J. Pearl, the former of whom was a 
native of Missouri, and removed to Atchison, Kan., shortlv after the close 
of the Civil war. ?Te li\-ed in Atchison until 1888, and then moved to IJutte, 



342 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Mont., where he lived until his demise. After his demise the widow mar- 
ried a man named Davis. 

Frank xA. was reared to young manhood in Butte, and attended tlie pub- 
lic and high school of his home city, afterwards pursuing a course in business 
college. \Vhen yet a boy lie began to work for himself and early became 
self-reliant in doing anv and all kinds of honest labor. In 1905 and 1906 
he studied in the Topeka Educational Institute, and supported himself by 
hard work while studying in this institution. He then entered Howard Medi- 
cal College, of Washington, D. C. and graduated from this school in 1912. 
After iiis graduation Dr. Pearl located in Kansas City, and for one and one- 
half years served as interne in the General Hospital of Kansas City. He 
located in Atchison in August of 1914, and has built up an excellent practice 
among the people of his race, and has made a name for himself as a skilled 
and well educated physician. Dr. Pearl is a member of of the County Medical 
Society, the Tri-State Medical Association, embracing Missouri, Kansas, and 
Oklahoma, and the Kansas Medical Societ)^ He is an independent in poli- 
tics, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal churcli. Dr. Pearl is fra- 
ternally allied with the Odd Fellows, the United Brotherhood of Freemen, 
and tlie Knights of Tabor. He is well educated, courteous, a great student, 
and is fast making a place for himself in his chosen profession. 

Dr. W. W. Caldwell, M. D., of Atchison, Kan., was born in Nashville. 
Tenn., in 1877, a son of Jefferson and Elizabeth (Bell) Caldwell. His mother 
was a native of Louisiana and had the entire support of ten children thrown 
upon her after the removal of the family to Topeka, Kan., in i8So. Mrs. Cald- 
well was a capable woman of more than ordinaiy ability, thorouglily un- 
tutored, but possessed of a strong character, she determined that her ciiildren 
should be fitted to cope with the battle of life with well trained minds. She 
early installed into the minds of her children those qualities of character 
which have produced great men. She possessed an iron constitution and an 
unconquerable will which enabled her to put in long hours each day at the 
wash-tub in order to gain the means of feeding tlie hungr\' mouths of her 
children. She also taught each of her offspring to become self-supporting as 
soon as they were able and encouraged them to strike out for tliemselves. 
An instance of her nature is shown in an occurrence in the life of Dr. Cald- 
well : "When tlie boy was fourteen years of age he made liis way to St. Louis, 
via 'tlie side-door Pullman' route. He did not like the appearance of things 
in St. Louis, and returned to the safer haven of his home in Topeka. only 
to be chided by his mother for his inability to stay away from home and 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 343 

make his own way in the world as she desired him to do."" The night follow- 
ing his return he again left home and did not return until time for school 
to re-open in the fall, with money in his pocket which would suffice to carry 
him through the winter. The mother was an expert laundress and kept all of 
her children in school as long as thev desired to go. Two of her daughters 
nearly finished the high school course in Topeka, but Dr. Caldwell was the 
only child of the family to acquire a collegiate education and a professional 
training. 

He attended both the public and high schools of Topeka and afterwards 
studied for three years in the State Normal school at Topeka, and was 
granted a life teacher's certificate. While at college Dr. Caldwell made a 
great reputation as a runner and football player, serving as halfback on the 
State Normal football team. He acquired his education practically by his 
own efforts, encouraged by his ambitious mother. In 1892, when he Avas 
fourteen years of age, he made his first trip away from home, to St. Louis, 
but returned home after one month's stay in that city. His mother having 
ridiculed him for coming home, he caught the Rock Island flyer out of To- 
peka that night and rode part of the way to Denver. After a thrilling experi- 
ence covering a period of two weeks, he finally arrived at the western city, 
just as he started, without funds, but with the desire to obtain employment. 
He worked in Denver at any honest employment he could obtain, such as 
shining shoes, laying concrete, hotel porter, and similar jobs. His hard- 
ships were many, but he was eventually well repaid for his earlv struggles. 
One place which he held as porter in a barber shop enabled him to lay by 
a considerable sum of money each week. He was paid ten cents per shine 
and allowed to keep the money thus earned, and saved eight dollars during 
his first week. He worked for this shop for three successive summers, and 
made it a rule to lay by eight dollars each week. When it came time for 
school to open he would "beat" his way back to Topeka via the overland 
trains and study during the wiinter and spring months, and would then again 
make his way to Denver in time for employment. Thirty-five dollars saved 
usually sufficed to pay his expenses during the winter months while in school, 
and he would sometimes make his way home with $300 in his pocket. He 
kept up this plan of working and studying until he had completed his medical 
course, entering medical college in 1902, and graduating therefrom in 1906. 
After practicing in Topeka for one and one-half years he went to Indepen- 
dence, Kan., but remained there only seven months. In 1908 Dr. Caldwell 



344 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

came to Atchison and opened an office for general medical practice. He has 
made a great success in his noble profession, and has attained to a high posi- 
tion of leadership among the members of the Afro-American race. 

Dr. Caldwell was married in 1906 to Araminta Beck, a native of W'a- 
megoa county, Kansas, and to this union have been born children, as follows : 
Georgia, born in 1909; Elizabeth, born in 1911 ; Elnora, born in 1908. The 
mother of these children was bom in Kansas City August 20, 1880. a daugh- 
ter of Leonardo Beck, a stone cutter by trade. Her mother, Mrs. Georgia 
Beck, was one of the original Fisk Jubilee Singers, who sang in pul)lic recitals 
in many cities of the United States and in England. They sang in the cause 
of education, the money earned by the recitals going to defray the expenses 
of erecting the $100,000 Jubilee Hall at Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn. 
An uncle of Mrs. Caldwell, Col. James L. Beck, commanded the Twenty- 
third regiment of colored Kansas volunteers which served in Cuba during 
the Spanish-American war.. Mrs. Caldwell is a well educated lady and is 
a graduate of the Wamego, Kansas, high school, and graduated from Kansas 
University before she attained the age of twenty years. She is a member of 
the Eastern Star lodge of Topeka, in which city she taught school for seven 
years, later teaching one year in Springfield, Mo. 

Dr. Caldwell is a member of the Masonic fraternity of Topeka, and is 
a physician for the Knights of Tabor lodge of Atchison. He is a member of 
Ebenezer Baptist Church, and is a Republican in politics. In 1912 lie re- 
ceived the degree of Bachelor of Arts from the State Normal at Emporia, 
Kan. On July 30, 1915, Governor Capper appointed the Doctor a delegate to 
the National Negro Educational Congress, held at Chicago, from .\ugust 16 
to August 21, inclusive. In 1914 he was presented with a walnut gavel by 
the Inter-State Literary Association. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



OFFICIALS. 



COUNTY TOWNSHIP AND SCHOOL OFFICERS. 

County Clerk— C. M. Voelker. 

County Treasurer — U. B. Sharpless. 

Sheriff — Roy C. Trimble. 

Register of Deeds — L. M. Baker. 

County Attorney — Charles J. Conlon. 

County Sun'eyor — Charles W'oodworth. 

County Superintendent — D. Anna Speer. 

Clerk of District Court — W. H. Smith, 

Probate Judge — J. P. Adams. 

County Commissioner; First district — S. S. King. 

County Commissioner ; Second district — J. H. Glancy. 

County Commissioner : Third district — Andrew Speer. 

Member of Legislature; Second district — T. A. Moxcey. 

Member of Legislature ; Third district — A. E. Mayhew. 

State Senator ; Second district — B. P. W'aggener. 

TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS SHANNON TOWNSHIP. 

Trustee — Joseph Taylor. Clerk— Richard Handke. 

Treasurer — Edward Underwood. 

LANCASTER TOWNSHIP. 

Trustee — C. R. Perdue. Treasurer — J. R. Gragg. 

Clerk — F. H. Kloepper. Justice — C. D. Parrot. 

GRASSHOPPER TOWNSHIP. 

Trustee — William Stirton. Treasurer — Charles McCurdy. 

Clerk — L. N. Plummer. Constable — G. R. Shannon. 

KAPIOMA TOWNSHIP. 

Trustee — F, M. Pratt. Treasurer — James Robertson. 

Clerk — Walter Ferris. Justice — C. F. Katherins. 

345 



346 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



BENTON TOWNSHIP. 

Trustee — W. S. Heffelfinger. Justice — W. P. Heffelfinger. 

Clerk— J. G. Niblo. Constable— J. W. Acheson. 

Treasurer — W. R. Smith. Constable — James Farrell. 

CENTER TOWNSHIP. 

Trustee — J. E. Gibson. 
Clerk — Edward Higley. 



Trustee — B. Cummins. 
Clerk— j. W. Ashcraft. 

Trustee — S. M. Young. 
Clerk — J. R. Adams. 



Treasurer — George Schroeder. 
Justice — S. E. Langworthy. 

MT. PLEASANT TOWNSHIP. 

Treasurer — Robert Volk. 
] ustice — William Hartman. 

WALNUT TOWNSHIP. 

Treasurer — C. N. Faulconer. 
Justice — B. Brown. 



PRESENT ATCHISON COUNTY SCHOOL OFFICERS, I9I5-I916. 



Names of officers in the followi 
District No. 2 — 
Charles Cummings. Atcliison. 
James Neilson, Atchison, Route 6. 
George \'anderweide, .-\tcliison. 
District No. 3 — 
H. J. Kuhnhoff, Lancaster. 
J. W. Loutliian, Huron. 
Herman Fuhrman, Lancaster. 
District No. 4 — 

J. W. Lewman, Atchison, Route 3. 
Robert Limerick, Atcliison. 
R. L. Stevens, Atchison, Route 3. 
District No. 5^ 

J. B. Davenport, Atchison, Route 2 
H. W. Sachse, Atchison, Route i. 
John M. Price, Atchison, Route i. 
District No. 6 — 
William Hartman, Cummings. 
C. R. Miller, Atchison, Route 3. 
William Krall, Cummings. 



ng order : Director, Treasurer, Clerk : 

District No. 7 — 

Nicholas Boos, Atchison, Route 5. 

Conrad Handke, Atchison, Route 5. 

John Vandeloo, Atchison, Route 5. 

District No. 8 — 

S. G. Moore, Cummings. 

C. P. Higley, Cummings. 

E. Scarlett, Nortonvilie. 

District No. 9 — 

James Servaes, Atchison, Route i. 

A. B. Howe, Atchison, Route i. 

L. E. Lister, Atchison, Route 1. 

District No. 10 — 

Guy P. Chain, Lancaster. 

L. J. Woodhouse, Lancaster. 

A. J. Smith, Lancaster. 

District No. 1 1 — 

John Cowley, Nortonvilie. 

W. A. Meador, Monrovia. 

Ed. Neill, Nortonvilie. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



347 



District No. 12 — 

W. D. Chalfant, Atchison, Route 4. 

J. A. Kramer, Atchison, Route 5. 

P. Wolters, Atchison, Route 5. 

District No. 13 — 

N. W. Enzbrenner, Atcliison. 

George A. Thurn, Atchison. 

John Schletzbaum, Atchison. 

District No. 15 — 

Harry Strine, Monrovia. 

S. Swendson, Monrovia. 

C. W. Stutz, Monrovia. 

District No. 16 — 

Roy Grandstaff, Atchison, Route 2. 

J. B. Findley, Atchison, Route 2. 

J. H. Glancy, Atchison, Route 2. 

District No. 17 — 

M. Amend, Cummings. 

M. Jones, Cummings. 

T. J. Ferris, Cummings. 

District No. 19 — 

C. Chne, Cummings. 

Wilham Donnelly, Cummings. 

L. B. Allen, Cummings. 

District No. 20 — 

E. L. Bell, Oak Mills. 

C: J. Ferguson, Oak Mills. 
J. D. Richardson, Oak Mills. 
District No. 21 — 

F. H. Hawk, Effingham. 
William Critchfield, Effingham. 
Mrs. C. M. Madden, Effingham. 
District No. 22 — 

W. F. Speer, Muscotah. 

E. A. Barley, Muscotah. 
James R. Fassnacht, Muscotah. 
District No. 23 — 

F. W. Weber, Horton, Route i. 

L. N. Plummer, Horton, Route i. 



John Shoebrook, Horton, Route i. 

District No. 24 — 

J. E. Wilson, Huron. 

W. H. Grimes, Everest, Route 2. 

W. F. Harden, Everest, Route 2. 

District No. 25 — 

T. P. Armstrong, Atchison, Route 3. 

J. I. Holmes, Atchison, Route 4. 

A. L. Keithline, Shannon. 

District No. 26 — 

F. M. Linscott, Farmington. 

Edwin Thorne, Farmington. 

William Higley, Monrovia. 

District No. 27 — 

W. A. Dilgert, Atchison, Route 2. 

William Christian, Atchison, Route 2. 

L. H. Davenport, Atchison, Route 2. 

District No. 28 — 

John Myer, Cummings. 

George Schrader, Cummings. 

W'illard Pike, Farmington. 

District, No. 29 — 

H. L. McLenon, Effingham. 

Anton Candreia, Effingham. 

WilHam E. Steward, Muscotah. 

District No. 30 — 

Frank Plummer, Arrington. 

W. J. Schiffbauer, Arrington. 

D. L. Dawdy, Arrington. 

District No. 31 — 

J. E. Hamon, Arrington. 

Frank Reichart, Arrington. 

John Nevins, Valley Falls. 

District No. 32 — 

D. L. Richards, Effingham. 

D. Richter, Effingham. 

Frank A. Stever, Effingham. 

District No. 33 — 

John A. Sacks, Oak Mills. 



348 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



H. Pohl, Oak Mills. 

J. R. Adams, Oak Mills. 

District No. 34 — 

John Davitz, Oak Mills. 

Frank Zacharias, Oak Mills. 

R. E. King, Oak Mills. 

District No. 35 — 

F. B. Maris, Nortonville. 

E. M. Glaspy, Nortonville. 
Dennis Stillman, Nortonville. 
District No. 36 — 

A. T. Bilderback, Nortonville. 

Harry H. Nieman, Nortonville. 

John Moeck, Nortonville. 

District No. 37 — 

Henry Fankhanel, Monrovia. 

H. .\. McLenon, Everest, Route 2. 

Stewart McLenon, Monrovia. . 

District No. 38 — 

S. E. LangAvorthy, Nortonville. 

J. R. Snyder, Farmington. 

H. Bertels, Nortonville. 

District No. 39 — 

F. W. Weit, Effingham. 
Bon Hargrove, Effingham. 
C. N. Snyder. Effingham. 
District No. 40 — 

J. P. Holmes, Cummings. 

Mrs. Cora B. Ferguson, Atchison. 

[. M. Martin, Atchison, Route 3. 

District No. 41 — 

Mrs. \\1. H. Ryherd, Horton. 

Gates Saxton, Horton, Route 3. 

O. E. Rigdon, Everest. 

District No. 42 — 

John Burns, Effingham. 

John Huffman. Nortonville. 

J. P. Davidson, Nortonville. 

District No. 43 — 



J. F. Thompson, Muscotah. 

W. D. Roach, Muscotah. 

Ralph A. Allison, Muscotah. 

District No. 44 — 

R. E. Brooks, Huron. 

C. E. Smith, Huron. 

A. F. Allen, Huron. 

District No. 45 — 

W. H. Wicker, Horton, Route i. 

Gilbert Pendlebury, Horton. Route i. 

Robert P. \^■aller, Horton, Route i. 

District No. 46 — 

Abe Gerard, Atchison, Route 6. 

Sam Gelwick, Atchison, Route 6. 

M. J. Baker, Atchison, Route 6. 

District No. 47 — 
H. H. Rork, Horton, Route i. 
O. G. Wilson, Horton, Route i. 
W. M. Loser, Horton, Route i. 
District No. 48 — 

E. C. Evans, Shannon. 
George Anderson, Lancaster. 
A. Fannen. Shannon. 

John Miller, Muscotah. 
W. E. Hubbard, Muscotah. 

F. M. Pratt. Muscotah. 

District No. 50 — 

E. Whittier, Muscotah. 

Walter Stewart, Muscotah. 

H. M. Foster, Muscotah. 

District No. 51 — 

H. A. Watowa. Atclnson, Ruute 4. 

Everett Shufflebarger, Lancaster. 

Mrs. Anna Kumfrf, Lancaster. 

District No. 52 — 

R. L. Finnegan, Atchison, Route 5. 
Julius Handke, Atchison, Route 5. 
Thomas Kilkeny, Atchison, Route 5. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



349 



District No. 53 — 

Frank Fassnacht, Effingham. 

\\\ J. Lauffer, Effingham. 

F. R. Schurman, Effingham. 

District No. 54 — 

W. R. Freeland, Effingham. 

Ed. High. Effingham. 

\X. H. W'ilHams, Effingham. 

District No. 55 — 

F. W. Kaufman, Cummings. 
\\'. K. Stilhngs, Cummings. 
E. B. Nieman, Cummings. 
District No. 56 — 

J. E. Behen, Farmington. 

J. G. Cormode, Farmington. 

S. Congrove, Farmington. 

District No. 57 — 

Samuel Plotner, Horton, Route i. 

N. E. Jacobs, Horton, Route i. 

C. S. Fairbairn, ]\Iuscotah. 

District No. 58 — 

Lawrence Kipp, Horton. 

J. H. Claunch, Horton. 

G. E. Rork. Horton, Route i. 
District No. 59 — 

Howard Nortli, Lancaster. 

Jacob Buttron, Lancaster. 

H. A. Dorssom, Lancaster. 

District No. 60 — 

James Mummert, Effingham. 

David Morgan, Effingham. 

E. L. Henning, Effingham. 

District No. 61 — 

Charles Gilliland, Atchison, Route i. 

John Downey, Atchison, Route i. 

J. D. Hundley, Atchi.son, Route i. 

District No. 62 — 

David Rouse, Everest, Route 2. 



James W. Freeland, Horton, Route 3. 

Wallace E. Harden, Everest, Route 2. 

District No. 63 — 

Frank Hunn, Arrington. 

Thomas F. Cawley, Arrington. 

M. McGrath, Arrington. 

District No. 65 — 

Robert C. Sparks, Atchison. 

T. C. Treat, Atchison. 

Augaist Haegelin, Atchison. 

District No. 66 — 

William Walz, Atchison, Route 4. 

Louis J. Drimmel, Atchison, Route 4. 

R. D. Holder, Atchison, Route 4. 

District No. 67 — 

Thomas MuUins, Atchison, Route 5. 

Antox Brox, Atchison, Route 5. 

C. E. Wood, Atchison, Route 5. 

District No. 68 — 

Sam Beyer, Arrington. 

David Beyer, Arringtcjn. 

William Lovelace, Muscotah. 

District No. 69 — 

J. H. Durst, Atchison, Route 4. 

Chester Yaple, Atchison, Route 4. 

H. S. McGaughey, Atchison, Route 4. 

District No. 70 — 

J. D. Nevins, Arrington. 

Henry Reichart, Arrington. 

W. P. Yazel, Arrington. 

District No. 71 — 

W. J. Hunter, Atchison, Route i. 

Charles Pantle, Atchison, Route i. 

C. E. Jaquish, Atchison, Route i. 

District No. 72— 

William H. McLenon, Monrovia. 

Gus. Stutz, Lancaster. 

Gustav Gigstad, Lancaster. 



350. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



District No. 73 — 

A. G. Higley, Nortonville. 

John W. Henry, Nortonville. 

W. T. Henry, Nortonville. 

District No. 74 — 

J. P. Cummings, Atchison, Route 3. 

A. C. Mayfield, Atchison, Route 3. 

J. W. Barber, Atchison, Route 3. 

Union No. i — 

John Henninger, Potter. 

Frank Beard, Potter. 

S. A. Ellerman, Potter. 

Union No. 2 — 

Albert Hanf, Atchison, Route i. 

D. T. Greiner, Atchison, Route i. 

Lawrence Wagner, Potter. 

Joint No. 3-50— 

Charles Handke, Atchison, Route 6. 

Paul Kuhnert, Atchison, Route 6. 

Henry Handke, Atchison, Route 6. 



Joint No. 6 — 

H. E. Montgomery, Larkinburg. 

E. A. Smith, Larkinburg. 

J. J. Mooney, Larkinburg. 

Joint No. 70-98 — 

W. L. Heineken, Effingham, Route i. 

Calvin H. Feerer, Nortonville. 

G. B. Van Horn, Nortonville. 

Rural High School No. i — 

J. E. Remsberg, Potter. 

T. F. Hall, Potter. 

D. H. Sprong, Jr., Oak Mills. 

Atchison County High School — 

D. Anna Speer, President, Atchison. 

C. E. Belden, Vice-president, Horton, 
Fred Sutter, Treasurer, Effingham. 
S. W. Adams, Secretary, Atchison. 
H. A. McLenon, Everest, Route 2. 

J. A. Kinney, Atchison. 

D. H. Sprong, Jr., Oak Mills. 




i^tiilnr <il liuv. (h'chjio W. Cliik. ill Statiuiiy Hall. \\;isliiiij;ti>ii. O. C. 



CHAPTER XXV. 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY 



GEORGE WASHINGTON GLICK. 

George W. Glick, ninth governor of Kansas, was born at Greeneastle, 
Fairfield count)-, Ohio, July 4, 1827. His great-grandfather. Philip (dick. 
a Revolutionary soldier, was one of five brothers who came to Pennsylvania 
from Germany. His grandfather. George Glick. sened in the War of 1812. as 
did also his mother's father, Capt. George Sanders. Governor Glick's father, 
Isaac Glick, was a man of influence in the community in which he lived, took 
an active interest in State and local politics, and held many positions of public 
trust. His mother, Mary Sanders, was of Scotch parentage. Both parents 
lived to a good old age. 

George W. Glick was reared on his father's farm near Fremont, Ohio, 
and there acquired the habits of industry, economy and self-reliance that made 
his later life so successful. At the age of twenty-one he entered the office of 
Bucklin & Hayes as a law student, and was admitted to the bar two years 
later at Cincinnati by the supreme court. He began practice at Fremont, and 
soon won an enviable reputation as a hardworking and successful lawyer. He 
fully sustained this reputation after coming to Kansas. 

Locating at Atchison in the spring of 1859, he fonned a partnership with 
Hon. Alfred G. Otis, which lasted until 1874, when an affection of the throat 
compelled him to abandon the practice of law. Mr. Glick soon took a leading 
place at the Kansas bar. His practice extended to all tlie courts. He was a 
salaried attorney for two railroads and a numJjer of corporations. 

Mr. Glick was a natural leader and began early in life to take an active 
part in politics. When but thirty-one years of age he was nominated for 
Congress hy the Democracy of his district in Ohio, but declined the nomina- 
tion. The same year he was nominated for State senator and made the race 
against Gen. R. P. Bucklin, his former law preceptor. He was elected to the 

351 



352 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Kansas le,s^islature in 1862 uithout opposition, and reelected in 1863, "64. 
'65, '66, '68, '76 and '82. 

During his service as a legislator, he secured the passage of many needed 
and important laws which have settled and fixed the policy of the State on mat- 
ters of vast interest, that have stood the test of time and experience. In 1876 
Mr. Click was made speaker pro tem. of the house of representatives, although 
that body was strongly Republican. He was a delegate to Democratic Na- 
tional con\entions in 1856, 1868, 1884 and 1892. The Kansas delegation in 
the Democratic National convention at Chicago in 1892 presented his name 
to that convention as its candidate for vice-president, after the nomination of 
Crover Cleveland for President, and, although not the nominee of the con- 
\ention for that office, lie received many votes. He was nominated for gov- 
ernor in 1868 and made the race in obedience to his party's call, though his 
defeat was inevitable. In 1882 he was again the unanimous choice of his 
party for governor and made a memorable campaign, speaking in nearly 
every county in the State ; and, though fighting against great odds, among 
them being a Repu1)lican majority of over 52,000, he defeated that distin- 
guished Republican and Trohiljitionist, John P. St. John, In- 8.079 \-otes. 
Governor (jlick was inaugurated Januar\- 8, 1883, and his administratinn was 
marked by dignity, intelligence, and a careful and discreet management of 
the material and financial interests of the State. His long experience as a 
legislator gave him an intimate knowledge of its needs, and many valuable re- 
form measures recommended in his message to the legislature were accom- 
plished. He entered an earnest protest against the burdens imposed upon 
the agricultural classes by the railroads and asked that legislation be enacted 
to prevent these exactions, A law creating a railroad commission, and em- 
bodying substantially all the improvements asked by him, was passed, and 
proved of great benefit to the people of the State. 

In 1885 he was appointed by President Cleveland pension agent at Topeka 
and reappointed when Mr. Cleveland again came into office. During Mr. 
Click's two terms as pension agent at the Tojjeka agency, he received and dis- 
bursed over $85,000.00. 

In 1857 he married Elizabeth Ryder, of Massillon, Ohio, a latly de- 
scended from a distinguished colonial ancestry. Her ancestors were among 
the first settlers of Concord, Mass., and she derived her name from forbears 
who were well known among the early colonists of New York City. For fifty 
years and more this noble matron, having with her the best traditions of Amer- 
ican life, presided over the hospitable home of George W. Click, with the grace 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 353 

and dignity inherited from a fine ancestry. She added to the success of liis 
public life the greater blessings of domestic happiness. Two children were 
born to this union : Frederick H. Click and Mrs. James W. Orr, of Atchison, 
Kan. He died at Atchison, Kan., April 13, 191 1, aged eighty-four years; his 
wife and children survive him. 

Each State is entitled to place in Statuary Hall at the capitol in Washing- 
ton, statues of two of its citizens renowned in literature, art, war or civil life, 
and several years ago one of such places was filled In- the State of Kansas with 
a statue of John James Ingalls, of Atchison, Kan. The regular session of the 
191 3 legislature of Kansas adopted a concurrent resolution and made an ap- 
propriation for the purchase of a suitable statue as a tribute to the memory of 
George Washington Click, to be placed in Statuary Hall, where the Nation 
has granted to its people the privilege of placing it. The statue was designed 
and executed by Charles H. Niehaus and accepted by Congress as a gift from 
Kansas, with suitaljle ceremonies, and is now in Statuary Hall. A cut repre- 
senting it precedes tliis sketch. Sixteen thousand fi\e hundred copies of a vol- 
ume containing the proceedings in Congress, and a plate of the statue, were, 
by authority of Congress, printed and distributed. 



HORACE MORTIMER JACKSON. 

He who leaves behind him, when he passes laexond the goal from wliich 
no mortal man has ever returned, a pleasant and aljiding memorv of his 
existence on this earth, and has bequeathed to his progeny and posterity a 
heritage of right living and right thinking, has accomplished much. His 
memory will be revered long after that of the individual who has done noth- 
ing but accumulate wealth and has made no effort to leave this earthlv abiding 
place a better place to live than when he came upon it. Judge Horace Morti- 
mer Jackson, deceased, was a man who li\ed an upright life, and was accorded 
the uni\-ersal respect of his fellow men and was a legal practitioner of high 
rank, whose honorable methods of practice and manner of living were sucii 
as to commend him for most favorable mention in the archives of his adopted 
county of Atchison. 

Judge Horace M. Jackson was born near Albion, Penn., July 11, 1839, a 
son of Lyman Jackson, wlio was the son of Miciiael Jackson, wlidse father 
was also named Michael, and was a native of Ireland. Michael Jackson, 

22, 



354 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the founder of the family in America, came from Ireland and settled near 
Hartford, Conn. He went to the coast to trade and was not thereafter heard 
from and was supposed to have heen killed by Indians. He had three sons, 
one of whom, Ebenezer, died in service as a soldier during the French and 
Indian war. Another son went south, and the third was Michael Jackson, 
the direct ancestor of Horace M. Jackson. Michael was born March 28, 1735 
and on June 4, 1755, was married to Susanna W'illcocks. who was bom April 
u>. 1732. They settled in Windham county, Connecticut, later removing to 
Pownal, near Bennington, Vt. Michael Jackson was a soldier in the colonial 
army during the French and Indian war, and was a member of Company Ten, 
First regiment. He was discharged December 12, 1759. He also enlisted 
in the Seventh Company of the Third regiment of volunteers. Army of In- 
dependence, May 5, 1775, and was discharged December 15, 1775. He later 
volunteered for service in Col. Samuel Herrick's regiment of "Alarm Men." 
Lyman, the son of Michael, also served in the Revolution on the American 
side. Fie was born February 29, 1755, at Simsbury, Hartford county, Con- 
necticut. He enlisted eight different times in the American army. Lyman 
married Deidania Dunham on January 3, 1782. This couple lived at Albany. 
Otsego and Wyoming, N. Y., at different times. To them were bom thirteen 
children. About 1805, Ljinan Jackson settled in Erie county, Pennsylvania, 
and obtained a dense tract of timber land in the Holland Purchase from which 
he cleared a farm. Seven sons and a son-in-law of this redoubtable patriot 
fought in tlic \Var of 1812. 

Lyman Jackson died March 20, 1835. David Bardsley Jackson, a son 
of Lyman. Iwrn May 29, 1797, at Richfield. Otsego county, New York, mar- 
ried Lucy Hendryx, on April 11, 1822, near .\lbion, Penn. He was the ninth 
child of Lyman Jackson and cleared a farm of forty acres in the Holland 
Purchase on which he resided until the year 1830. He then sold his land, 
loaded his effects in a farm wagon, drove to Pittsburgh, and took passage 
down the Ohio river and thence up the Mississippi to Warsaw, 111., from 
wiiicli landing place on December 15, 1839 ^^ drove to Knoxville, 111., and 
bouglit a farm ten miles west of the village. He returned to Pennsylvania 
in 1841, driving overland with his team 1,000 miles each way accom- 
panied by his wife and two youngest children. In the year 1846 he removed 
to a residence in Knoxville and engaged in the grocery business. In 1854 
he settled on a farm one-half mile west of Cambridge. Henn,- county, Illinois. 
He lived iiere until 1876, then sold out and made his home at Gilson, for the 
remainder of his days. This sturdy pioneer died January 18, 1879. His 
children were: Mrs. Elizabeth Ruth Pierce, Zaremba, Obadiah H., Gershom, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 355 

David, Francis Marion. Charles Wilmer De Loss, Horace Mortimer, and 
Mrs. Annie Lucelia \^'^ing. 

Horace Mortimer Jackson was reared on the farm, attended the schools 
of Knoxville. 111., clerked in his father's grocer}- store, sawed wood for forty 
cents per cord, and did the hardest kind of farm work while yet a boy. During 
1860-61, he taught school for $28 per month. On August 7, 1861, he started 
for De Soto, Neb., by way of Hannibal and St. Joseph. On April 12, 1861, he 
boarded a steamer at St. Joseph en route for Omaha, \rri\ing there he joined 
his brother Zaremba on his farm in Nebraska. He worked here for some 
time and assisted his brother in tilling the farm with oxen in the most primi- 
tive way. He saved his money and in 1862 returned to Cambridge, 111., 
taught school during the winter and read law at night. He followed farming, 
served as deputy sheriff of the count)- and finally located at Versailles. Mo., 
in the practice of law. He was a member of the board of education whid" 
gave the first public school to the town of Versailles. He married Lavanchia 
Isabelle Valentine, December 12, 1865. She was the eldest daughter of 
John O. Valentine. For a time the newly wedded couple were in very poor 
circumstances. 

Tlieir furniture was (if crude workmansliip, made from store lioxes. It 
was here that the future judge made the friendship of Anderson W. Anthony, 
a good lawyer wiiom he esteemed highly, who became his first law partner. 
He made a journey to Wichita, Kan., in August, 1870, but located at Maiys- 
ville. Mo., in September of the same year. He became a partner of D. L. 
Palmer, who later went to Jewell City, Kan. He then formed a partnership 
with Judge Thomas J. Johnston, and served as prosecuting attorney of the 
county. In December of 1878 he started for Beloit, Kan., with tlie intention 
of locating in tliat city, but stopped at Atchison where he met W. S. (ireen- 
leaf and Gen. W. W. Guthrie. He remained in their law offices during the 
ensuing winter. -General Guthrie at that time was a member of the State 
senate. He fonned a partnership with Mr. Greenlea on March 17, 1879, 
whicli continued until Mr. Greenlea's death in September, 1880. His wife 
died March 26, 1883, and he later, on February 11, 1886, married Matilda 
(Adams) Rook, wiio had one daughter by a former marriage, Effie, now the 
wife of C. A. Chandler, of Atchison . Matilda Adams Rook was a daughter 
of Peter and Martha Adams, of England, and sister of J. P. Adams, of Atchi- 
son. Horace M. Jackson was apjiointcd judge of the district court on March 
I, 1887, and continued as judge until his successor was elected. He and his 
son, William A., conducted the law business and served as the local attorneys 
for the Santa Fe and the Burlington railroads until liis deatli. which occurred 



356 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

December 11. 1910. Judge Jackson left two sons, ^^'illiam Anthony and 
Zaremba Edward. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, the Elks, 
Modern Woodmen and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He be- 
queathed to his children and posterity a heritage of an honorable, upright life 
without stain or lilemish and will long be remembered as one of the honored 
citizens of .\tchison. 



ZAREMBA E. TACKSOX. 



The measure of a living citizen is his genuine worth to his community. 
H lie unselfishly strives to make his home city a better place in which to live, 
and does something l)y which he will long be remembered, as of lasting good, 
he has acc(^mplislied a task well worth wliile. ^^'hile every town and city can 
boast of such individuals who are striving to do things in belialf of the juiblic 
welfare, there are not a great number who can act without an\- ulterior motive 
and without desire to bring jDCCuniary reward to themselves. Of the class 
of better citizens mentioned as doing things for the betterment of the con- 
dition of the citizenry. Z. E. Jackson, attorney of Atchison, occupies a promi- 
nent place in the cit)-. Gifted as an attorney, upright in all of his dealings 
with his fellow men, interested to a high degree in the welfare of his fellow 
citizens, he has striven unselfishly to do good. Jackson Park, named after 
this gentleman, represents the culmination of one of his dreams and years 
of endeavor to create a breathing place of woodland beauty and a ]niblic 
playground of which the city may well be proud. 

Z. E. Jackson was born in IMaryville. Mo.. Septemlier 23. 1872. and 
is a son of Judge Horace Mortimer Jackson, late of Atchison, and a review 
of whom appears in this work. He came to Atchison witli his parents when 
six years of age. He received his primary education in tlic public schools of 
Atchison and afterward stutlied for two years in ^Midland College. He then 
matriculated in the University of Illinois, with the intention of preparing 
himself to become an electrical engineer. After studxing for two years in 
the Illinois university, he abandoned his original intention and returning to 
Atchison, entered his father's law office in 1893. He studied stenography 
without a regular instnictor and prepared him.self to take dictation, filling 
the post of stenographer in his father's office while reading law. He studied 
law under his gifted father's tutelage and was admitted to the bar in 1899. 
being later admitted to practice in the higher State and federal courts. At 
first lie practiced alone and was then made a member of tlie law finn of 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 357 

Jackson & Jackson. This firm was at first composed of Judge Horace M. 
Jackson, and his son, William A., and when William A., was elected 
to the position of judge of the district court, it was composed 
of Horace M. and iiis son, Z. E. Jackson. Air. Jackson is local attorney 
for the Home Building and Loan Association, and a director of the same con- 
cern. He is the local attorney for the Santa Fe Railroad System and the 
Burlington Railroad Company. He is also the legal advi.ser for several of 
Atchison's corporations. Air. Jackson has the reputation of heing one of 
the ablest and cleanest practitioners of the Atchi.son county bar wlio has 
followed in the footsteps of his illustrious father in never refusing counsel 
or advice to a pulilic official, religious denomination or to a charitable organ- 
ization, whether or not any fee was forthcoming — in fact. Ins office lias al- 
ways been ready to give advice to applicants of the character of the foregoing 
without charge or recompense of any kind. Mr. Jackson has never turned 
away a client who had a meritorious cause, because of lack of funds, and in 
this respect resembles liis father in liis manner of conducting his legal practice. 
\Miile Mr. Jackson is not a memljer of any particular religious denomination, 
he iias always lieen a liljeral contributor to all mo\'ements wliich ha\e had 
for their intent tlie betterment of the community. He is owner of Atchison 
real estate and farm lands in Jackson county, Kansas, to which he gives his 
personal attention. 

Mr. Jackson's career as a public official began in lyoi, when lie was 
elected police judge cjf the city and again elected in 1903, after which he 
declined to again become a candidate for the office. His career as police 
judge was marked b}' uniform fairness and impartiality, tempered with kind- 
ness in dealing with tlie city's minor malefactors who were brought before 
him for judgment in his official capacity. From 1905 to 1909 he was assist- 
ant city attorney, and in 1912 was elected to the office of city attorney to 
fill the unexpired term of Daniel S. Hooper, deceased. Fie served out the 
unexpired term and declined to become a candidate in 1913, liecause of the 
growing demands of his large law practice. While serving as city attor- 
ney many important problems came up before the city for solution, such as 
the telephone merger, and the renewal of the city's contract with the Atchison 
Light and Power Compan\-. His wise advice and counsel steered the city 
government safely over the shoals, incidental to the settlement of these ques- 
tions. Mr. Jackson found the city finances in bad shape, as related to the 
renewal of the lighting contract, a condition of affairs brought about by his 
predecessor's long illness preventing him from attending to business, and he 
immediately set to work to unravel the tangle and brought order out of 



338 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

chaos to the achantag-e of the city. Another matter to which lie gave con- 
siderable attention wliile c!t\- attorney was the intercepting sewer problem 
which he handled satisfactorily. 

Mr. Jackson is a pronounced Republican in his political views, hax'ing 
become a convert to Republican principles when he became of age, a decision 
which he was influenced to make by the panic of 1893. He is affiliated with 
the Knights of Pythias. 

He was united in marriage with Miss Maud K. Smith. April 30, 1903. 
Mrs. Jackson was born in Burlington. Iowa, a daughter of Lewis T. and 
Theresa June (Chadwick) Smith, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and 
the latter a native of Canada. Lewis T. Smith was born in 1846 in \\'est 
Lebanon, Pa., and is one of the old-time railroad men of the early days. 

Mr. Jackson's creed of living- is best expressed in his own words, "I be- 
lieve that every man .should do something for the communit\- in which lie lives, 
besides getting a living out of it." It was the practice of his creed which led 
to the beautiful park in the southeast part of the city being named in his 
honor, over his personal objections. The Atchison Globe says of his connec- 
tion witii the building and equipping of the park in the issue of August iS. 
1913, in part, after (lunting Mv. Jackson's creed, as above given: 

"That e.xplains the principal reason why lie ( Z. E. Jackson) has taken 
such an interest in the park which now bears his name. Another reason is he 
likes to dig in the ground, and investigate things as he finds them in the woods 
and wild places. He is also handy at improving on Nature here and there 
without spoiling the general effect. 

"Seven or eight years ago. after spending many of his boyhood and young 
maniiood days in Jackson Park, he saw the possibilities of it for a beautiful 
playground for young and old. He invited several of his South .Atcliison 
neighbors to meet in liis law office one night and a ]>ark iniijonement asso- 
ciation was formed. In order to start a fund for improvements in the park 
each member present put up five dollars. Otlier citizens were invited to con- 
tribute and thus a small fund was raised. 

"That proved to l)e the redemption of City Park, a tract of fifty-si.x acres 
of woodland which cost the city $7,500 ab<jut thirty years ago. 

"W'itli the few hundred dollars raised by private subscription it was siiown 
wiiat might be accomplished if the necessary funds were forthcoming. From 
the sale of a park bond, issued when the cil\- was trying to put the coal mine 
on its feet, the committee secured $500 which was used in replacing the dam 
which makes the lake and otlier improvements. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 339 

"If effective service is to be rewarded, llicii tlie cit_\' council made no 
mistake when it acted on the petition presented to it, asking that the name of 
City Park be changed to Jackson Park in honor of Z. E. Jackson, a }-oung 
man who decided that tiie making of a park was the del^t lie cjwed the commu- 
nity where he makes his hving." 

The action referred to in the foregoing was taken August i, 19 13, wiien 
the official name of Jackson Park was given to the tract in honor of Mr. Jack- 
son. Besides his work of superintending the park and bringing about its re- 
demption with the assistance of otlier pubhc sjjirited men, Mr. Jackson and 
others secured a ten-acre tract of land lying between the original fifty-six 
acres and the Missouri river, which has been added to and is now a part of 
the park. 



THOMAS FRABLE. 



TliDuias Frable, retired farmer, of Benton township, is one of tiic oldest 
living pioneer citizens of Atchison county, both in age and number of years 
of residence in the county. He was one of the old-time freighters who con- 
ducted his own freighting outfit across the plains in the days of the Civil war, 
and b'eforc the ad\ent of the transcontinental railroads. Mr. Frable was 
born in March, 1832, and has spent fifty-six of his four score and four years 
of life in .Vtchison county and Kansas. He was born on a farm in Pennsyl- 
vania, a son of Thomas Frable, who died when the subject was three years 
of age, leaving his widow in such poor circumstances that she was unable to 
rear her children in comfort. Thomas was given a home by a man named 
Queen, who owned a large farm, and he lived with Queen until attaining his 
majority. Queen owned a farm of 300 acres, and Thomas was started to 
work when still a small boy, learning to guide a plow across the fields when 
he was but eleven years of age. When he became of age and was free to do 
as he liked, the germ of adventure and aml^tion seized him and he decided 
to try his fortunes in the great West. In line wit1i Ibis resolve, be crossed 
the country to Kansas in 1839, in company with another young fellow named 
Reuben Ferguson, with whom he finally bouglit a tract of land which they 
farmed in common for a time, and then made a division. Mr. I'r.ible still 
owns eighty acres of the original tract which he and Ferguson purchased. 
Mr. Frable engaged in the freighting business and made considerable money 
in the old days. He l>ecame the owner of two teams which he drove with 
the great trains which were constantly leaving Atchison in the early sixties, 



360 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

en route to the far U'est, and transported blasting powder to Denver and 
mining points in Colorado for the use of the gold and silver miners. He also 
carried corn for tlie United Stales Government. During the Civil war Mr. 
I'^rable was enrolled as a member of the Kansas State militia, and served at 
the battle of Westport in the expedition against the reljel, General Price. 
After the war he settled down to farming in Benton township, and has pros- 
pered exceedingly, he and his son, Harry, now owning over 560 acres 
of fine land. The Frable home is one of the most imposing and best built 
farm residences in the county, and Harry Frable recently erected a large barn 
in which the live stock of this extensive farm is housed. Mr. Frable and 
Harry have been life-long Republicans. 

Tiiomas Frable was married in 1862 to Rebecca Graham, a daughter of 
Richard Graham, who came from Pennsylvania with his family to Atchison 
county in the early days, and was one of the well known pioneers of this 
county. Mrs. Frable was born October 5, 1835. and died in November, 1908. 
Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Frable, namely : Clara, de- 
ceased; Margaret, dying in infancy: two died in infancy: and Harry 
was bom January 22, 1865. 



JAMES W. ORR. 



TIic reviewer, in attempting to write a comprehensive and trutliful 
biography of an individual, must take into consideration the related facts as 
to birth and subsequent career, the success attained, the underlying principles 
which have combined to assist him in achieving his desires and ambitions, and 
to lay particular stress upon the special talent which lias been developed in 
the life of the subject under review. In reviewing the life career of James 
W. Orr, a leading member of the Atchison county bar, the fact is determined 
that he is truly an able and distinguished lawyer, whose reputation for suc- 
cess at the bar, for having a profound knowledge of the law. and his ability 
to successfully practice in the courts of the land, arrayed against the brightest 
minds of the legal profession of the country, is recognized, not only by the 
people of the State of Kansas and his profession generally, but by the United 
States Government, in whose employ he now is as special assistant to tlie 
attorney general of the United States. 

James W, Orr was born September 14, 1855, in the town of Reading, 
Hillsdale county, Michigan. In his boyhood days, and during the struggle 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 361 

to educate liimself for the practice of his chosen profession, he knew what 
adversity meant and has the satisfaction of knowing that his education was 
obtained through his own unaided efforts. He is a son of James and Mary 
EHzabeth (Underbill) Orr, both of whom were natives of New York City. 
His father was of Scotch-Irish descent, his forebears emigrating from Scot- 
land to the north of Ireland in the days of old to escape religious persecution. 
His paternal grandfather left Ireland in an early day and made his home in 
New York. The Underbill family is of English origin and a very old one 
in America, several generations of whom have been horn and reared in this 
countiy. His maternal grandfather was Daniel Unflerhill, a goldsmith in 
New York City. James Orr, the fatlier, was a merchant in New York till about 
1848, when he left his natix^e city and engaged in merchandising in Rome, 
Syracuse and Utica, N. Y.. (three stores), following which he engaged in 
wholesale business in Toledo, Ohio. While a resident of Toledo he became 
identified with some of the enterprises of that day and was a stockholder, 
director and one of the builders of the Erie & Dunkirk railroad. In 1861 
he removed to Coldwater, Mich., and conducted a merchandise business there 
until 1868. when, in broken health, he settled in Niles, Mich., where he died. 
When James W. Orr was fourteen years of age he began earning his own 
living and educating himself. He and his brother, Louis C. Orr, the present 
postmaster of Atchison, worked together for several years, sharmg their work 
with each other and pooling their earnings. The boys were fortunate in hav- 
ing a wise and ambitious mother who was well educated and who taught 
them at home, thus giving tliem the education they were financialh- unable 
to obtain at school. At the age of se\enteen years while employed in a drug 
store he was reading law at nights and at odd times when his work was not 
pressing. By persistent endeavor he managed to secure two years of study 
at Michigan University, at ,\nn .Arlior. He then took his examination for 
admission to the bar in open court, and was admitted to practice when but 
twent\- years of age. His first employment in his new profession was with 
the McCnrmick Harvester Company, settling claims, etc., in liehalf of that 
company. He remained in this position until 1880, and in January, 1881, 
came to Atchison where he has since continuously resided. It was necessary 
for him to begin the upward climb of the ladder to fame and success without 
assistance from an}' indi\-idual or friend. How well Mr. Orr has succeeded 
during the past thirty-four years is attested by his present high position in the 
ranks of the legal profession and the competence he has accumulated. He 
was first employed in Atchison by the New England Loan & Trust Com- 
pany as attorney to examine abstracts of titles, etc., at a salary of forty 



362 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

dollars per month. It was not long until he was receiving a salary of $150 
per month and a share of the profits in the employ of the same concern. 
When the concern moved to Kansas City and became known as the Equitable 
Loan & Trust Company, Mr. Orr remained in Atchison. In 1883 he was 
married to Miss Jennie Click, the only daughter of Governor George W. 
Click, of Atchison. He took up the practice of law, purchasing tlie interest 
of Judge W. D. Webb in the finn of Webb-& Martin, and entered into part- 
nership with .\. F. Martin, which partnership existed from 1882 until April, 
1887. During the five years he had been in Atchison he had been extending 
his acquaintance over the county, and in Noveml^er, 1866, was a successful 
candidate for county attorney on the Democratic ticket, being elected over 
W. D. Gilbert by a substantial majority, despite the fact tliat the county 
was then normally Republican by over 800 majority. In April, 1887, he 
formed a law partnership with B. P. Waggener and Judge David Martin, the 




Residence of .1. W. Oir. 

firm having previously been known as I-lvcrcst &: Waggener. Judge Martin 
resigning the position of judge of the .\tchisnn district court to join the firm, 
which was known as \\'aggener. Martin & Orr. In the year 1895 Judge Mar- 
tin retired from the firm, and Judge A. H. Horton, then chief justice of tlie 
supreme court of Kansas, resigned his office of chief justice, a position he had 
held continuously for nineteen yenrs, to become a member of the finn. Judge 
David Martin was appcMuted to the vacancy so made on tb.e supreme bench. 
Judge Horton remained a member of the firm until his deatli. wlien ex-Ciiief 
Justice Frank Doster became a member of the firm known as AN'aggener, 
Doster & Orr. During Mr. Orr"s association witli B. P. Waggener in tlie 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 363 

practice of law they had charge of the legal business for the Gould system of 
railroads in Kansas and Nebraska; the Western Union Telegraph Company; 
express companies, and the Pullman Palace Car Company. They were 
associated in partnership with three ex-chief justices of the supreme court of 
Kansas during this period. In June, 1910, Mr. Orr resigned his position 
as attorney for the Missouri Pacific Railway Company, and his connection 
with B. P. Waggener. which had then continued for twenty-three years, was 
also terminated. The position of special assistant to the attorney-general 
of the United States was proffered him by Attorney-General McReynolds in 
Octol>er, 19 1 3, while Mr. Orr was engaged in the trial of a case in St. Louis. 
He accepted and was given charge of the suit of the Government against the 
Southern Pacific Company and others, including the Central Pacific Railway, 
to dissolve the relations between those companies. Mr. Orr conducts his cases 
for the Government in addition to his private practice. His rise has been 
stead\ and consistent during the years he has been practicing his profession 
in Atchison, and it is true that the youth who began his career in the city of 
Atchison for the modest salary of forty dollars per month now enjoys a lucra- 
tive private law practice, in addition to his income from the Government and 
not supplemented by corporation salaries. Mr. Orr has accumulated a com- 
fortable fortune during the years of his practice and has what is considered 
the most beautiful home in Atchison. In his home he has his private library 
of several hundred volumes, including the standard works of literature. His 
law library lines the walls of his down-town offices and exceeds 2,000 vol- 
umes in number. 

Mr. and Mrs. Orr had but one' child, a son, George Glick Orr. who was 
drowned while bathing in the Pacific ocean, near San Diego, Cal, on July 
21, 1909, at the age of twenty-five years. The loss of this talented young 
man saddened the lives of his parents for years. At the age when most 
young men are just beginning to gain a higher education, George Glick Orr 
could read, write and speak six different languages. For seventeen years of 
his life he was a student, graduated at the University of Kansas, and had 
been admitted to the bar, showing great promise in his chosen profession and 
being frequently entrusted with important legal matters. 

Mr. Orr has received all the Masonic degrees except the thirty-third, 
and is a memljer of several fraternal societies. He attends and contributes to 
tlie support of the Christian Science Church, of which Mrs. Orr is a member. 

In politics and as a public official and law-maker, Mr. Orr has a record 
of which any man may well be proud. He became a member of the Kansas 
Democratic State central committee in 1884 and remained such continuously 



364 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

until 1908, and in point of service was its oldest member. He has attended, 
as a delegate, six National Democratic conventions, and on three occasions 
was a member of the notification committee appointed to officially notify the 
presidential candidate of his nomination by the convention, including Cleve- 
land in 1892; Parker in 1904, and Woodrow Wilson in 1912. His excep- 
tional career in politics began as early as 1880, when he served as assistant 
secretary of the committee chosen to notify General Hancock at Governor's 
Island, N. Y., of his nomination for the Presidency. Mr. Orr was an original 
Wilson man and one of the committee of five having the floor management 
of the Wilson forces at the Baltimore convention in 1912 which nominated 
Mr. Wilson for the Presidency. From 1901 to 1907 Mr. Orr served three 
terms successively as mayor of the city of Atchison and gave the city one of 
the best administrations in its history. He served two terms in the State 
legislature as representative from the Atchison city district, the sessions of 
191 1 and 1913. During the 191 1 session he was one of the three legislators 
selected by the house to draft and did prepare the present public utilities low, 
under which all railroads and public utilities in this State are now managed 
and controlled; he was the author of the present comprehensive drainage 
laws ; the law requiring the attorney-general to pay into the State treasury all 
fees received by him in the prosecution of State cases ; the so-called "Orr 
viaduct law," which requires railroads to construct and maintain at their ex- 
pense all necessary viaducts over or tunnels under their tracks in cities, and 
under which the Fourteenth street viaduct in this city and viaducts in many 
other cities have been built and the maintained by the railroads, also many 
other laws of public interest and importance. In the session of 1913 he was 
chairman of the judiciary committee and was elected majority leader of the 
house. At the close of the legislative session of 1913 Mr. Orr was presented 
with a resolution, unanimously adopted by the members of the house, beauti- 
fully engraved in India ink, artistically framed and containing a reproduction 
of the great seal of Kansas. This resolution thanks Mr. Orr for the assistance 
he had given individual members of the house and for his service to the State, 
both as chairman of the judiciary committee and as majority house leader, 
and is signed by every member. It follows : 

"house resolution, XO. 51 BY MR. RIDDLE. 

"Resolved, That the members of the house extend to tlie Hon. James 
W. Orr their sincere thanks for the splendid service lie has given to them and 
to the State during the present session. In addition to his work as floor leader 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 365 

of the majority party, and his work as chairman of the judiciary committee, 
he has been tireless, patient, and industrious in giving to individual members 
the benefit of his learning and ability by helping them in their work. His help 
has been extended alike to members of all political parties, and has been 
especially beneficial to members who have had little experience in legislative 
work. He has the confidence, esteem and love of all the members. 

"Done in the city of Topeka, this eighth day of March, 191 3." 



ANDREW B. SYMNS. 



A\'hen the late A. B. Symns passed beyond mortal ken on April 9, 1905, 
Atchison suffered a loss from its business circles which could never be re- 
placed. He left behind him a monument in the A. B. Symns Grocer Company, 
one of the largest of the wholesale establishments of the city and State, which 
was the product of his brain and ability. He was one of the noted pioneer 
figures of a decade which produced great and strong men. From a modest 
beginning" he rose to become a national character in the business world of the 
great \^'est and realized his ambition during a long and useful life. He not 
only succeeded in accumulating a comfortable fortune but left a reputation 
for integrity and upright citizenship which has never been surpassed by any 
of his compeers of the building age in .\tclTison and Kansas. From bovhood 
to the time he iiad jiassed the age of three score years and ten, Mr. Symns 
was an indefatigable worker and never relaxed except for much needed 
recreation and rest, occasionally. Early in his career he had great faith in 
the future of Atchison and that faith was fully justified by his own success 
in the jobbing field. 

A. B. Symns was born in Monroe county. West Virginia, March 27, 1831, 
and was a son of John and Elizabeth (Peters) Symns, natives of old Virginia, 
of Scotch-Irish descent. 

As a boy he worked on his father's farm, attending school three months 
each winter. At the age of eighteen he clerked in a store at Petertown and 
later on attended Lewisburg Seminary one year. He also worked at White 
Sulphur Springs before coming west in 1853. He listened to Ihe call of tlie 
great unpeojjled western country for )oung and ambitious men to develop 
her dormant resources, and in 1853 crossed the country to St. Joseph, Mo., 
where he clerked in a store for two years and then went to St. Louis. After 
clerking in St. Louis for one year he became an eighth owner of the steam- 



366 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

lx)at "Hesperian" and served as clerk aboard the steamer. This boat made 
its first trip on the Missouri trade in 1856 and it was while passing up and 
down the Missouri river that he was attracted to the then flourishing town of 
Doniphan. It far overshadowed Atchison at that time and he determined 
to locate in Doniphan. During the time he was connected with the steamboat 
service he had many interesting experiences. He opened a grocery store in 
1858, but during the same year the land office was removed to Atchison and 
Doniphan lost ground, but the Symns store grew in size and importance and 
was the nucleus around which his great business was subsequently builded. 
He removed the store to Atchison in 1872, and Ijegan wholesaling in a small 
way in connection with his retail business. In 1877 he was doing business in 
the corner store room at Sixth and Commercial streets, on the southeast corner. 
While located in this building he closed out his retail business and engaged in 
jobbing exclusively. With the impetus given by his splendid business mind 
and his remarkable energy the business grew rapidly, and he soon found 
himself at the head of one of the largest wholesale grocery houses in the 
western country. Thirty men are employed as traveling salesmen by the 
Symns Grocer Company alone, and the Symns Utah Grocer Company, which 
he established, has its own force. Customers of Mr. Symns over Kansas, 
Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri. Texas, Colorado and Utah have always agreed 
that A. B. Symns was the fairest man with whom they ever did business. He 
had faith in .N.tchison as a great jobbing center, and the success of his business 
fully justified that belief. The immense jobbing house of the Symns Grocer 
Company on Main street of Atchison was built from plans prepared by Mr. 
Symns himself and is one of the most complete establishments of the kind to 
be found anywhere. So extensive did the business become, however, that it 
was necessar}- to erect an addition in 1903. The capitalization of the Symns 
Grocer Company at the time of the demise of Mr. S}-mns was $300,000 and 
that of the Utah concern at Salt Lake City was $80,000. ilr. Symns was 
president of both companies and had a controlling interest in each. He left 
an estate valued at over $300,000. 

One of the interesting episodes of Mr. Symns' mercantile career was tlic 
looting of his Doniphan store by Cleveland's band of outlaws, who made 
Atchison their headquarters in the winter of 1861-62. At the time Mr. 
Symns was absent in St. Joseph, but his brothers, Sam and ^^'illiam Symns, 
were in charge when it was surrounded one evening by Cleveland and his 
gang. They forced William Symns to open the safe and took what money 
there was on hand in addition to clothing, saddles, etc. While the robbery was 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 36/ 

in progress, Mrs. Symns ran out to arouse the neighbors, but no help was 
forthcoming because of tlie fact that everybody was afraid of Cleveland and 
his gang, and the thieves got away with their Ijooty unmolested. 

A. B. Symns was married in 1858, returning to Old Virginia for his 
bride. ]Miss Elizabeth Tiffany, who was his boxhood sweetlieart. Mrs. Symns 
was a member of an excellent Virginia family and bore him tiie following 
children: ^Irs. A. S. Rowan, who died December 31, 1903; Miss Effic 
Symns, of Atchison ; Charles, Atchison, and Guy. Tlie mother of these chil- 
dren departed this life September 12, 1900, at the age of si.\ty-four years, hav-_ 
ing been born in 1836. Six children were born and died in infancy at Doni- 
phan : Jolm, Joseph, Lee, Hugh, Edna and Louis. ]\Ir. Symns died April 
9, 1905, at Hot Springs, Ark. He was sincerely mourned and Atchison busi- 
ness circles suffered a loss which could hardly be estimated. 

While Mr. and Mrs. Symns were on their wedding trip on the steamer 
"Carrier" en route up the Missouri river from St. Louis to Doniphan., the 
boat sank near Hermann, Mo. They easily escaped drowning because the 
"Carrier" sank slowly, but they lost their newly jnirchased household goods 
and a large amount of supplies with which Mr. Symns intended to stock the 
Doniphan store. ' I\Irs. Symns continued to Doniphan on another boat, while 
Mr. Symns returned to St. Louis to lay in another stock of household goods 
and provisions for his store. 

The Symns family came of old Scotch Presb)terian stock. Although a 
southerner by Iiirth. lie was a L'nion man in Kansas. He was an independent 
Democrat in politics. 

Mr. Symns was in active pursuits even after attaining the age of three 
score years and ten, and was always found early at his desk. He was not 
only the active head of the business but closely watched the details. He was 
always hurrying and was ever busy, and it was iiis custom to walk daily to 
the postoffice for his mail so as to have the benefit of the exercise. Having 
always been a man of correct habits he belied his years and his demise came 
unexpectedly at Hot Springs. He was accidentally killed by a locomotive on 
a railroad crossing at Hot Springs, where it had been his custom to go for 
his health during the latter ten }ears of his life. He was fond of his family 
and dearly loved his home life. He was quiet, unassuming, and was one of 
the kindest and gentlest of men, probably no man being more universally 
admired and beloved in Atchison during his day. His life story furnishes a 
decided inspiration for any one who may read of his success in Atchison. 



368 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

BALIE PEYTON WAGGENER. 

It is not difficult to classify Balie P. Waggener so as to deterniine his 
position in the civic body of Atchison, but it is not easy to write a review com- 
prehensive enough to give a proper estimate of this distinguished citizen who 
has been honored in his home city and in the State of Kansas. When one 
thinks of Atchison it is only natural to refer to the city as the home of Balie 
Waggener. who is indisputably grouped among the prominent and widely 
known figures who have shed fame and luster upon their liome city. A lead- 
ing attorney, statesman, progressive citizen, builder, fanner and stockman, 
friend of all children, capitalist, and public benefactor are some of the terms 
which might be applied to him without fear of contradiction from the mass 
of the people who know him best. 

He was born in Platte county, Missouri, July 18, 1847, a son of Peyton 
R. and Sophronia Briseis (Willis) Waggener, who were American born and 
descended from old American families. The great-grandfather of Mr. W'ag- 
gener served in the Continental army as a lieutenant-colonel during the .Ameri- 
can war of independence, and hi? grandfatlier was a major in the United 
States army during the War of 1812. Balie Waggener attended the public 
schools until he attained the age of fourteen years and then obtained a situa- 
tion as toll-gate keeper on the old Platte City & Western turnpike. He was 
ambitious to become a lawyer and during the interims of his duties in attend- 
ing the toll-gate, and after his day's work was done, he read his law books. 
The next step in his preparation to l^ecome a member of the legal profession 
was to enter the law office of Otis 8z Glick, in .Atchison. This was in 1866, 
and so assiduously did the young man apply himself to his studies that he was 
admitted to the bar June 10, 1867. Three years later he formed a partnership 
with Albert H. Norton, then United States district attorney, under the firm 
name of Horton & Waggener, which lasted until the election of Judge Horton 
to the office of chief justice of the Kansas supreme court in 1876. In 1887 
Mr. Waggener formed a partnership under the firm name of Waggener, Mar- 
tin & Orr, which continued until .April 30, 1895, when the firm was dissolved 
and the firm became Waggener, Horton & Orr. Chief Justice Horton having 
resigned his position and again entered the firm. David Martin, Mr. Wag- 
gener's former partner, became chief justice of the supreme court of Kansas 
to succeed Chief Justice Horton. In 1902 Judge Horton died, and later his 
place in the firm was taken by Ex-Chief Justice Frank Dnster, under the firm 
name of Waggener, Doster & Orr. It will thus be seen that I\Ir. Waggener 
has been associated in the practice of law with three chief justices of the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 369 

supreme court of Kansas. In 1913 Mr. Orr withdrew from the firm to become 
special assistant to the attorney-general of the United States, and the firm is 
now known as Waggener, Challiss & Crane, being composed of W. V. W'ag- 
gener, James Challiss and Albert Crane. Mr. Waggener now devotes his 
time and legal talents almost exclusively to his duties as general solicitor for 
the Missouri Pacific railway. 

The ability of a lawyer having the calibre of Mr. Waggener was bound 
to attract attention, and on January 4, 1876, he was appointed general attor- 
ney of the Missouri Pacific railway for the State of Kansas, and on May i, 
1910, he was made general solicitor for that company for the States of Kan- 
sas, Nebraska, and Colorado, his son, W. P. Waggener, succeeding him as 
general attorney for Kansas. During the forty-four years Mr. Waggener has 
been engaged in the practice of law he has won an enviable position at the 
bar through his own personal efforts. He has never ceased to be a student 
of all subjects pertaining to that most jealous of professions, and it is worthy 
of note that he is the possessor of one of the most comijjete law libraries in 
the United States, containing upward of 10,000 volumes on every conceivable 
legal subject. He keeps his library at his residence, which is one of the hand- 
somest and best appointed in the city of Atchison, and he prepares most of his 
cases in the study of his home where privacy is possible. 

Naturally, a man of Air. Waggener's vigor and broad-mindedness would 
eflgage-in enterprises outside of the practice of liis ])rofession, and he has done 
so in such a manner as to profit himself and the community. In 1892 he was 
elected president of the Exchange National Bank of .Atchison, which position 
he has since held. He perfected and put into operation the Atchison Railway, 
Light and Power Company in the city, and is the owner of the famous "Green 
View Stock I-'arm," comprising 500 acres, beautifully located a short distance 
west of .\tchison. and which is one of the best equipped and most modern 
farms in Kansas. Through experimentation and adapting modern methods 
of agriculture to the cultivation of his land and the breeding of fine li\e 
stock, Mr. Waggener has become a recognized authoritv on agriculture and 
aninril hu'^bandry. The annual sales of fine live stock which are ])ro 
duced on his farm have become an annual event in this section of Kansas and 
the West, and are largely attended by buyers from all parts of the country. 

In addition to his professional and business interests, Mr. Waggener has 
manifested a public spirit in matters pertaining to the political conditions of 
his city and State. Firmly grounded in Democratic principles, be has become 
one of the foremost leaders of his party and occupies a high place in its coun- 
cils. In 1R69 he was elected to the Atchison city council when he had barely 

24 



370 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

attained his majority. In the year 1872 he was the nominee of his party 
for the office of attorney-general of the State of Kansas, and in 1873 was 
made city attorney. From 1889 to 1891 and again in 1895-97 he was mayor 
of the city. In 1902 he was elected a meml^er of the lower branch of the 
State legislature, which had a large Republican majority, and during the term 
held the important position of chairman of the judiciary committee. It is 
generally conceded that he influenced much of the legislation at that session, 
and his record so commended him to his constituents that in 1904 he was 
elected to the State senate from a strong Republican district, carrying the 
district by a majority of 1,500 votes, although at the same election Theodore 
Roosevelt, the Republican candidate for President, carried the same district 
by over 3,600, an indisputable testimonial to Mr. Waggener's personal pop- 
ularity and his ability. Mr. Waggener served in the senate of the Kansas 
State legislature in the sessions of 1905 and 1907. and was reelected by a hand- 
some majority of over 2,000 in November of 1912, He is now holding the 
position of State senator from this district. 

Mr. Waggener is a member of many secret orders, and is prominent in 
Masonic circles, being a Knights Templar and a Thirty-second degree mem- 
ber of the Scottish Rite, and a member of the Mystic Shrine. 

On May 27, 1869, Mr. Waggener married Miss Emma L., daughter 
of William W. Hetherington, one of Atchison's prominent citizens, now de- 
ceased, a review of whose life and career is given elsewhere in this volume. 
Two children were bom to this union : William Peyton Waggener, a "chip 
off the old block." and present general attorney of the Missouri Pacific rail- 
way for the State of Kansas, and president of the Exchange State Bank of 
Atchison; Mabel L., wife of R. K. Smith, vice-president and general man- 
ager of the Mississippi Central railway. 

Perhaps the trait of character that most endears Mr. Waggener to the 
people of .\tchison county is that lil)erality which led him in 1897 to inaug- 
urate the system of giving an annual picnic to the children. Every year, at 
his o\\Ti personal expense, he furnishes free transportation, free entertainment, 
and free refre.'^hnients to all the cliildren of .\tchison county who can attend 
his picnic, and the larger the crowd the greater is his delight. These picnics 
are not given for the purpose of increasing his popularity or for any self- 
aggrandizement whatever, but solely that he may steal at least one day from 
his business cares and derive a wholesome recreation in contributing to the 
amusement of the young people. This inno,vation has occasioned at various 
times favorable and commendatory comment in the press of the State, and a 
record of these picnics has been placed in the annals of the Kansas State His- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 37I 

torical Society. The report of the secretary of the historical society f<ir the 
year 191 1 has considerable to say concerning the visit of President Taft to 
Kansas in that year and his attendance upon Balie Peyton \\'aggener's picnic 
to the children of the neighborhood. The President left Topeka on September 
2^, about one hour after laying the cornerstone of the Memorial Hall build- 
ing and reached Atchison in time for Mr. Waggener's twelfth annual picnic. 
The President spoke words of high praise of Mr. Waggener and presented 
him with a silver lo\-ing cup in behalf of the peo])le of Atchison county. Mr. 
Taft's words in making the presentation were : "A token is this, Mr. Wag- 
gener. that carries real sincerity of friendship. I present this beautiful vase 
of silver in the name of the people here assembled as a sign of love and esteem. 
I congratulate you on the eminence you have attained." Mr. Waggener re- 
sponded : "This is a distinction unmerited. I have no words to express my 
grateful acknowledgment." Balie Waggener's picnic has become a feature 
of Kansas history of a most pleasant nature. He is a life member of the State 
Historical Society, and has always been an ardent and most liberal friend of 
the society. 

\Vhen Mr. \\'aggener was forced by illness to go to Rochester. Minn., 
for the purpose of having a surgical operation performed, his safe return to 
his home was made the occasion of a time of great rejoicing by the children 
of the city, and a reception was given him, such as has never been given an 
.Atchison citizen before nor since, and which occasioned State-wide comment 
on the part of the press as a fitting testimonial of the great love and esteem 
in whicli he was held bv the children and people of his home citv. During 
the time he was at Rochester undergoing a surgical operation and his subse- 
quent reco\ery, the children of the city had been praying for his restoration 
to health and his safe return to their midst. It was their great friend who 
was ill, and. when the word came that he would arrive home on a certain 
evening the children prepared to receive him in an appropriate manner. All 
the children of Atchison turned out to give him welcome, and hundreds 
formed in line, through which Mr. Waggener passed on his way to his home. 
He and his automobile were pelted with flowers and tears filled his 
eyes, and he was unable to express his heart-felt appreciation of the reception 
which his people had given him. It has been described as the most beautiful 
and touching thing that has ever happened in the life of ]Mr. Waggener. To 
quote briefly from the Kansas City Journal, which described the incident : 
"Few men in this world were so fortunate as to enjov such an ovation. Men 
who have done important things have been received bv town bands and by 
citizens covered with fluttering badges. Men have come back to their home 



T,y2 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

people to be received in the opera house, and cheers have echoed in their re- 
ceptive ears. But it must be understood that no such home-coming as Air. 
Waggener's could come to an ordinary man. It was the tribute of sincere 
devotion and genuine friendship. It couldn't be bought with money or earned 
by material success. These Atchison children didn't care a rap for Waggener, 
the railroad attorney, nor Waggener, the politician, nor even for Waggener, 
the exemplaiy citizen. It was Mr. Waggener, the good, kind friend they 
loved, to whom the welcome was given, and it sprung from sheer joy that he 
had recovered his health and was with them once more. And who can say 
that the earth holds a more splendid triumph as the crowning glory of a life 
than this? All other laudations and exclamations are tame compared with 
the flushed enthusiasm of hundreds of happy children shouting from their 
hearts : 

" 'Waggener, Waggener sis boom ah ! 



ALBERT E. MAYHEW. 



Personal achievement on the part of the individual who accomplishes 
things worth while for himself and in behalf of his fellow men, is always 
worth recording. The inhertnt qualities possessed by an aljle man will de- 
velop and become pronounced in decided results if he be given the proper op- 
portunity. Albert E. Mayhew, legislative representative from the Atchison 
county district, and a successful merchant, lielongs to that t)pe of men who 
by force of intellect and sheer aliility to do things have ])laced themsehes in 
the forefront of affairs and taken their proper places as leaders in their re- 
spective communities. Forty-five years of his life have been spent in Kansas, 
and he can properly be classed as one of the pioneers of the State. Mr. May- 
hew established himself in business in Effingham January i. 1809, ^^'^ his 
success since his advent into Atchison county has been marked and rapid. 
He began at first wilh a capital of $3,000 invested in a hardware and imple- 
ment business. With characteristic energy and enterprise he developed his 
business to the extent that his extensive stock of goods now requires a cap- 
ital of $10,000. In 1912 he purchased a lot at the corner of the two prin- 
cipal streets of Effingham and erected a handsome two-story brick building 
and a warehouse at the same time. This building measures 84x60 feet, includ- 
ing the warehouse and two splendid show rooms, filled w ith high class goods. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 373 

The stock of goods in tlie Mayhew establishment embraces hardware, farm- 
ing implements and wagons, paints, furniture, and he also con<lucts an under- 
taking establishment. Three men are employed to attend to the extensive 
trade of this store, which is the most important institution of its kind in this 
section of the county. 

All>ert E. Ala_\he\v was born March 17, 1866, at St. Mary's, Ontario, 
Canada, a son of William, born in 1833. died in ]\Iarch, 1906, and !\Iary ( Lan- 
caster), born in 1833, died December 25, 1878, Mayhew, both of whom were 
torn in England and immigrated to Canada when in their youth. William 
Mayhew ran away from home and made his way to Canada where he became 
a farmer and married. \\"illiam Mayhew and his wife resided in Canada until 
May, 1870, when they immigrated to Kansas, settling in Nemaha county. 
They purchased a farm near the town of Centralia, developed it and Mr. May- 
hew made a success of farming and stock raising. He began with a large 
tract of land at first, but soon ascertained that it were better to hive a smaller 
farm, and accordingly reduced his acreage to 160 acres, upon which he pros- 
pered. Mrs. Mayhew, the mother of Albert E., died on the home pi ice in 
Xemaha county. W^illiam, as old age crept upon him, removed to San Diego, 
Cal., where his demise occurred. He is buried in the cemeterv of the Cali- 
fornia city. Five sons and a daughter were born to William Mayhew and 
wife, namel\- : John, a merchant, of Denver, Colo. ; Robert, a retired farmer 
and merchant, living in Topeka, Kan.; George, a merchant, of Denver, Colo.; 
Eliza, wife of A. B. Clippinger, Kansas City, Mo. : Alljert E., the subject of 
this review, and Leonard, of Los Angeles, Cal. 

Albert E. was reared to young manhood on the home farm in Nemaha 
county, and received his education in the public schools of Centralia, Kan., and 
the Seneca, Kan., high .school, completing his education in the normal school 
at Emporia, Kan. He taught school for a number of years in his liome 
county, saved his earnings and in 1887 embarked in the hardware and imple- 
ment Inisiness at Vermilion. Kan. He conducted this business with fair .suc- 
cess until 1897. ^"fl then sold out, coming to Effingham soon afterward and 
engaging in the same line of business in this city. In addition to his exten- 
sive business Mr. Mayhew is the owner of two excellent farms in Mar.shal! 
county, Kansas, aggregating 640 acres in all, which has his attention. He 
has a beautiful, modem residence in the south part of Effingham. 

Mr. Mayhew was married in September, 1887, to .Xnna J- Tinker, of 
\^ermilion, Kan., born in Humboldt county, Kansas, a daughter of Avery 
and Ellen Tinker, natives of Xew York State, born at Hastings Center, that 
.State. Two children have blessed this union of .\lbcrt E. and Anna Mav- 



374 HISTORY OF ATCIIISOX COUNTY 

hew: Avery, bom in 1889, and died June 2. 1901 ; Carl H., born January, 
1891. and associated with his father in business. Carl H. married Miss Vera 
Snvder. and has one daughter. Lucille, aged two years. 

.Mr. Mayhew is a stanch Republican in his political affiliations and has 
taken an active and influential part in the affairs of his party since coming 
to .\tchison county. In Xovember, 1914. he was the candidate of his party 
for the high office of State representative from this district and was elected, 
subsequently serving in the 19 15 session of the Kansas legislature with such 
marked ability as a legislator that his course and activities conferred distinc- 
tion upon himself and his constituents. During this session he was a mem- 
ber of the committees on insurance, education, legislative appointments, mines 
and mining, and judicial apportionments. Having always taken a keen in- 
terest in educational affairs, his position as a memljer of the committee on 
education gave him an opportunity to support and advocate legislation which 
would enhance the cause of education thnnighout the State. He succeeded 
in having passed through the house an act requiring the school moneys of the 
State to be loaned to farmers. There was plenty of precedence behind an 
act of this character, and the fairness of its provisions is ver}- evident, al- 
thougli it was opposed by the banking interests of the State. The act. how- 
ever, failed to take its regular course through the senate, because of tiie ad- 
journment of the legislative body. It is probable that the act will be finally 
passed at the ne.xt session and it is morally certain to have strong support, if 
Mr. Mayhew is again representative from .\tchison county. He also intro- 
duced and successfully fathered an act. allowing districts to levy higher taxes 
to pro\ide more amplv for bridge building and road improvements, two pro- 
visions, which were of direct benefit to the farming interests of the State, 
inasmuch as the movement for better highways is fast gaining ground in 
Kansas. Mr. Mayhew also assisted in the passing of better automobile laws, 
and took an active part in all the delilx^rations of the legislative Ixidy, special- 
izing, however, in legisation which had for its utlimate object the betterment 
of the school system of the State. He is a member and trustee of the Pres- 
byterian church, of Effingham, and is fraternally associated with the Odd 
Fellows and the Modern Woodmen. It is probable that no citizen is more 
widely or more favorably known throughout Atchison county than A. E. 
Mayhew, and his course as a successful merchant and public official has been 
such as to favorably commend him to the masses of the people, who are al- 
ways found appreciative of honesty and square dealing on the part of men 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 375 

in pul)lic life, whom tliey honor with their pohtical preference. He is well 
worthy of the confidence and trust which have been bestowed upon him by 
the people. " 



JOSEPH COUPE. 



Joseph Coupe, late of Benton township, was lx)rn December 6, 1852, in 
Utica, N. Y., and was a son of James and Jane ( Latus)' Coupe, both of whom 
were born in England. James emigrated from his native land when a }Oung 
man and located in New ^'ork, where he married and reared a family, cul- 
tivating a farm located one mile from the limits of Utica. He died on his 
farm. Joseph was reared on the family farm and attended the Utica public 
schools, receiving an excellent education, after which he took up the study 
of law and was admitted to practice in his home city. He practiced his pro- 
fession in Utica until 188 1 and then came west and located at Falls City, Neb., 
where he continued his practice with considerable success until ic)o6, when 
he removed with his family to his farm, west of Effingham. Failing health 
induced him to make the change, and it was thought by his physicians that 
the open air life would lie beneficial to him. He died February 10, IQ08. 

Judge Coupe was married in 1890 to Miss Anna Moonev, and to this 
union were born six children : Alargaret, a graduate of the count\- high school, 
and a teacher in the Effingham public schools ; James, who is managing the 
home farm with his mother; Richard, a graduate of the county high school; 
Anna, likewise a high school graduate; Mary, a junior in the high school; and 
Joseph, a pupil in the Sisters' school at Effingham. The mother of these 
children was born in Atchison, Kan., confirmed and baptized in St. Bene- 
dict's church, and was a daughter of James, born in 1833, and Julia (Ryan) 
Mooney, bom in 1837, both of whom were natives of Ireland. James Moonev 
emigrated from Ireland when a youth, was first a resident of Buffalo, N. Y., 
and in 1857 moved to Nebraska, and was later employed at the nursery in 
Atchison, Kan. From Atchison he removed to Rulo, Neb., where he still 
lives. He was married in i860, and the family lived in Atchison during the 
Civil war. James and Julia Mooney were the parents of five children, 
namely: Thomas, deceased in March, igo8; John and James, farmers; Mar- 
garet, at home in Rulo with her parents; Mrs. Joseph Coupe. 

Previous to locating in Kansas, Mr. Coupe had resided on a farm near 
Falls City, but was induced to remove to Effingham and liere purchased a 
farm of 194 acres west of the city in Benton town.sIiip, this farm consisting 



376 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of 160 acres of excellent tillable land and thirty-four acres of pasture. He 
was prominently identified with civic and political affairs in Falls City and 
Richardson county, Nebraska, and had built up a large and lucrative law prac- 
tice. He was a Democrat in politics and was one of the leaders of his party 
in Nebraska, serving four years as county judge and was successful in re- 
election to a third term, but resigned on account of poor health. He was 
popular with the masses of the people and well liked by all who knew him, 
being universally admired for his many excellent qualities of mind and heart. 



JOHN SEATON. 

The name and accomplishments of the late John Seaton appear promi- 
mently in the histon' of the constructive period of the development of Kansas 
and the city of Atchison. Destiny and natural endowments designed Mr. 
Seaton to become a creator and builder ; inherent ability also made him a 
statesman and leader of men : design and inducement led bim to locate his 
enterprise, which was the work of his own hands and brain, in the city of 
Atchison. In the course of time be was the gainer, becoming one of the 
first citizens of Kansas, and Kansas and Atchison were doubly gainers, be- 
cause of him and his great work. What John Seaton wrought, in an indus- 
trial sense, will live long as a monument to his energy and enterprise ; the 
record of right doing, honesty, plain living and his work in behalf of his 
fellow-men in the halls of the State legislature will live in the minds and 
hearts of bis fellow citizens in the long years to come. 

John Seaton was a builder whose vision of a great industrial enterprise 
in the city of the great bend of the Missouri came true in a material sense, 
inasmuch as Atchison will continue to benefit through the continued whirring 
of the industrial wheels which his genius set going. While the evidence of 
his handiwork is visible, and the smoke of the factory wiiich he built will 
continue to be seen day after day as time goes on, the greatest reminder of 
Mr. Seaton's life on this earth will be the lesson which his manner of living 
and his strict atlentinn to the highest duties of citizenship lia\e left In poster- 
ity. Atchison suffered a sincere loss when bis demise occurred and his de- 
parture from the realms of mortal ken created a void which could never be 
filled, although Mr. Seaton's work continues to exist after him. 

John Seaton was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, June 11, 1834, a son of John 
M., and Elizabeth (Jones) Seaton, the former a native of Virginia and the 
latter having been born in Vermont. John M. Seaton, the father, was a 




^O^h^-^x^ Q/L<Zt^r~^ 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 377 

soldier in the Mexican W'^v and was killed in battle at the storming of the 
heights of Cerro Gordo, Old Mexico. When Jolm was three weeks old his 
parents removed from Cincinnati to Louisville, Ky., where liis boyhood days 
were spent. He was eleven years of age when his father was killed on tlie 
field of battle. He attended school until he was fifteen years of age, and 
then began learning the trade of a machinist. A few years later finds him 
working as a journeyman machinist in St. Louis, Mo. In 1856 with a cash 
capital of two dollars and fifty cents, John Seaton started a foundry at Alton, 
111. A natural aptitude for mechanics and machinery appliances, combined 
with pluck, energy and perseverance, enabled him to make a success of liis 
first undertaking and the enterprise prospered. 

At the outbreak of the Civil war Mr. Seaton offered his services in de- 
fense of the L^nion, and was commissioned a captain of Company B, Twenty- 
second regiment, Illinois infantry. His first engagement was the battle of 
Belmont under General Grant, and Captain Seaton was in command of the 
skirmish line that opened this engagement. One of the precious possessions 
of his family at this day is the personal letter he received from the famous 
commander, commending him for the efficient manner in which he per- 
formed the task allotted to his command. He served for one year and tlien 
resigned his commission and returned to Alton to take charge of his business. 
After the war ^Ir. Seaton remained in Alton in cliarge of his foundr_\- until 
1872, when he removed to Atchison with his entire force of fifty employees. 
He was induced to remove westward by the fact that six months previous to 
the time of his removal to Atchison, tlie city had voted $10,000 in bonds to 
any man who would establish a foundry. He accepted the offer and the 
result was one of the most beneficial industries ever located in Atchison. The 
Seaton foundry gave employment to over 200 men. and he l)uilt u]> an 
industry which today stands without a peer in its line in the West. The 
secret of Mr. Seaton's success lay in the fact that every detail of his business 
received his direct supervision, and he insisted tliat on]\- first class wi^rk be 
turned out by his factories. For over eighteen years this captain of in- 
dustry carried his dinner pail with him to the foundry and worked side by 
side with his men. He continued doing this after he had attained to a position 
of wealth and affluence which enabled him to own a home at the seashore at 
Orient, L. I., and could have retired from active work at any time he chose. 
None but the finest finished products were allowed to leave his estaljlishment, 
and the name of Seaton and the output of his plant are noted over the West 
for the excellence of the finished manufactured materials and for their abso- 
lute reliability. In addition to general architectural work, he filled orders 



378 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

for the Santa Fe, Missouri Pacific and Ft. Scott and Gulf railroads, such as 
casting locomotive wheels, smoke stacks, steam cylinders, etc., all known as 
locomotive finished material products. The business of his large establish- 
ment in Atchison was built up until it amounted to over $250,000 annually, 
and the plant covered an area of 700x400 feet. Mr. Seaton was in busi- 
ness continually from 1856 until the time of his demise, January 12, 1912. 

The activities of tliis noted citizen of Atchison were not confined cn- 
tirel}' to his business, but he took an active and influential part in civic and 
political affairs after his advent in Atchison. His career showed tliat he 
possessed statesmanship ability of a high order. For a period of eighteen 
years Mr. Seaton was a member of the Kansas State legislature, and so great 
was Iiis influence in the house, and so long and distinguished was his service 
that he became known throughout the State as the "Father of the House." 
His name is associated with many of the important measures enacted into law 
by the State legislature, among them being the binding twine factory law, 
wliich act is responsible for the establishment of a plant for the manufacture 
of binder twine at the State penitentiary. He probably did more for the suc- 
cess of the "Douglass House," during the legislative trouble of 1893 than any 
other member of tlie Republican body. As a citizen and a legislator he en- 
joyed the respect and esteetn of the people of Kansas without regard to 
political affiliations. He was opposed to tlie dominance of "trusts and mo- 
nopoly," and it was his firm conviction that the great corporations were devoid 
of feeling of a personal nature. 

.Vpril 9. 1857. Mr. Seaton was married to Miss Charlotte E. Tuthill, of 
Alton. 111., and this marriage was blessed with five children: Mrs. Lillie M. 
Hendrickson. of Atchison; John C, in California; Mary, wife of l^r. W. H. 
Condit. of Kansas City; Mrs. Nellie Taber (Seaton) Byram, deceased, and 
George L.. married Amv Cox, of \\'eston. Mo., and resides on South Fourtli 
street, Atchison; John C. Seaton married Gertrude Hickman, of Coffey- 
ville, Kan. and resides in Kansas City and Los .\ngeles, Cal. ; Mrs. Charlotte 
E. (Tuthill) Seaton was born in Alton, 111., November 10, 1840, a daughter 
of Pardon Taber Tuthill, wdio was born and reared on Long Island, N. V., 
and was a scion of one of the oldest American families. The great-great- 
grandfather of Mrs. Seaton, John Tiuhni, known as Pilgrim John Tuthill, 
came from England with early settlers to Long Island. The home built by 
Pilgrim John on Long Island in the early part of the eighteeiuh century is 
still standing in a good state of preservation. The ancestral hoiue of the 
Tuthills is located in the village of Orient, Long Island. On the maternal 
side an ancestor of Mrs. Seaton, ii.Tnied Capt. .\ndrew I'.nglis. commanded a 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 3/9 

compam- in the Re\-olutinn and was a great patriot. Pardon Taber Tuthill 
was a pioneer in Alton. 111. He was a contractor and builder and in his later 
years devoted his time and talents to horticulture. He was continually experi- 
menting- and developed several new varieties of fruit. He was blessed with 
a scientific mind and became famous as a horticulturist. 

John Seaton was a member of John A. Martin Post, No. 93. Grand Army 
of the Republic, the Loyal Legion and the Knights of Pythias lodges. Through 
him the Enterprise theater was rebuilt and remodeled in Atchison, and he was 
always found in the forefront of public movements to advance the interests 
of his home city. Socially Mr. Seaton was a genial, approachable, unassum- 
ing gentleman, whose pride was manifest concerning his Civil war record and 
the fact that he had amassed wealth and attained a leading position in the 
civic life of his adopted State through his own efforts, and built up his for- 
tunes from the ground. He was a man of undoubted integrity and was a 
noble character whose demise was sincerely mourned by the whole city of 
Atchison. He was a kind and indulgent husband and father. In his pass- 
ing Kansas lost one of her best and most widely known statesmen and Atchi- 
son one of her most useful citizens. His was a life well spent in behalf of 
the city and State where his name will long be remembered and revered as 
one of the honored pioneers of a widely known city and great State which 
he helped to create. 



AARON S. BEST. 



It is meet that considerable space in this history of Atchison county be 
devoted to the stories of the lives of real pioneers of the county. The old 
pioneers were the salt of the earth, and a stronger or more vigorous race of 
men. never conquered a wilderness. In the class of the real, old pioneer set- 
tlers, comes Aaron S. Best, retired farmer, of Effingham, Kan. Captain 
Best has lived in Atchison county for nearly fifty-five years, and has seen 
the country transformed from a vast tract of pasture and grazing land to a 
region of fertile and productive farms, and well built towns and cities. Dur- 
ing all these }-ears he has taken an active and prominent part in county af- 
fairs, and in his younger days was a political leader in his own neighborhood. 

Aaron S. Best was bom June 27, 1839, in Clinton county, Pa., a son of 
John W. and Catharine (Schaefer) Best, of German descent, and native 
born and reared in Pennsylvania. John \V. Best was bom in 1S09 and died 
in 188 1. He was the son of Peter Best, a native of Pennsylvania, of German 
parentage. In the year i860, John W. Best, accompanied by his wife and 



380 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

seven children, crossed the country to find a new home in Kansas. He had 
made a trip to Atchison county in the previous year, and, after carefully look- 
ing over the ground, made up his mind that the country had a great future, 
and he decided to move his family so as to make a permanent home in Kan- 
sas. The Best family arrived in Atchison in March of 1861. and at once 
moved to a farm in old Monrovia. In June of the same year, the wife and 
mother died, at the age of forty-five years. The following children were 
born to John W. Best and wife : Mary and Elvina, deceased, in Pemisylvania ; 
Henrv. living at Parr, Tex. ; Louis, Luther and Reuben, deceased : Mrs. Hen- 
rietta Lamberson, of Argentry, Ark.; and Michael, deceased. 

Aaron Best was twenty-one years of age when the family removed to 
Atchison county. Being a Free State advocate, it was only natural that he 
take some part in the struggle which finally made Kansas a free State. When 
General Price's threatened invasion of Kansas seemed imminent, he assisted 
in raising a company of militia among his neighbors and was chosen cap- 
tain. This company marched to Westport, and took part in the famous en- 
gagement which resulted in Price's retreat to the southward. Captain Best 
was in command of Company F, Twelfth regiment, Kansas cavalr\-. Only 
two companies of the Twelfth regiment were under fire, and Company !■" was 
one of these, Capt. Asa Barnes' company being the other actively engaged. 
Captain Best's horse was shot from under him and badly crippled. 

After coming to Kansas, he spent one year assisting his father on the 
home farm, and then moved to a farm of his own, south of Monrovia, which 
he developed from raw prairie land to a very productive farm, residing on 
until 1907, when he rented his land holdings and retired to a comfort- 
able home in Effingham. The first land which Mr. Best owned was bought 
by his father for $750. and he farmed this on the share plan for six years, 
after which he paid his father $2,000 for 140 acres. His next purchase was 
eighty acres of land nearby, and he continued to add to his land possessions 
until he was the owner of 275 acres in all. In the spring of 1914 Mr. Best 
sold his fann land for $21,000. His farm was one of the 1)est improved 
in Atchison count}-, and naturally brought a good, round price, because of the 
good condition of the buildings and of the fertility of the soil. 

Mr, Best was married in February, i860, to Malinda Bricker, and to 
this union have been born one son and three daughters, as follows : Mrs. Ella 
Rebecca Sharp, living at Helena, Mo., and mother of two children, .Albert 
and Twila; Mrs. Mary C. Bonnell, living on a farm southeast of Effingham, 
and who has eight children, Nellie, Edith, Grace. Ruth. Catharine, Lea, 
Claude, Malinda; Mrs. Emma Wood, of Council Grove, Kan., and mother 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 381 

of four children, Clara, Beulah Morris, Ralph, Esther ; John a merchant, of 
Monrovia, Kan., father of three children, Leota, Hazel, and Blanche. The 
mother of these children was born in Hanover township, Daulphin county, 
Pennsylvania, December 15, 1837, and was a daughter of Joseph and Rebecca 
(Lohs) Bricker, both of whom were of Pennsylvania German ancestry, 
and died in their Pennsylvania home. 

Mr. Best has always been allied with the Republican party, and has been 
a stanch advocate of Republican principles for a long period of years. He 
and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and contriliute 
generously to the support of that denomination. He is fraternally affiliated 
with the Odd Fellows Lodge and Encampment, No. 5, and the Modern 
Woodmen. Physically and mentally, Mr. Best is a remarkably well pre- 
served man, when one considers his age and the fact that he endured so 
many hardships in his first struggles to attain to the position of affluence and 
comfort which he enjoys at present. 



LOUIS C. ORR. 



Faithfulness to duty on the part of public officials is always appreciated 
by the people, and an official who regards his office as other than a sinecure. 
is recognized as honest, capable and well meaning. In Louis C. Oir, post- 
master of the city of Atchison, Kan., the patrons and citizens of Atchison have 
a capable and conscientious public servant, whose sole interest is to see that 
the affairs of this important Government office are conducted smoothly, and 
for the convenience of the patrons of the postoffice. Although, in times past, 
the .\tchison postoffice has Ijeen looked upon as a sinecure, operated as a well 
oiled piece of Government machinery with an efficient and well trained force, 
Mr. Orr, since taking over the duties of his position, has demonstrated that 
he can work as hard and efficiently as any of the many employees making up 
the postoffice force. Probably no postoffice in the Stale of Kansas is better 
conducted, or the welfare of the patrons more carefully looked after than the 
Atchison postoffice, and credit is due Mr. Orr for his diligent application to 
the duties of his office since his appointment. 

Louis C. Orr, postmaster of Atchison, was born August 3, 1857, in Mc- 
Gregor, Iowa, a son of James and Mary Elizabeth (L'nderhill) Orr, concern- 
ing whom further mention will be found in the biography of James W. Orr, 
brother of Louis C., in this volume. When Louis C. was eight years of age 



382 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the family removed from Iowa to Xiles, Mich. Louis C. and his brother 
James \^^ knew wliat poverty was in their youthful days, and shared theii 
hardships in common. Louis C. was ambitious to obtain an education, and 
at an early age was compelled. Ijy force of circumstances over whicli he had 
no control, to practically earn his own living and the wherewithal to obtain an 
education. For some years he and James W. pooled their earnings and 
worked together for their mutual benefit, and to this day this trait of brotherly 
devotion is present. Louis C. attended school until he had attained the age of 
eighteen years, and he then entered a drug store at Niles, ^lich.. in tlie capa- 
city of clerk. He remained in Michigan until 1885, wlien he came to Atchi- 
son. Kan., where his brother, James W.. had preceded him in 1881. Mr. 
Orr entered the Government railroad mail service, and was employed in this 
capacity on the Santa Fe Railway System, on the run from Atchison to 
Topeka. during Grover Cleveland's first administration. He then left the 
railway mail service and was employed as clerk in tlie drug store of A. \\'. 
Stevens for the following period of eight years. For the six years following 
he was in charge of the paint department of the McPike Drug Company, a 
wholesale drug firm then operating in Atchison, and since removed to Kansas 
City. Mo. For four years, from 1907 to 1911. he served as city collector 
of Atchison. He was engaged in the real estate and fire insurance business 
until January,- 191 5. Mr. Orr was appointed postmaster of Atchison Decem- 
ber 29. 1914, by President Wilson, to take effect January 4. 191 5. although 
Mr. Orr did not begin his duties until January 15. 191 5. 

Mr. Orr was married in 1886 to Mary Isabelle Smith, of Richmond. Ind., 
a daughter of John P. and Mary (Sedgwick) Smith, residents of Richmond, 
Ind. One son has been born to this marriage. Richard Sedgwick Orr. torn 
in 1888. and at present employed as manager for the Standard Oil Company 
in Atchison. 

Louis C. Orr is a Democrat and is affiliated with the Christian Scientist 
church. For the past twenty-five years he has been a member of Lodge Xo. 
127, Ancient Order of United Workmen. It can be said of him that he is 
courteous, efficient and obliging to all witli whom he is brought in contact. 



CARL LUDWIG BECKMAN. 

Successful as an agriculturist, and again achieving success as a live stock 
buyer and shipper, is a summary of the life and accomplishments of Carl 
Ludwig Beckman, one of the best known and progressive citizens of Effing- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 383 

ham, Kan. Mr. Beckman's live stuck operations invohe the Inlying and 
shipping of over fifty carloads of Hve stock yearly. In addition to his busi- 
ness dealings, he also looks after his fine farm of 200 acres in Benton 
township. 

Mr. Becknian was lx)rn April 2. 1861, in Ouinc\ , 111. As the name in- 
dicates, he is the son of German parents, his father, William Beckman, hav- 
ing been born in Germany, in 1830, and was unfortunately killed by a stroke 
of lightning in Burlington, Iowa, in 1863. When a young man, William 
Beckman left his native lanfl to seek his fortune in this country. He located 
at Ouincy, 111., where he married Elizabeth Kipp, who bore him four chil- 
dren, and was also born in Germany in 1824. W'illiam Beckman removed 
his family to Burlington, Iowa, m about 1862. The four children born to 
this couple were : William, a resident of Parnell, Atchison county, Kansas ; 
Mrs. Hannah Buhrmaster, living on a farm in Benton township ; Minnie, 
and Carl Ludwig, with whom this review is directly concerned. The mother 
of these children later married Henrv \'ollmer, a farmer, in hjwa, who gave 
her and the children a good home and left his widow well pro\ided for. Mrs. 
Vollmer. mother of C. L., resides at Mediapolis, Iowa. 

W.hen Carl was twenty years of age he left the farm in Iowa, and 
came to Kansas in 1881, and in partnership with his Ijrother, William, 
rented a farm near Effingham for thirteen years, dissolving partnership in 
1894. Through purchase and by inheritance, on his wife's part, Mr. Beck- 
man and his wife came into possession of 200 acres of land in 1894, upon 
which they resided until 1908. In that year they bought a small farm of 
thirty-five acres, one mile west of Effingham, upon which they resided for 
three years, and then made a permanent home in Effingham. Since 1908 
Mr. Beckman has been engaged in the buying and shipping of live stock, 
with Robert M. Thomas as a partner in the enterprise, and has been very 
successful in this business, being an accurate judge of live stock and keeping 
abreast of market conditions. 

He was married in 1S94 to Miss Lebeldine Gersbach, torn in Atchison 
county in 1863, a daughter of Samuel and Catharine Gersbach, both of 
whom were natives of Germany, and, after emigrating from their nati\e 
country to America, settled in Atchison county as early as 1854, and were 
among the earliest pioneers of Kansas. Mr. Gersbach preempted land and 
built up a fine farm which is now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Beckman. Two 
children were born of this marriage: Rosa, aged twenty years, and a stu- 
dent in the Atchison county high school, class of igi6; and Pearl, aged 
seventeen, also a student in the high school, class of 1916. 



384 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Mr. Beckman is a Republican in politics, and takes an interest in the 
civic and political affairs of his home town and county. He is a member 
of the Odd l-'ello\vs and the Modern Woodmen. Mrs. Beckman and daughters 
are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. ^Ir. Beckman is a stock- 
holder of the Farmers' Mercantile Association of Effingham, and is gen- 
erally found in the forefront of all undertakings which are intended for the 
betterment and progress of conditions in his home city. 



JAMES GRANVILLE MORROW. 

We are taught that life is eternal ; that when the course of man has been 
run upon this earth and his work is done, his spirit returns to his Maker and 
he is judged according to his deeds while a mortal among his fellow creatures. 
This thought and belief is comforting alike to the dying and the bereaved 
ones left behind to mourn their earthly loss for the time being. Longfellow 
has written : "Life is real, life is earnest, and the grave is not its goal ; dust 
thou art, to dust returneth, was not written of the soul." So thought and so 
lived the late Capt. James Granville Morrow, who at the time of his demise 
was tlie oldest living pioneer resident of Atchison, and a man famed for his 
upright life and beloved for his good and kindly deeds. Life was very "real 
and earnest" to Captain Morrow and he enjoyed his earthly existence to the 
fullest extent, the latter years of his residence in Atchison being the fullest 
and best of all. in the sense that he indulged his taste and talents to doing 
things which he loved, all the while being surrounded by a loving wife and 
children whose respect and love he had to comfort him through the greater 
part of his long and useful life. Captain Morrow lived in such a manner as 
to endear him to all of his associates and he will long be remembered as one of 
the noted figures of the pioneer and the present era of Kansas development. 
It is meet that tlie life story of this truly noble citizen be recorded in these 
annals of his county and city for the inspiration and encouragement of the 
present and coming posterity for all time to come. 

James Granville Morrow was born on a farm in W'ayne county, Ken- 
tucky, June 27, 1827. a son of Jeremiah ,nnd Lydia (Holder) Morrow, lx)th 
of whom were born and reared in Kentucky. Jeremiah Morrow was the son 
of Matthew Morrow, a native of Virginia, wlio was one of the early pioneers 
of Kentucky, and of Scotch descent, his ancestors having emigrated from 




^j-^^'M^^UnM j:s^ A^y 




^...^-'T-^-Z^ 




^^T-T^-^^ 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 385 

Scotland to America in the early colonial period of American history. Jere- 
miah Morrow, father of James G., was born in 1802, and after his removal to 
Kentucky married Lydia Holder. Six sons and two daughters were torn to 
Jeremiah Morrow and wife, only one of whom survives, Mrs. W. H. Crisp, 
residing in Kentucky. Their children were as follows : Mahala, wife of 
Rev. W. H. Crisp, of Kentucky; Floyd, deceased; James Granville, the sub- 
ject of this review; Nimrod, deceased; Riley, William, Nancy, deceased wife 
of John Pennington ; Percy, deceased. Granville Morrow spent his boyhood 
days on the family farm in Wayne county, Kentucky, and at the age of six- 
teen years was sent to a select school. He made his home with his parents 
until he attained his majority and then set out to make his own way in the 
world. He dealt quite extensively in horses which he drove from Kentucky 
to Georgia. He was also associated with his brothers in raising, purchasing 
and selling hogs, which they drove 400 miles into Georgia, where they were 
sold to the Georgia planters. Sometimes a single planter would buy 500 
head and the price ranged from eight to nine dollars per 100 pounds, live 
weight. The Morrow brothers frequently drove as high as 13,000 head, trav- 
eling only seven miles a day. There were no railroads in those days, but the 
country was dotted with stations. Hog cholera did not bother swine in those 
days and it was Captain Morrow's frequent expression that hog cholera was 
a product of civilization and high breeding, and, although the hogs were 
driven as far as 400 miles they did not lose weight on the trip. The business 
of the Morrow brothers was not always profitable, however, and they lost 
money on some of the trips. Mr. Morrow abandoned the business in 1850, 
and in 1854 arrived in Atchison en route to California, but he did not go 
any farther. On April 5, 1854, he arrived at Rushville Landing, now East 
Atchison. This was shortly before Kansas was opened for settlement, and 
the only man living at that time on the townsite of Atchison was George 
Million, who operated a rope ferry acress the Missouri river. Mr. Morrow 
found on landing at Atchison that the overland train which he expected to 
join en route to the far West had left, and, as he was ill he decided to wait 
for the next train. Captain Morrow ate his first dinner in Kansas with 
Samuel Dixon at Dixon Spring, now included in the city of Atchison. The 
food was ladled out of a common kettle to which all the diners had access 
without style or invitation other than "help yourself." A tree trunk sawed 
off smooth answered the purpose of a table on which the meal was sers'ed. 
Wliile waiting he found a job with Million and decided to remain in Kansas. 
In the fall of 1854, he, with John Alcorn, bought out Portumous Lamb's 
ferry boat which was operated by horse power and a tread-mill, and from 
25 



386 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

tliat time on for seventeen consecutive years Mr. Morrow plied his ferry be- 
tween Atchison and Winthrop. In the fall of 1855 he began operating a 
side-wheel steam ferry which had been brought here from Brownsville, Pa. 
In 1857 he became captain of the steam ferry, "Ida," later running tlie steam 
ferry, "Pomeroy," after which he went to Brownsville, Pa., where he built the 
transfer boat, "William Osborne," remaining there eight months while the 
work was in progress. When he brought the ''William Osborne" to Atchi- 
son it was loaded with 300 tons of rails for tlie Central Brancli of the Missouri 
Pacific railroad, now the Northern Kansas Division. This boat also con- 
veyed across the Missouri river the first locomotives used on the road after 
its construction. 

Not long after his arrival in Atchison Captam ^ilorrow l.egan to 
accumulate land, and in 1869 turned his attention to farming, retiring from 
the steamboat business entirely jn 1871. He accumulated 1,240 acres of rich 
bottom lands in the Missouri river bottoms near East Atchison which has 
never failed to produce a crop and is very valuable. He fonnerly owned a 
section of land in Osage count)', Kansas, near Lebo. He also was the owner 
of two valuable farms on the Atchison side of the river, 320" acres near Jacks- 
boro, Texas, and owned considerable real estate in the city, all of which has 
been left to his widow in trust for his children and heirs. He was very suc- 
cessful as a wheat grower, and in this way gained the greater part of his work- 
ing capital. He erected a beautiful home called "Enidan Heights" at Eighth 
and U streets, on the south side of Atchison, where he spent his declining 
years in peace and comfort. About 1875 he opened a general store in East 
Atchison which he conducted until 1883. Those were still pioneer days, and 
the settlers in the vicinity were poor and sometimes were unable to pay for 
the goods they needed. The captain's big heart and generous impulses fre- 
quently led him to extend credit to patrons whom he knew would not be able 
to pay for their purcliases, and it was a favorite expression of his when his 
clerk would report to him that a poor man wished credit, "Gracious to good- 
ness, if we don't let him have the stuff he'll starve to death." The captain 
sold hundreds of dollars' worth of goods which were probably never paid for, 
but his good heart would not permit him to see a fellow creature in want for 
the necessities of life. This trait of kindness was the predominating char- 
acteristic of his life and endeared him to hundreds of people; After quitting 
the mercantile business Captain Morrow devoted himself entirely to his farm- 
ing interests and his transfer business which he established in 1888 with liis 
partners, later becoming the sole owner of the business. He retired entirely 
from active business pursuits and his farming in 1910 and spent the most 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 387 

of his time working around the gardens of his fine lionie in Atchison. For 
years it was his custom to drive back and forth to his big farm on the Mis- 
souri side and he was gradually persuaded to abandon this activity. His demise 
occurred December 2, 19 15, after a brief illness, beginning with an attack of 
la grippe, his great age and depleted vitality militating against his recovery. 
James Granville Morrow was married November 26, 1874, to Miss Sarah 
J. George, and this happy marriage was blessed with the following children : 
Delia, born November 11, 1875, and died in 1904; Mary Etta, born in Mis- 
souri March 17, 1880, dying October 2, 1880, and who is buried in Orearville 
cemetery, Saline county, Missouri ; James Granville George, born September 
16, -1878, married Ethel Worrell, and is the father of four children; James 
Granville, Jr., John Worrell, Frances and Robert George: Nadine, wife of 
John Raymond Woodliouse, who lives with Mrs. Morrow, of Atchison, and 
mother of John Granville, bom December 16, 1914; James G. Morrow re- 
sides in Buchanan county, Missouri, and has charge of the inunense Morrow 
farm in the Missouri bottoms. The cliildren of Captain and Mrs. Morrow 
have all been well educated and afforded every facility for mind cultivation. 
]\Irs. Nadine Woodhouse was educated m Mount St. Scholastica Academy 
and the College Preparatory School of Atchison, after which she completed 
her studies at Central College of ^lissouri. Miss Delia Morrow studied in 
]\Iount St. Scholastica Academy, Midland and Central colleges, and \\'ashing- 
ton University, at St. Louis, and was a bright and talented young ladv prior 
to her demise. James Morrow, the son, studied in the Atchison public schools 
and Midland College. The mother of these children, Mrs. Sarah J. (George "I 
Morrow, was born March 30, 1853, 'i^^r Orearville, Saline county, Missouri, 
a daughter of Dr. James Jameson George, a native of Prince William county, 
\"irginia. Dr. George was born in Virginia November 25, 1810, a son of 
William Henry George, a soldier in the W'ar of 1812, who moved from Vir- 
ginia to Hardin county, Kentucky, in 1816 with his brothers, Moses and 
IJndsey George, wlio settled at Shelbyville, Ky. The mother of Dr. George 
was a member of the Jameson family, an old Virginia family. The ancestry 
of both the George and Jameson families goes back to the pre-Revolutionary 
days of the Virginia colony. Dr. J. J. George was a graduate of the Trans}^- 
vania College at Bairdstown, Ky., and also studied at Lexington, Ky. He 
was married in 184 1 at Mt. Sterling, Ky., to Mary (Catlett) Orear, a daugh- 
ter of Robert Catlett Orear, who was born in Mt. Sterling. Ky.. January 30, 
t8t4, and departed this life March 27, 1876. in Johnson county. Missouri. 
Dr. J. J. and Mary George were the parents of the following children : Rob- 
ert died in June, 1905, on his ranch in Coffey counly. Kan.sas; Joel S., who 



388 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

resides at Peace River Crossing;, Alberta, Canada ; Mary E., wife of J. H. 
Russell, died June 28, 191 1; Mrs. Malinda Morrison, of Tecumseh, Okla. ; 
Benjamin Franklin, born in Saline count)', settled in Coffey county, Kansas, 
and now resides in Denver, Colo.; Mrs. James Granville Morrow; two who 
died in infancy : James Nelson contracted fever at Central College, and died 
October 26, 1875, aged twenty-one years and twenty-nine days; Lee Davis, 
a ranchman, of Coffey county. Kansas. Four of these children were born 
in Kentucky, and the last four were born in Missouri, where the family re- 
moved in 1850. 

Dr. George was a minister of the Gospel and a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal conference in Kentucky from 1838 to 1839. He came to Missouri 
to farm and preach the Gospel, but was impressed ven,- early in his western 
career with the woeful dearth of skilled medical care for the sick and ailing 
of the backwoods country, and was frequently called to the bedside of people 
who were supposed to be dying, and whom he realized could be easily saved 
with some medical attention. Fired with zeal to assist an unfortunate and 
suffering people, he conceived the worthy idea of studying medicine, so that 
he coitld be of material assistance to his people other tlian in a religious sense, 
He returned to Kentucky and entered the Medican College at Lexington. After 
completing his course he returned to Saline county, Missouri, and engaged 
in the practice of his profession until old age came upon him. He then re- 
moved to Cass county, Missouri, and became a local minister. His was a 
long and useful life, every matured year of whicli was given in behalf of his 
fellowmen. unselfishly and devotedly. He was one of the noted missionaries 
of the early days in Missouri and extended the word of tlie Gospel to the 
remotest settlements. He organized churches and Sunday schools where they 
seemed needed most and his work called him to preach the \\^ord in log houses 
and the most primitive habitations of man. Dr. George was deeply in love 
with his great work, and loved the people, and worked tirelessly for their 
well being in a religious and practical way. He departed this life August 4, 
1875. The last public utterance which he made was when he spoke to a 
Sunday school assemblage in Coffey county, Kansas, in the village of Key 
West. His end was peaceful and tranquil, and the departure of this good 
man's soul to the realms beyond mortal kin marked the passing of one of 
the truly great men of the western country whose work will go on and on 
forever. Dr. George and Captain Morrow became great friends in the early 
si.xties. 

On Thanksgiving day of 191 5, just the day before Mr. and Mrs. Mor- 
row's forty-first wedding anniversary, the captain's last illness began which 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 389 

resulted in his passing away. His burial occurred on December 4 from Trin- 
ity Episcopal Cliurch, Rev. Otis E. Gray officiating, with the Masonic lodge 
of Atchison conducting burial service at the grave. He was for many years 
a Mason and was greatly interested in the Masonic fraternity, rarelv being 
absent from the lodge meetings, his last spoken regret having Ijeen that he 
would be unable to attend the ceremonies held at the laying of the corner- 
stone of the new Masonic Temple in Atchison. The last five years of Captain 
Morrow's life were perhaps the most satisfactory and the happiest of his ex- 
istence. His years of retirement, although few as compared with that of most 
men. were spent almost entirely at his beautiful hnme, witli occasional visits 
to his farm lands. He was loath to retire, and did so only at the urgent 
insistence of his devoted wife, and for quite a long time after he was eighty 
years of age he would insist on driving across the river to his farm. He 
took the greatest pleasure with his grandchildren, and especiallv with his 
namesake. In his later years he became a specialist in gardening and fruit 
growing merely for his own satisfaction and would frequently sui-prise his 
family with some very choice and rare fruits grown in his gardens and 
orchards. From his orchard of peach trees he gathered over 400 bushels of 
peaches in one season, and also set out an apple orcliard which lie attended 
assiduously. He became a disciple of the famous Luther Burbank and was 
a member of the Luther BurJjank corporation. Through the exercise of his 
skill as a fruit grower he produced several kinds of rare berries and was 
continually experimenting in small fruits and vegetable growing. It was 
fitting that the life of Captain Morrow should close in such a manner and that 
during his last years he was permitted to indulge himself in his favorite pur- 
suits, surrounded with the loving and watchful career of his devoted wife, who 
was always his confidant and adviser, and to whom he went in time of stress 
or trouble for comfort and advice. His was a life well spent and his memory 
will live long in the hearts and minds of those who knew him best. 



ORLANDO C. SCOVILLE. 



In the northeast part of Benton township, in a comfortable farm home on 
section 11. range 18, there resides the oldest pioneer settler of that section of 
of the county, the review of whose career takes one back to the days of the 
Civil war when he shouldered a musket in defense of the Union, and to the 
early days of Kansas history when the long freight trains hauled by oxen and 



390 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

mules were leaving Atchison for the far West. We are reminded of the 
Indian troul)les wliich beset the hardy freigliters as they convoyed their treas- 
ures across the wiile reaches of jirairie and mountain. In all these tilings Or- 
lando C. Scoville, Union veteran, old-time .freighter, and ]iioneer farmer, par- 
ticijated. and it is meet that the story of his life and adventurous career l)e 
recorded for the entertainment of succeeding generations of men and women 
in order that they might know how a wilderness was redeemed and what 
manner of men tlieir forefathers were and whence tliey came. 

Orlando C. Scoville was born February 4. 1846, in Cook county. Illinois, 
on a farm located just twenty-two miles from the city of Chicago. His fatlicr 
was William Scoville. born in 1820. at Watertown. X. Y.. a son of Al)ijah 
Scoville, a native of Connecticut, and a scion of an nld Xcw Engl.uid family. 
Abijah Scoville was a carpenter by trade and his art was transmitted to his 
descendants. William Scoville received a good education in his native State, 
and taught school in New York when a young man seventeen years old. As 
early as 1842 he came west, to Cook county, Illinois, and owned a farm in that 
county which he cultivated until 1865 when he came to Atchison, Kan., where 
he first engaged in the handling of live stock. Later he was in the lumber 
business with a Mr. McCoy, who later sold out to Henry T. Smith, and he and 
Smith conducted a wagon and lumber business on Utah a\enue, just east of 
the old Episcopal church. l)etween Fourth and Fifth streets. William eventu- 
ally sold out his business and moved to a farm in Benton townsiiip. south of 
where his son, O. C. lives, and there died in December, 1891. Previous to 
removing to his farm he was foreman of the Hixon Lumber Company's inter- 
ests in .-\tchison. The mother of Orlando C. was Lucinda Lasher, whom 
William Scoville married in New 'S'ork, and who removed to Arrington after 
her husband's death. an<i there died in November. i89_^. at tlic age of sev- 
enty-five years. William and Lucinda Scoville were the parents of seven 
children, two of whom died in infancy: Imogene, wife of A. W'. Mulligan, of 
Blue Rapids, Kan.; Orlando C. : luilalie. died in Atchison in 1866, and is 
buried in Oak Mill cemetery: I'reeman. a r:iilroad engineer for man\- years, 
and who died at .Arrington. in 1911 : (iiles, a successful law practitioner, lo- 
cated in Chicago, and who studied law under the late Senator John J. Ingalls. 

O. C. Scoville was reared to young manhood on the farm in Cook county, 
Illinois, and when eighteen years of age enlisted ( 1864) in Company P>, One 
Hundred and Thirty-second regiment, Illinois infantry. He served for six 
months in the Army of the Tennessee, under (ieneral Tliomas. and took part 
in the several hard-fought battles, among them being the l)attle and siege of 
Atlanta. His command started on the march with .Sliernian. to the sea. but 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 391 

were turned back bv department orders. After his war service expired he 
came to Atchison and joined the family. His first occupation in Atchison was 
the operating- of a wagon shop, just across tlie street from the Blair Mill, and 
it is a matter of history that his shop was used as the first depot of the Central 
Branch railroad, then building-. He ran the wagon shop for two years and 
then made two trips across the continent in the capacity of freighter and con- 
voying a herd of cattle. In 1867 he was one of the freighters in charge of 
the first train sent over the Smoky Hill mute for Butterfield to Denver. The 
live stock was run off by the Indians during this trip, and Butterfield came 
out and found them after four weeks' search ; his next trip was to Salt Lake 
City. In 1868, he with others, drove a herd of milch cows which had been 
sold by McCoy to a man named Murray, and consigned to him in California. 
This trip required eighteen months to consummate, and they were forced to 
winter in the Antelope valley on Walker river. After taking the cattle to 
their destination he returned across the n-iountains to Reno, Nev., and there 
boarded the train for the rest of the journe}- home, Reno at that time being 
the western terminus f)f the railway. During 1869 he worked for one \-ear 
in the engineering corps of tlie. Santa Fe railroad, and in that winter his father 
bought his present farm in Benton township. In the fall of 1872 he moved to 
the farm where he has resided continuously for the past forty -three years. In 
1893 he bou.ght the farm formerly owned by the family and has increased 
his acrea,ge until he and his son are tlie owners of 400 acres of land, the latter 
owning 180 acres, u])(in wliich formerlv stood three sets of farm buildings, 
one of wliich was destroyed b}- fire in April, 1915. His present residence was 
erected in 1893. 

Mr. Scoville was niarricd in AtcJ-iison May 8. 1S73, to \'irginia Williams, 
born in Greenbrier countv, X'irginia. in 1854, and a daugiiter of Alexander 
Williams. Her father died when she was very young and she came with her 
mother and stepfather to Missouri in the early ])ionecr days when her mother 
died and she was ado])ted by Mrs. Miller, a music teacher, of Atchison, Kan. 
Three children were born to this union, namely: Katie died in infruicy: Will- 
iam C, born .\ugust 10, 1875, married Myrtle Lollar, and has two children, 
Earl, bom December 13, 1911, and Alice, born I\Iay 16, 1914. William C. is 
the only living son of Orlando C. Scoville. Mrs. Scoville died in October, 
1913- 

This sturdy pioneer has been a Republican ever since he cast his first 
vote, and is one of the true blue variety who prides himself on bein,g a "stand- 
patter," who believes thorou.ghly in the priiiciples of iiis party and will never 
desert the standard of Republicanism. He Ins uc\x-v held office and has 



39-2 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

never been a seeker after political preferment; has never been a party to a law 
suit, never served on a jury, and has been called only once in his lifetime to 
the witness stand. He has endeavored at all times to live at jjeace with all 
mankind and has succeeded to such an extent that at a ripe old age, this pioneer 
settler of Atchison county is living in peace and comfort in the home wliich he 
created out of a wilderness. 

^Ir. Scoville cast his first vote for x\braham Lincoln in St. Louis, in 1864. 



JOHX JAMES INGALLS. 

John James Ingalls, author, lawyer, and United States Senator, was born 
in ^liddleton, ^lass., December 29, 1833. a son of Elias T. and Eliza (Chase) 
Ingalls. He was descended from Edmond Ingalls, who, with his brotlier. 
Francis, founded the town of L}nn, Mass., in 1628. His father was a first 
cousin of Mehitable Ingalls, the grandmother of the late President Garfield. 
His mother was a descendant of Aquilla Chase, who settled in Xew Hamp- 
shire in 1630. Chief Justice Chase was of tliis family. After going through 
the public schools Ingalls attended Williams College, at W'illiamstown, Mass., 
graduating in 1855. He then studied law and was admitted to tlie l)ar in 
1857. The next year he came to Kansas and in 1859 was a member of ilie 
\\'yandotte constitutional convention. In i860 he was secretary of the ter- 
ritorial council and was also secretary of the first State senate, in 1861. The 
next year he was elected State senator from Atchison county. In tliat year, 
and again in 1864, he was nominated for lieutenant-governor on the anti- 
Lane ticket. During the Civil war he served as judge advocate on the staff 
of Gen. George W. Deitzlcr with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. In 1863 Mr. 
Ingalls married Miss Anna Louisa Chesebrougli, a descendant of William 
Cliesebrough, who came to this country witli tiov. Winthrop in 1630. Her 
father, Ellsworth Chesebrough, was a New York importer who came to 
Atchison, Kan., in 1859, and at the time of his death, in i860, was an elector 
on the Lincoln ticket. Of this union eleven children were born, six of wliom 
were li\ing at tlie time of Mr. Ingalls' death, viz: Ellsworth, Ethel, Ralph, 
Sheffield, Marion and Muriel. 

In 1873, "Opportunity." of which Mr. Ingalls wrote in his declining years, 
knocked at his door. He was made a candidate for United States senator at 
a private caucus one night and was elected by the legislature the next day. 
His career at Wlashington, covering a period of eighteen years, was one of 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 393 

great brilliancy. He quickly acf|uired distinction, and Speaker Reed remarked 
before lie bad learned the name of tbe new senator : "Any man who can state 
a proposition as that senator does is a threat man." .\s a parliamentaririn he 
was unsurpassed. Senator Harris, a Democrat from iciinessee, said: "Mr 
In^alls will go down upon the records as the greatest presiding officer in 
the history of the senate." His speeches made liim famous. He was the 
master of sarcasm and satire, as well as of eulogistic oratory. I lis address 
on John Brown, a speech of blistering satire; llie <ine debvered in .\tcbison 
after iiis \indication in the senate; and his eulogies of Senator llill and Sen- 
ator Wilson are classic master])ieces, seldom if ever excelled in oratory. Sen- 
ator Ingalls was a strict partisan, an invincible champion of any cause, and 
a bitter and persevering opponent. During his tln-ce terms in the senate his 
greatest efforts were in the athocacy of tbe constitutional rights of the free- 
dom of the South and the rights of the veterans of tbe Ci\'il war. When a 
wave of Populism came over Kansas it found iiim practiralK- unpre])ared. 
He had given little attention to the money question and ibc tariff, and it was 
these things which were clamoring for solution. He was defeated by the 
Populists for senator in 189 1. Mr. Ingalls said many times that he valued 
a seat in tbe senate above anv other honor in the gift of the .\merican jjcojile. 
As an author Mr. Ingalls won his rejjutation first by a numl)er of articles 
appearing in the old Kansas Ma;^azinc, among which were "Cal-l'"ish .Aris- 
tocracy" and "Blue Grass." His poem, "Opportunity," is worthy to be 
classed with the greatest in tlie bjigbsh language, ;nul it niri\ \et outlive his 
reputation as an orator and statesman and be his lasting monument, .\fter 
leaving the senate Mr. Ingalls retired from active life, traveled for his herdt-b, 
and died in New Mexico, Augu.st 16, 1900. In January, 1905, a statue of him 
was installed in Statuary Hall at \Va.shington with fitting ceremonies, being 
the first statue to be contributed by Kansas, although Mr. Ingalls during his 
lifetime had urged u])on the State to place one of John I'.rown in this hall. 



SIDNEY MARTIN. 



A publication of this nature e.xercises its most important function when 
it takes cognizance of the life and labors of those citizens who attained prom- 
inence and prosperity through their own well directed efforts and 
who were of material value in furthering the advancement and development 
of the commonwealth. Sidney Martin came to .Atchison county in 1856 



394 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

when a boy of eleven. He endured the hardsliips common to the resident 
of Kansas previous to and during the Civil war period. He made several 
trips between Atchisc^n and Denver as a freighter; drove over some 400 
miles of country infested with Indians and narrowly escaped death 
at their hands. He Ixiught the first section of land that was sold in the Kick- 
apoo reservation and became one of the most successful farmers and .stock 
breeders in northeastern Kansas. He was actively identified with the develop- 
ment of this section of the State and attained prominence and influence as 
a citizen. 

Sidney Martin was a native of Kentucky, born in Estill county on Novem- 
ber I, 1846. a son of Jackson H. and Polly ( W'lalters) Martin. lli> ancestors, 
paternal and maternal, were among the first to settle in the \^irginia colony, 
coming from England in 1607. His father, Jackson H. Martin, best known 
to the residents of Atchison county as "Uncle Jack"' Martin, was also a 
Kentuckian, bom in Estill county on January 15. 1812, a son of Robert and 
Mary ( Harris) Martin, both of whom were natives of Virginia. Robert 
Martin served in the \\''ar of 1812 and was a commissioned officer. The 
epaulets from his uniform were in the possession of the family until a few 
years ago. Subsequent to this service he removed to Kentucky and was one 
of Daniel Boone's companions and was with him during many Indian fights. 
He was one of the pioneer settlers of Estill county. 

Jackson H. Martin, or "Uncle Jack," as he was commonly called, was 
reared in Estill county, married there, and in 1855 brought his family to 
Buchanan county, Missouri, where he lived one year. In the s])ring of 1856 
he came to Kansas and settled at Mormon's Grove. The place derived its 
name through Ijeing a fonner Mormon emigrant settlement. It was al)Out 
five miles from .\tchi.son. "Uncle Jack" and his family occupied the Mormon 
cabin until he could build one of his own. He preempted a quarter section 
of land at this point and engaged in farming. .\ native of Kentucky, a Dem- 
ocrat as well, he naturally became involved in the turmoil of events preceding 
the Civil war. For the protection of himself and family, he built a double 
wall of stone and earth around his dwelling. This caused it to be called Ft. 
Martin. The place was attacked one night by Jayhawkers who were after 
horses. The attacking party were driven off without booty and several of 
their numlier were wounded. "Uncle Jack" continued to reside at Ft. Martin 
until 1878. when he became a resident of Effingham. He built the Martin 
Hotel and conducted it for a number of years. He was a success as a host, 
his hotel was famous for its cookery and hospitalitv and Effingham the 
gainer by his coming. His death occurred in April. 1902. at the age of 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 395 

ninety years. He had lived an eventful life, had watched Kansas grow from 
a sparsely settled, faction-torn border State to one of the most prosperous 
agricultural commonwealths of the Union. He had met many of the most 
famous men of her formative period, and was a personal friend of John A. 
MaYtin. Paddy Brown, Governor Glide and Charles Robinson. His wife, 
Polly Walters, wliom he married in Estill Springs. Ky., died in April. 
1895. They were the parents of four children : Ann Elizabeth, the wife of 
William Hight, of Fremont county. Colorado: Sidney, the subject of this 
review: Mary \\'., widow of Gilliert Keithline. of Atchison county, and Sally, 
widow of Henry Woodard. Twins died in infancy. Martha died at the age 
of sixteen years. Sally f Martin) \\^oodard was born in Estill county, Ken- 
tucky, in 1852. and came with her parents to Kansas in 1856. She was 
reared on the old Martin farm in Atchison county, and in 1869 married Henry 
Woodard. who was born in Evansville. Ind., in 1844. He was a son of 
Philander Henn*- Woodard, who came to Atchison in the early sixties and 
engaged in the milling business. After liis marriage Henrj- Woodard settled 
on a farm in Jackson county, where he remained until 1874. when he located 
in Effingham and engaged in the mercantile business. He followed this line 
of occupation until a few years Ijefore his death which occurred May 30, 
1914. He is survived by his widow and the following children: Philander 
Henry, Jack Martin, Gilbert Campbell, Dorothy, wife of Elmer Percival. of 
Sheridan county, Kansas : Helen Lee, wife of Rolla Taliaferro : and Sally 
Bernice, a student in the Atchison Business College. 

Sidney Martin acquired his education in the schools of Atchison, and 
later completed a course in the Platte City (Missouri) Academy. He was 
reared on his father's farm, near Atchison, and assisted in its carrying on 
until about sixteen years of age. He then secured employment with Mr. 
Teuschau. a pioneer French trader and freighter, who had an Indian wife. 
He was also with the Scotch freighter, Kisskadden, on several trips. The 
latter recommended him as a capable guide and driver to G. T. Smith, who 
wished to secure the services of some one who could take his wife and baby, 
and the aged wife of his partner, from Atchison to Denver in 1864, where 
Smith owned a hardware store. Although but sixteen years of age, young 
Martin secured the job. This was in 1864, a time when the Indians were 
on the war path and Smith's wagon 'with young Martin as driver, started 
alone, but joined a freighting outfit numbering some forty wagons and 
dri\ers. Just before the\- reached Ft. Kcamev at Big Sandv. thev met flee- 
ing Blue Ri\er ranchmen, who were huriwing to the nearest settlement, and 
who told them the Indians were on the war path. They stayed all night at 



396 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

tlie home of a settler and heard the following day that Indians had mur- 
dered the settler's family and burned their house. The wife of Smith's part- 
ner was insistent on a proper observance of tlie Sabbath day, and while 
in tlie Indian country caused Mrs. Smith to order that their wagon remain 
in camp over Sunday. The wagon train left them behind and the Lord's 
day was properly kept by the women, although they were warned by Martin 
that it was dangerous to leave the protection of the train. As related by 
Martin "that was the longest day I ever spent." About midnight he fed 
and harnessed the team and started on with the intention of joining the train 
of eleven men and wagons which had preceded them. At sunrise' they 
reached a lone ranch and its owner, who was postmaster, told Martin the 
wagons were just ahead, over the first hill. Here he mailed a letter to his 
mother. On arriving at the hill top Martin was able to see the valley where 
the train had camped. The wagons were in flames, had been robbed of their 
contents, a large part of which was whiskey. Two women were taken cap- 
■ tives and the eleven freighters had been killed and scalped by Indians. The 
savages had indulged in the cajitured whiskey and were so thoroughly stupe- 
fied that they were incapable of riding a horse and also failed to follow the 
wagon which Martin drove. He wheeled his team and dro\e them at full 
speed to the nearest ranch and found the buildings burned. They drove on to 
the next ranch where they secured protection, a company of soldiers arriving 
there the same day. The officer in command was drunk and refused to at- 
tack the red-skins that night when victory would have been easy. When 
the company reached the scene of the massacre the following day, the Indians 
were not to be seen. Martin's next stop was at another ranch and here Mr. 
Smith joined the wagon, having rushed forward in the belief that Martin 
had been killed and the women captured by the savages. On parting from 
his charges Martin was given a plain band gold ring by Mrs. Smith with 
her blessing. He made several other trips across the plains, the last one with 
his father, "Uncle Jack" ]\Iartin. which took them to Montana, \\hen the 
Kickapoo Indian reservation was thrown open to purchase, Sidney Martin 
bought the first section that was sold and several years later he bought the 
last, becoming the owner of 560 acres in one body. He entered actively into 
the developing of his raw land and brought it up to a highly productive state. 
He Ijecame widely and favorably known as a breeder of Shorthorn cattle, 
and from time to time purchased additional acreage until his holdings in 
land were extensive, owning at one time 747 acres, at the time of his demise. 
He took an active part in political affairs of his section, and, wiiile disin- 
clined to accept office, was called upon frequently for counsel and advice. He 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 397 

was a man of keen perceptions, knew men and the motives which actuated 
them, and was a student thorouohly tamihar with the questions of the day. He 
numbered among- his close personal friends, Governor Glick. His death 
occurred on January 3, 1904. 

Mr. Martin married on February 20, 1868, Miss Maiy Elizabeth White, 
a daughter of George B.. born May 10, 181 5, and Mary Ehzabcth (Lindsay) 
White, bom December 14, 1820, the former a native of \\^oodford county, 
Kentucky, and the latter of Carroll county. They were married January 25, 
1839. She died September 25, i860, while the family was residing in Mis- 
souri. After tlie death of his wife, Mr. Wliite came to Atchison and engaged 
in the grain business. With S. R. Washer lie built tlie first elevator in the 
city of Atchison. He died in November, 1900. Mrs. Martin was born on 
May 15, 1848, while her parents were living in Missouri. On the maternal 
side she is descended from tlie Blackburn family, members of which fought 
with the Continental troops in the war for independence. After the death of 
her husband, Mrs. Martin became a resident of tlie cit}- of Atchison, where 
she has since resided. 



ROBERT M. THOMAS. 



In e\ery community we find that tliere are some individuals who seem 
naturally endowed with the ability to go ahead and do things and take a place 
of leadership among their associates. Robert M. Thomas is one of those who 
possess the natural endowments, peculiar to leadership and the ability to make 
things go witii which he is connected. A successful fanner, a good citizen and 
business man, makes an excellent coni1)ination, and Mr. Thomas lias made his 
mark in his community as a progressive and enterprising citizen. 

Robert M. Thomas was born in Buchanan county, Missouri, February 2, 
1868, a son of Moses and Katie 1 Critchfield) Thomas, who were born and 
partly reared in old Kentuck\-. The ])arents of both were early settlers of 
Buchanan county. Moses was the son of Robert Thomas, and the father of 
his wife was Martin Critchfield. They were Southern born, and were de- 
scendants of old Southern families. Moses Thomas was born in 1843, and 
still resides in Buciianan county; his wife, Katie, was born in 1850, and is still 
living. The Thomas family has a farm of 140 acres in Buchanan county, 
upon which was reared a large family of eleven children, nine of whom are 
Hving: Robert M. ; John, deceased; Walter, living in California; Forrest, re- 



398 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

siding in St. Joseph, Mo. ; Harriet and Cecil, at home; Olhe, deceased ; Louise, 
Margaret, Cora and Ellen, at home with their parents. 

R. M. Thomas received his education in the public schools of his native 
State and assisted his father in the operating of the home farm until 1892, 
wiien he married and farmed for three years in Buchanan county, Missouri, 
and then worked his farm in Platte county, JNIissouri, for four years. His 
first purchase of land was in 1899 when he invested in a farm of 120 acres 
in Buchanan county, which he sold three years later at a profit over the original 
purchase price. In 1902 he bought another farm, and in 1903 located two and 
one-half miles northwest of Effingham in Benton township. This farm com- 
prises 160 acres and is now one of the best improved places in the neighbor- 
hood. Mr. Thomas did so well in Atchison county that he was enaliled to 
buy another farm of 160 acres in 1912. This fami is located in Grasshopper 
town.ship, about three miles north of Muscotah. Upon th^ organization of the 
Farmers' Mercantile Company in June. 191 3, in which Mr. Thomas 'took an 
active part, he assumed the managership of the same and attends to his 
business during the day, while still making his iiome at the farm. This ]ilan 
gives him an excellent opportunity to oversee his farming operations at all 
times. 

Mr. Thomas was married in 1892 to Katie Stanton, of Platte county, 
Missouri, a daughter of William and Cynthia (Hall) Stanton, natives of 
Platte county, and of Eastern origin. To this union the following children 
have been born : William, married Pearl, daughter of Thomas O. Gault, and 
is managing his father's farm, two miles north of Muscotah ; Clara, a graduate 
of tlie Atchison County High School, and a teacher in the public schools; 
Margaret, Ollie and Jessie, students in the county high school ; Elva. Emma, 
Robert M.. and Daisy, attending the district school near their home. 

Mr. Thomas is a Democrat in politics and has filled the office of trustee 
of Benton township one term. He and his family are members of the Ciiris- 
tian church. He is fraternally connected with the Odd Fellows lodge. 

The Farmers' Mercantile Association, of which Mr. Thomas is the man- 
ager, was organized in June of 1913 for the purpose of handling grain, coal, 
feed and seeds. The capital stock of the concern is Sio.ooo. of wliich $6,800 
is fully paid up. The officers of the association were: President. C. .\. Talia- 
ferro; vice-president, Stewart Hef flefinger ; secretary and manager, R. M. 
Thomas; treasurer. C. M. Snyder. The directors are: C. A. Taliaferro. S. 
Hefflefinger, Charles M. Snyder. John E. Sullivan. R. M. Thomas, E. H. 
Cawley. W. M. Sutter. R. B. Hawk, Reuben Hargrove. The j^resent offi- 
cers are the same witli the exception that Reuben Hargrove is now serving 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 399 

as the vice-president, and Fred Wyatt was elected to fill the vacancy in the 
board of directors, caused by the demise of C. A. Taliaferro and l''d\vard 
High succeeded \V. M. Sutter. Tlie concern has a grain e]e\ator with a 
capacity of 8,000 bushels. Tlie largest shipment of grain made in any one 
year has exceeded 115,000 bushels. 



WILLIAM McADAM. 



William ^IcAdam. retired farmer, of Effingham, Kan., was born Feb- 
ruray 6, 18O1, in Sterlingshire, Scotland, and is a son of James and Helen 
( Macnee) McAdam, who, witli their children emigrated from their native 
country in 1882 and settled on a farm near Effingham in Atchison county, 
Kansas. Tliey reared a family of five cliildren, of whom William is the old- 
est, the others lieing as follows: Mrs. Jane Drummond, of Ellenville, Kan.; 
George, of Holton, Kan. : Mrs. Nellie Drummond, resithng in Cottonwood 
Falls, Kan. ; and James, living at Holton, Kan. The father of these chil- 
dren was born in 1820, and died in 1885, just three years after coming to 
America. He was a hard-working, industrious farmer. The mother was 
horn in 1839 and departed this life in May, 1899. 

William McAdam was twenty-one years of age when the family came 
to Atchison county and for tiiree years after his arrival here lie assisted liis 
parents in the operation of the home farm. He then worked out for one 
year and began renting land on liis own account, renting twelve years in 
all, five of which were in Jackson county, Kansas. His first purchase of 
land was a tract of ninety-six acres in Jackson county, which he improved 
and resided upon until 1907, when he moved to Effingham, where lie and 
his family reside in one of the most attractive homes in the city, located on 
a tract of ten acres. Air. McAdam is now the owner of 160 acres of good 
land south of Effingliam, over whicl: he has supervision. 

He was married in 1888 to Miss Augusta Sutter, a daughter of Fred- 
erick Sutter, now deceased, who was one of the earliest settlers in Atch- 
ison county, and who became one of the wealthy land owners of the county. 
(See sketch of Fred Sutter.) Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
McAdam, Fannie and Mabel, both of whom are at home with their parents. 
The mother of these cliildren was born in Atchison county in 1861. 

Mr. McAdam is an independent Democrat, who votes as his conscience 



400 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

dictates, and prefers to support the man rather than any one political party 
or creed, believing in this manner that better government will result. He is a 
member of the Presbyterian church, and is fraternally connected with the 
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. 



CLAUDIUS DeMONT WALKER. 

The citizen who loves his city to the extent that he is willing to devote his 
ene'-gies toward making it a better abiding place for his fellow men, and tioes 
his duty in a public capacity, regardless of criticism or adverse comnie^.ts, is 
a man worth while. He whose name heads this review is such an individual. 
As mayor of Atcliison, C. D. Walker made a record which will outlive the 
present generation ; as an attorney he has achieved a signal success and ranks 
high in the legal fraternity of the State of Kansas ; as a religious worker he 
has accomplished much good of a lasting and enduring quality for the com- 
munity in which he lives. Born of Kansas pioneer parents, his training and 
education were such as to prepare him for the career which has made him dis- 
tinguished among his fellow men : and he has proven that a wholesome example 
set by noble parents is the best incentive that a man can have to guide him 
through life. 

C. D. Wrilker was born ^larch 29, 1851. at (ireenville. Pa., a si>n of Har- 
vey and Anna M. Walker, tlic former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter 
a native of Ireland. Harvey Walker, tlie father, was born in 1S20 and was 
a son of Harvey Walker, a native of the Keystone State, who married at 
Pittsburgh, Pa., Miss Mary Ann Carr, who was born at Mile End, England. 
The grandfather of C. D. Walker was a wagon and carriage maker by trade 
and operated a shop in Greenville for many years. Tlie history of the Walkers 
in America begins with three brothers who emigrated from the north of Ire- 
land in colonial days. One of whom, Samuel Walker, located near Rochester, 
X. ^'.. one. .\ndrew Walker, settled in Virginia, and one, the great-grandfather 
of C. D. Walker, settled in Pennsylvania. Being north Ireland people it is 
practically certain that the Walker family is of Scotch descent, their ancestors 
having emigrated from the ancestral home of the family to the north of Ire- 
land a few centuries ago when the migration of the protestant people from the 
Isle of Britain to escape religious persecution occurred. Harvey Walker 
learned his father's trade of wagon and carriage making, but worked but little 
at the business. Imbued with the desire to better his fortunes in the great 





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.''■V .■'*'^<>«*Ci^'M ii?-5>- /^~ 




^o^^ -^^^^ 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 4OI 

West, he left the old home of the family in about 1854 and migrated to Oneida, 
111., near which town he purchased a homestead. After farming for a few 
years he sold out and started overland to the new State of Kansas, which at 
that time was attracting adventurers from all parts of the country. The family 
possessions were loaded upon wagons drawn by horses, and in due time the 
Walkers arrived at Ft. Scott in Bourbon county, Kansas, their destination. 
During tine vears '57- 58-"59. the senior Walker traded with the Indians, and 
eventually located on a homestead, twelve miles northwest of Ft. Scott. Har- 
vev Walker was a stanch Methndist of the uncompromising type and was un- 
alterably opposed to the institution of slavery. He fearlessly and freely voiced 
his convictions at every opportunity, and his out-spoken tendencies frequently 
brought trouble upon him from the slavery advocates, who had settled in the 
neighborhood in considerable numbers. He was always introducing new in- 
novations in farming methods and machinery. It is a matter of history that 
he owned and used the first rake harvester brought to that part of the country. 
The slavery advocates and border ruffians annoyed him considerably. They 
stole his horses, broke up his wagons and farming implements and so pro- 
nounced were the threats of the slavery men that Mr. \\'alker was forced to 
spend most of his time in Ft. Scott away from his family. He was greatly in- 
terested in the success of the anti-slavery propagandists and used great in- 
fluence in determining the ultimate destiny in Kansas becoming a free State. 
When the war broke out he decided to move north. In the spring of 1861 he 
arrived in the city of Atchison, which at that time was a small village, and was 
induced by Capt. Asa Barnes to locate in Atchison county, where he remained 
about a year. He afterwards purchased and settled on a tract of land adjoin- 
ing t!ie town of Winchester, Jefferson county, Kansas. Here he located liis 
permanent Kansas home, and developed a fine farm. Here he raised a large 
family, and gave his children the best education the school facilities at that 
time afforded. Harvey Walker was married December 24, 1848, to Anna 
Mariah Nelson, who bore him the following children, namely: Crandall C, 
an importer of thoroughbred horses, Sioux City, Iowa ; Claudius D., with 
whose career this review is directly concerned: Marion D.. a farmer and fruit 
grower, living near Midland College, Atchison county; Manin L.. a banker 
of Oklahoma City, Okla. ; Ellis Lytle. living in Washington State : Schuyler 
R.. a farmer of Stillwater Okla. ; Ilarvey Mitcliell, an importer of thi(rough1)rcd 
horses of Oklahoma City ; William Nelson, a farmer of Stillwater. Okla. : Ro- 
land Ferris, who died in infancy: Orlina L.. widow of Willirm McKenney. de- 
ceased, a hardware merchant of Winchester, Kan., and Anna M., wife of 
William B. Stevenson, a Methodist minister. The mother of the foregoing 
26 



402 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

children was born in north Ireland, September 24. 1824. a daugliter of James 
and Elizal)eth ( i-arris) Xelson. James Nelson was agent for an luiglish 
estate in Ireland, and was the son of William Nelson and Catherine ( Stewart) 
Nelson. His wife, Elizabeth Farris, was the daughter of Robert and Jane 
Farris, all of English descent. Anna Alariah Nelson came to America when 
eight )^ears old with a brcjther, and went to live with an aunt in Greenville, Pa., 
while her family settled in Bayfield, Canada. She was educated in the schools 
at Greenville and afterwards became a teacher in the public school where she 
was wooed and married by Harvey Walker. Harvey Walker and his noble 
wife were sturdy God-fearing Christians, and the family prayers were a part 
of the regular regime of the religious creed followed by tliem through life. 
They were ardent Methodists who believed in living faithfully according to the 
precepts of their religion, and the examples set l)y their upright and consistent 
conduct throughout thtir long lives left an indelible imprint upon the lives 
of their children, w ho ha\e endea\ored to follow in the footsteps of tlieir ])'ir- 
ents. Claudius DeMont attended the district school at Winchester, and when 
eighteen years of age left home to enter Baker University at Baldwin, Kan. 
After two years of liard work in Baker University he entered tiie agncultund 
college at Manhattan, which at that time was a college controlled by the Meth- 
odists and had the best facilities of any college of the State of Kansas. Here 
he spent four years and should have graduated in the class of 1873, but on 
account of ill health w'as compelled to leave school before the end of the term. 
In the fall of 1876 Mr. Walker matriculated in the law dei)artment of the 
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. During the. year previous to this, he 
liad studied law in the office of iloyce & Bo_\-d in Cincinnati. Oliin. ar.d upon 
his matriculation at .Ann .\rbor entered the junior class of the university, lie 
graduated from the law department at Ann Arbor in the class of 1878, and 
immediately located in Atchison, where he began the practice of his profession. 
From the very beginning his professional career was a success. In February, 
1882, he formed a partnership witli Judge Gilbert, which continued until Gil- 
bert's election to the district bench in the fall of 1887. Since that time Mr. 
\\'alkcr has practiced his profession alone for thirty-four consecutive years, 
which has been filled with gratifying success. The district records of Atchi- 
son county show that for many years Mr. Walker was interested in virtually 
all of the im])ortant cases pending. For many years he was attorney for the 
First National Bank of Atchi.son, Kan., together with many other large insti- 
tutions of the city. 

During his long successful legal career, Mr. \\'alker has not neglected the 
material side of his affairs and early invested his money in loans and real 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 4O3 

estate. His investments were so judiciously made that lie has become one of 
the largest land owners of Kansas, and is rated as one of Atchison's wealthiest 
citizens. His total holdings in Atchison county will exceed 1,700 acres of 
farm lands, and he also owns other lands in Texas and western Kansas. 

The political and civic career of Mr. Walker has been a noteworthy one 
and portrays tlie nigged honesty and public spirited feeling wliich have actu- 
ated him during liis wliole life. He was first appointed to the office o\ county 
auditor by Judge Gilbert in 1888, and served for two years; and was elected 
to the office of county attorney in 1891, and served in this capacity until 1894. 
His service as county attorney included the most strenuous years of his life, 
inasmuch as the court docket was continually crowded during his entire in- 
cumbency. This was the time that Coxey's army of unemployed was making 
its journey from this part of the country toward W'ashington and on its way 
committed all kinds of small crimes, and many arrests were made daily. It 
was i\Ir. \\'alker's duty to prosecute these numberless cases as they came up 
for trial which overwhelmed him. He has served as a member of the city 
council of Atcliison several terms, and was ma}-or for two years, 191 1 to 1913. 
Mr. Walker's administration of the city's affairs during his incuml;enc_\- as tlie 
chief executive is considered to have been the best that Atchison ever had 
in a constructive and law-abiding sense. Several miles of street paving was 
accomplished and many bad streets were repaved thoroughly and well. Tlie 
first concrete paving in the city was laid on Division street and done in the l^est 
manner possible. The city purcliased tlie finest fire apparatus ever brought 
to a northeast Kansas city. The \\'est Atchison fire station was built. Three 
large sewer districts were created and the sewers installed. One of these was 
the intercepting sewer in White Clay creek. For many years the city of Atchi- 
son suffered from the filth and stench of While Clav creek until 
the same became intolerable. The remedy had been tliought impossible, but 
on Mr. Walker's election he conceived the plan of installing an intercepting 
sewer whicli has proved a great success, and a benefit to the city. 

The electric liglit rate was reduced from 15 to 10 cents per kilowatt, tlius 
saving to the consumer thousands of dollars annually. The street lighting 
was changed from the half night to tlie all night moon li.ght schedule, with 
many new liglits added and without a dollar's increase in expenses. The city 
was freed from joints and gambling places and houses of ill repute within the 
first few months after Mr. Walker went into office and remained so during 
his entire term. As mayor he first raised the question of requiring the mills 
and otlier large institutions located alon.g railroads, and the railroads enter- 
ing the city to light their own premises and yards. 

Mr. A\'alker was the promoter and organizer of the first independent 



404 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

telephone company in Ihc city, which company succeeded in putting the Bell 
Telephone Company out of business for the time being, and until the Home 
company was sold to the Bell company in 191 1, and a consolidation effected. 

Mr. Walker is a Republican and has always taken a more or less active 
part in his party's affairs. He was at one time a candidate for Congress from. 
the First Congressional district of the State of Kansas, at the time the three- 
cornered fight for the nomination between Ex-Governor Bailey. Charles Cur- 
tis and C. D. W'alker was waged, and a deadlock ensued which lasted for more 
than one week. 

His famil} life has been an ideal one, and in keeping with the career of 
the man himself. The marriage of Mr. \\"alker and Miss Lizzie E. Auld took 
place June 7, 1881, at Atchison, Kan. One daughter has blessed this union, 
Isabelle, wife of Louis D. Brockett. a son of B. L. Brockett, a leading lumber 
merchant of Atchison. Mr. Brockett has charge of the loan business estab- 
lished by Mr. Walker. Mrs. Lizzie Auld Walker was born in Brownsville, 
Pa., a daughter of William W. and Isabelle Mullen Auld. natives of Pennsyl- 
vania, of Scotch-Irish ancestry. The Auld family is one of the oldest of 
American families. Its members are related closely w ith the Carrolls of Car- 
rollton. \'a., whose ancestors came from north of Ireland and were originallx 
of Scotch ancestry. William \\'. .\uld migrated from Pennsylvani.n to .\tclii- 
son, Kan., in, 1872, and was a member of the milling firm of Blair & Auld, 
from that time until his death in 1895. Mr. Walker has been a member of 
the Masonic fraternity for over thirty years, and has taken a regular course of 
Masonry, being a Knight Templar. He is fraternally affiliated with the 
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias, the Modern 
Woodmen. Knights and Ladies of Security, the Ancient Order of L'nited 
Workmen, and tlie Royal .Arcanum. It is only natural th'tt a man reared in 
a religious atmosphere, as he has been, should take an active and influential 
part in church and religious work. Mr. Walker has been a member of the 
official board of tlie First Methodist Episcopal Church of .Vtchison. since 1880. 
and lias been a liberal and cheerful supporter of this denomination. At pres- 
ent he is chairman of the building committee which has cliarge of the erection 
of the new building planned by the church for the ensuing year. Since 1889 
he has served as a member of the board of trustees of Baker LTniversity, of 
Baldwin, Kan. In 1908 he was a delegate to the National conference of the 
Methodist denomination at Baltimore. Successful as a lawyer, having 
achieved substantial competence in his behalf, made history as a public official, 
followed the teachings of his Christian parents as regards an up-right life 
and doing his duty in a religious sense, sums up the life career of this useful 
Atchison citizen. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 405 

ALVA CURTIS TRUEBLOOD. 

Alva Curtis Trueblood, a former Atchison merchant and city official 
and Union veteran, now deceased, was born in Salem, Washington county, 
Indiana, in 1838. a son of Dr. Joshua and Zelpha (Arnold) Trueblood, natives 
of South Carolina, who emigrated from their native State to Indiana in the 
early pioneer days when the Indians were still camping on the streams and 
roaming the forests of the Hoosier State. The parents of A. C. Trueblood 
settled in Salem and he was there reared to manhood, receiving his educa- 
tion in the district schools and the Seminary at Battle Creek, Mich., where he 
was graduated. After his graduation in the classical course at Battle Creek, 
he returned to his home town of Salem and embarked in the newspaper busi- 
ness, purchasing the Salem- Times, which he edited until the outbreak of the 
Civil war. He enlisted at the first call for troops issued by President Lin- 
coln and was mustered in as a member of Company H, Thirteen regiment, 
Indiana infantry, under Captain S_ales, who was later promoted to the rank 
of colonel, private Trueblood being successively promoted to a second lieuten- 
ancy and then to first lieutenant of his company. Later, he was commis- 
sioned a captain and remained Captain Trueblood until the close of the war. 
He saw much active service during the great rebellion and was under fire 
with his regiment at the veiy first battle in which it was engaged, at Green 
Brier Mountain, W. Va. Captain Trueblood fought in thirty-six terrific 
battles during his term of service, and was engaged in the nine days' battle 
at Cold Harbor under General Grant. Captain Trueblood often gave a vivid 
and heart-rending description of the terrific slaughter of human lives which 
took place at this great battle, and told of how a person could walk for miles 
on the dead bodies with which the field was strewn. His time of enlistment 
expired while the battle of Cold Harbor was in progress, and he then re- 
turned to his home, where he was married December 29, 1864, to Hattie 
Allen. 

Mr. and Mrs. Trueblood resided in Salem. Ind.. until after the close of 
the war when he entered the mercantile liusiness in Salem and was very suc- 
cessful. His health failing him it was deemed advi.sable that they seek a 
new home in the West. During his business career he had invested in .\tch- 
ison county land, and they came to this county in 1880, settling on their farm 
in the spring of that year. They remained on the farm but a short time, 
however, until Mr. Trueblood regained his health, in a measure, and then 
removed to Atchison, where he embarked in the queensware business, which 
he conducted for about three years. He was then elected city clerk and held 



406 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

this office for about ten years. Captain Trueblodd died April 16. 1904. 
Mr. and Mrs. Trueblood have reared the following children: Albert, now en- 
gaged in the newspaper business at Sacramento, Cal. ; Victor T., manager of 
the ^'all Xoys News Company, of Kansas City. Mo. ; Paul T., a traveling 
salesman, residing in Grand Island. Neb. : Owen T., of Kansas City, an ex- 
press messenger of the Missouri Pacific railroad; Nellie, a graduate of Mid- 
land College, and a teacher in the Ingalls school; Norvel died in 1867. at the 
age of four years. The mother of these children was horn in March, 1840, 
a daughter of Thomas and Annis (Brinkley) Allen, both natives of West 
Virginia, and pioneer settlers of \^'ashi^gton county. Indiana. She was 
educated in the common schools of her native county and attended the Salem 
Female College. Thomas .Mien, father of Mrs. Tiaicblood. was proprietor 
of a cotton and woolen manufactory at Salem, and was forced to pay Gen. 
John ^hiirgan and his raiders the sum of $1,000 to prevent the burning of his 
mill, when Morgan and his troops made their memorable raid and burned the 
depot at Salem and raided the stores. Thomas Allen and wife were the par- 
ents of eight children, six sons and two daughters. Three of the sons were 
Union soldiers, William Allen, the twin brother of Mrs. Trueblood, serving 
in the same regiment with Captain Trueblood. 

Mr. Truelilood was an efficient and capable city official during his 
many years of service in the city clerk's office and had many warm friends 
in Atchison. He was allied with the Repulilican party and was prominent 
in the affairs of his party. He was well known in Masonic circles and was 
high in the councils of the Masonic lodge, being master of Washington Lixl.ge. 
No. 5. of Atchison. Kan., for several years, and was a leading member of 
the Grand Army of the Republic, both of which liodies officiated at the cere- 
monies held when his bodv was laid awav for the long rest. 



WILUAM T. CLEM. 



William J. Clem, deceased tanner and horticulturist, of Shaimon town- 
ship, was born June 9. 1851. in Randolph crmnty. Virginia, a son of Aaron 
Clem, who immigrated to Kansas in 1863 and settled on Independence creek, 
near the Doniphan-. \tchison county line. On the farm, which his father 
owned in this jjioncer settlement of Kansas. William was reared to young 
manhood, and married, after whicli he lived on a farm in the southern part 
of Doniphan county for four vears. then uK^ved to the Mvers farm, which 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 407 

he and his wife purchased some years later and cuhivated until March of 
iS(;8. In this year he purchased the fine farm which is now owned by his 
widow and immediately began improving it. This farm consists of sixty 
acres and lays within a few miles of Atchison in a ncMthwesterly direction. 
Its acreage is divided as follows : Twenty acres of apples and small fruits, 
and forty acres of farm land and pasture. Realizing that it was necessary 
to follow intensive farming on a sixty-acre farm, Mr. Clem set out an 
orchard of 350 trees, which have been bearing prolificaily for several 
years. An attractive farm residence, set in a fine lawn in whicli shrub- 
bery and flower beds please the eye, together with a good barn and silo, 
greets the eye as the}- stand out on a rise of land. Mr. Clem was a very in- 
dustrious farmer, a good citizen, and a kind father sind hu.sband, and will 
long be remembered by those who knew him best and were aware of his many 
excellent qualities. He departed this life on May 26. 1906. He was a mem- 
ber of the Baptist church and a Democrat in politics. 

\\'. J. Clem, and Laura E. Myers, his widow, were married June 16, 
1879, and to this union were born children, as follows: Mrs. Effie Randolph, 
of Atchison, who is the mother of two children, Elizabeth and Bernice; Mrs. 
Clara \\'altz. of Shannon township, and mother of one child. Virginia 
Frances: Mrs. .Addie Underwood, residing on a farm in Shannon township, 
who has one child, Spencer Eugene: Mrs. Laura Demmel, living near Rush- 
ville. Mo., and mother of one son, Raymond: Albert, married Ella Turner, 
and Edgar, at home: Mrs. Lissa Marie Altauf, of south Tenth street, .\tch- 
ison : I'rances and Jessie, at home. Mrs. Laura E. (Myers) Clem was born 
June 9, 1859, in Buchanan county, Missouri, a daughter of .\ugustus and 
Hulda (Snyder) Myers, natives of Germany and Indiana, respectively. 
Augustus Myers was born in 1825 and died October 6, 1909. His parents 
with their family immigrated to this country from Germany in 1831. 
.\ugustus was reared on a farm, south of St. Joseph, and was there mar- 
ried. His wife, Ilulda. was born in 1831 aufl died Octolier 8, 1907. She 
came with her parents to Buchanan county, Missouri, in 1841. There were 
nine children in the Myers family, namely: Hiram K., deceased: Edward 
S., deceased: William H., living in Doniphan county ]\Irs. Laura E. Clem, 
with whom this re\iew is directly concerned: Winslow, of Gower. Mo.; 
Charles \\'., of Lancaster township, this county; Mrs. Dora .\ugusta Saeger, 
of Ouincy, 111.: Mrs. Malinda Frances L'nderwond. of Shannon township: 
and Ray Evans, of Seattle. Wash. The Myers family came to .Atchison 
county in .\ugust of 1875, living in Atchison until February, 1876, and set- 
tled on a farm in Shannon township, which he purchased from .\ndrew 



408 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Evans, living on their place near Good Intent, until March of 1891, when 
the old couple sold their farm to Mr. and Mrs. Clem, and retired to a home 
in Atchison, where they died. Augustus Myers was a soldier in the Union 
army and served for a few months under Captain Snyder, an uncle of 
Mrs. Clem. 

Mrs. Clem and her children are all members of the Ch.ristian church and 
take an active part in the social and religious affairs carried on by the large 
membership of this flourishing denomination. She and her sturdy sons 
carry on the farming operations in a creditable and profitable manner and 
are happy and contented. The boys are greatly interested in athletics and 
were an important part of the winning church baseball team during the 
season of 1915. A happier nor more contented family can not be found in 
•Atchison county. Mrs. Clem is a capable and intelligent woman who did 
not hesitate to take over the management of the farm upon her husband's 
demise and has made a success of the undertaking. 



TARED COPELAND FOX. 



The late Jared Copeland Fox was one of Atchison's ablest citizens, pub- 
lic spirited, a successful financier and a familiar figure in the leading circles 
of the city for many years. Merchant, banker, scholar, a kind husband and 
father, his demise left a void which can never be filled. Coming of a dis- 
tinguished family, born October 30, 1841, in Chili, N. Y., his life bears out 
the oft repeated assertion that lineage and birth have something to do with 
shaping a man's destiny, and influencing his career. His parents were Jared 
Ware and Mercy Chapman (Copeland) Fox. Jared Ware Fox was a son 
of Alanson and Elizabeth (Ware) Fox. His maternal grandfather was Jona- 
than Copeland, who married a Miss Wells at Charlton, Mass., who was a di- 
rect descendant of Ruth, a daughter of John and Priscilla Alden. On April 
2, 1816, Jonathan Copeland w^as commissioned a captain in the luilitia and 
adjutant on the governor's staff of Massachusetts in 1816. In i8iq he was 
appointed a brigadier commander of the State militia, .\fter his marriage he 
removed to New York and was there a colonel in the State militia of New 
York. He held five different commissions in Massachusetts and New York. 
The Fox family is of English descent and originally settled in Connecticut. 
The maiden name of the wife of Col. Jonathan Copeland was Rebecca Ed- 
wards and she was a connection of the family of which Rev. Jonatlian Ed- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 409 

wards was a member. Colonel Copeland had three children : Alerc}', Eliza- 
beth and the Rev. Jonathan Copeland, a Congregational minister of Xew 
York, who conducted an academy in that city and one of whose pupils was 
Philip Armour of beef packing fame. Jonathan was born October i6, 1786, 
died in 1858 in Xew York; Rebecca was horn in 1790, died h'eljruary 6, 1863, 
in Kansas. 

Alanson Fo.x, grandfather of Jared C, removed from Connecticut to a 
farm near Sherburne. N. Y., and here Jared Ware was born December 5. 18 10. 
Rev. Jared Ware Fox was educated for the ministry, studying four years in 
Oneida Institute and one )ear in a seminary in New York City, and for 
fifty years preached the Gospel according to the Congregational faith. In 
the earlv days he was sent to Kansas by his church to establish and organize 
churches in the new towns and cities Iniilding up on the broad prairies. He 
formed a church at Burlingame and Ridgeway, Kan., making his home at 
the latter place and preaching throughout the country serving churches at 
Kunwaka, Waveland, Valley Brook and one year at Lawrence. He spent 
one year in Topeka in charge of a church in the capital city. He was a strong 
abolitionist and was in his natural element when he first came to Kansas in 
i860, the vear of tlie "great drought." He took an acti\'e part in the relief 
work in Kansas at that time and sent his son, Jared C, then but eighteen 
years of age, back to Galesburg, 111., where an old friend of the family re- 
sided, to gather potatoes and produce for the sustenance of the drought suf- 
fers. He died March 2. 1898, leaving the following children: Charles G., on 
the old homestead at Ridgeway, Kan.; Jared C. ; Irving Dwight. deceased; 
Herlx;rt Everett, of California; Herman Elliot, Davenport, Iowa. 'Ihe mother 
of these children. Mercy C. (Copeland)' Fox, was born b'ebruary 16, ]8i(). and 
died April 11, 1893. 

Jared C. Fox recei\ed an academic education in Xew \'i"rk and accom- 
])anied his parents to Kansas. At the age of nineteen years he was first 
employed in a general store conducted by Crosby Brothers at Valley h'alls, 
Kan., at a salary- of $1 50 ])er year and his board. He yearned for a larger field 
and came to Atchison in 1862, entering the employ of William Smith, who 
owned a dry goods store. During a part of the Civil war he ser\ed as clerk 
in the commissary department at Rolla, Mo., under Major Grimes for two 
years. After the close of the war he was deputy county treasurer under Sam 
C. King, and upon Mr. King's resignatK)n frf)m the county treasurersliip, he 
was appointed to serve for six montiis finishing out Mr. King's unex])ired 
term. He then served as deputy United Stales marshal under Charles Whit- 
ing. For some years previous to embarking in the drug business he was 



410 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

associated in tlie real estate business with H. Clay Park, former postmaster 
of Atchison and editor of Tlic Patriot, and now one of the editors of the St. 
Joseph News. In 1869 Mr. Fox made the business \enture whicli was tlie 
turning point of his fortunes and launched iiim on the high road to financial 
success. He entered into partnershi]> witli W. C. McPike. S. C. King and 
Frank Allen in the wholesale drug business. Later Mr. Fox and Mr. McPikc 
became the sole owuers of the business, Mr. Fdx disposing of his interest to 
T. M. Walker and tlie firm removed to Kansas City, where it is still doing 
business under the name of the McPike Drug Co. Mr. Fox became interested 
in banking and at the time of his death was vice-president of the Atchison 
Savings Bank, the oldest State l)ank in Kansas. He conducted a loan busi- 
ness as his financial resources increased in strength and he became one of 
Atchison's wealthy citizens. 

On December 22, 1868, Mr. Fox was married to a charming southern 
lady. Miss Virginia Alexina Tortat. This union was blessed by the birth 
of five children as follows: Tared Copeland, Jr., manager of the Howard 
Manufacturing Co.. of Atchison, and father of eight children, Virginia Par- 
ker, Marjorie Parker, Tared Copeland, J'-. Parker, .-\iuelia Joanna, Lawton, 
Editli and William Horan ; Edith Fox Jackson, wife of Judge W. A. Jackson, 
and mother of two children, Jared Fox and Fdmund X'alentine : Henry Irving, 
wholesale druggist at Wichita. Kan., and father of Everett Cranson. Florence, 
Mary Anne and Sarah Virginia Fox: William Tortat, assistant cashier in the 
Atchison Savings Bank, and father of one daughter, Mary : Florence, at home 
with her mother. The mother of these children, Mrs. Virginia Fox. was born 
at Eufaula. Ala., December 20, 1847, a daughter of Henri Sylvest and Xancy 
(Decker) Tortat. Henri S. Tortat was born in October, 181 1. in France. 
He was destined to be a clergyman by his ])arents. but, having no intention to 
enter the i)riesthood, took i)art in the three days' re\-olution against Charles 
X. He left home and joined an uncle who was an officer in the i'rench army 
of occupation in Algiers in 1833. He came to America in 1836 when a 
young man and was married at Wiscassett, Me., to X;mcy Decker, whom he 
met at Boston, Mass. After his marriage he took his bride to Charleston, 
S. C, and thence to Eufaula, .Ala., and conducted a merchandise store there 
until he was induced to join a colony of southern people who were going to 
Kan.sas in May, 1857. When he came to Kansas he first took up a home- 
stead claim and then purchased a bakery at Tecumseh, Shawnee county, but 
died July 6, 1858, before he could get fairly settled in the new country. Seven 
children were liorn to and reared by Henri and Xancy Tortat : Henri .\lexis. 
deceased; Mrs. Amelia Caroline Barrv, deceased; Mrs. T- C. Fox; lean Paul. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 4II 

deceased; Augusta makes her Iiome with Mrs. P'ox ; W'iUiam Marshall. I'ea- 
bodv. Mass.: Mary died at the home of Mrs. Fox. Six years after Mr. 

- - • ' 

Tortat's demise, the mother and cliildren removed to Atchison, where she 
died December 20. 1864. 

In his younger days Mr. Fox was a Republican, but later became a Demo- 
crat and was a strong Cleveland adherent. He was a supporter of President 
Theodore Roosevelt during his first administration. He was a stanch sup- 
porter of W'oodrow Wilson when \\'ilson was a candidate for the Presidency, 
but was generally broad minded in his political views. He was a member of 
\\'ashington lodge. Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Knights Templar, 
a Mystic Shriner and an Odd Fellow ; he was reared in the Congregational 
church atmosphere but after marriage chose to attend the Episcopalian church 
with his wife. His death occurred August 23, 1914, when a strong and noble 
character passed to the great beyond. Mr. Fox was blessed with a singularly 
happ)- temperament which manifested itself even on his bed of illness; he w^as 
always good humored and had a strong sense of humor which, combined 
with a kindly disposition, made him a prime favorite with his friends and 
acquaintances. He was a great reader, an expert accountant, possessed a 
strong memon- and was a S Shakespearean scholar, quoting frum Shakespeare 
while lying on his couch awaiting the last summons, and also quoting the 
Twentv-first Psalm on his last day on earth. He served the city as a mem- 
ber of the city council and was president of the school board for a term, being 
of material assistance in handling their financial affairs, because of his genius 
in this direction. 



JAMES EMERY PENNINGTON. 

The Western Adi-ocate, Mankato, Kan., in an issue of July, 1899, has 
this to say in part regarding one of the most remarkable family reunions ever 
held in Kansas or anywhere in the countn,': "Without doubt the most re- 
markable family reunion ever held in Jewell county has been for the past week 
at Burr Oak and among the various members of the family in that vicinity. 
It is the reunion of the eleven children, together with many of the sixty-four 
grand children of the late James Pennington and Susan \\'isdom Pennington. 
The Pennington family is a Southern family, the elder Pennington being a 
native of Tennessee, and his wife of Xorth Carolina. All of the eleven chil- 
dren, however, with the exception of the oldest son, were born and raised in 
Missouri. The Pennington ' family is remarkable in that iJiere were just 



412 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

eleven children and they are all living and enjoying- good liealth. although the 
youngest is now fifty years of age, the eldest being a little past seventy. These 
family reunions, which are an annual event, prove that the family tree, nour- 
ished by the good old warm Southern blood, is still bearing the fruits of hos- 
pitality and good cheer. Once a year they get together, parents, children and 
grand children, and the ties of family, of kinship, and affection are drawn a 
little closer. Hearts are cheered, lives are brightened and days are length- 
ened." Speaking of the gathering on Saturday of the reunion week, the 
Western Advocate goes on to say : "On this day a company of one hundred 
gathered around the banquet board, and the eleven brothers and sisters were 
weighed and their combined weight found to be 1.832 pounds, an average of 
166 pounds each." 

The father of this remarkable family was James Pennington, a native of 
Tennessee, born in that State in 1822, and was there married to Susan Wis- 
dom. They migrated to Missouri in the early thirties and settled in Nodaway 
county, developing a fine farm until the discovery of gold in California. James 
then set out across the plains and mountains to the gold fields of the New El- 
dorado in quest of fortune. W'hile in California he became a freighter and 
transported flour and provisions to tlie mining camps afoot. He- would carry 
a fifty pound sack of flour a distance of sixteen miles and was paid at the rate 
of $50 per sack for transportation, the flour costing $50 per sack at the point 
of purchase and being valued at $100 when it was taken to its destination by 
the carrier. James, Sr., remained in California until 1851 and then returned 
to his home and family in Missouri, where he lived the remainder of his days, 
dying- in 1878, in Platte county. James and Susan Pennington were the 
parents of eleven children as follows: William W'.. born in 1837, died Feb- 
ruary, 1913, at Lebanon, Kan. ; John Thomas, California, born in 1839; Mrs. 
Telitha Thorp, Marysville. Mo., born in 1841 ; Mrs. Julia Deiiney, Benedict, 
Kan., born in 1842; Mrs. Clementine Conner, Santa Ana, Cal., born in 
1844, a widow; Mrs. Nancy Miller, California. l)orn in 1845, a widow; James 
Emery, with whom this review is directly concerned; Mrs. Sarali Robertson, 
Elk City, Okla., born in 1849; Mrs. Mary Robertson, Burr Oak. Kan., born 
in 1853; Mrs. Cynthia Jane Judy, Burr Oak, born in 1855; Mrs. Rocksinah 
Graves, Burr Oak, Kan., born in 1857. 

James Emery Pennington, retired farmer of Potter, Kan., was born on a 
farm in Nodaway county, Missouri, October 30, 1847. He was reared on 
the farm in Missouri until seventeen years of age, and he then left home and 
crossed the plains. The occasion of his going was because of the fact that 
two brothers and tliree brothers-in-law had alreadv enlisted in the I'nion armv 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 413 

for service in the Civil war, and the fatlier feU tliat he conld not spare his 
son, James E.. so it was agreed between father and son that the boy should go 
west for a time. He made his way across the Missouri to Ft. Leavenworth 
and there joined an overland freight train which was bound for Salt Lake 
City, L'tah. At that time all the freight and merchandise west of the Mis- 
souri river was transported in wagons, drawn liy horses, mules or oxen. 
These wagons were loaded with from six to twelve thousand pounds of mer- 
chandise and were drawn by teams ranging in numbers from twelve to twenty- 
four animals. From twenty to forty men, wagons and teams constituted 
what was then known as a "freight train." The train to which young Pen- 
nington attached himself consisted of forty wagons, forty teamsters, two 
wagon masters, four assistants, two night herders, and two extras, in all, fifty 
men, four hundred and ninety oxen and a few horses for herding purposes. 
Being a farmer boy and having a working knowledge of animals, young 
Pennington soon made himself indispensable to the outfit and received the 
name of "Our Boy" from the other men in charge of the train. The train 
proceeded its long way over the plains of Kansas and followed the valley of 
the South Platte to the Rockies without mishap, other than a few Indian skirm- 
ishes. In October of 1864, "Our Boy" stood on the crest of the Rockies with 
one foot on the Atlantic and one foot on the Pacific slope. \\'inter soon came 
on and stock perished and they arrived at tlieir destination in the dead of 
severe winter. Young Pennington spent the winter in the home of a Mor- 
mon family, consisting of a Mormon and his seven wives. From Utah he 
went north into Idaho and Montana, and in that region took up his favorite 
pursuit of freighting, which he followed for four years. His operations were 
mainly from Ft. Benton, the head of navigation on tlie Missouri river, to 
which point the river steamers carried the freight destined for the mining 
camps of the mountain regions. He, with others, transported the first quartz 
mill to the mining camp, later widely known as Butte City, Mont. He re- 
turned home in 1869 and lived there for three years, coming to Kansas in 
1872. He had saved some capital which he brought with him to Atchison 
county, and invested tliis money in a iierd of cattle which he grazed upon the 
free ranges, in this manner getting his first real start in life, and which was 
the beginning of his later prosperity. After his marriage in 1872 to Elizabeth 
Snoddy, he and his wife settled on the home farm of the Snoddy's, and at the 
end of one year the father of Mrs. Pennington deeded the young couple eighty 
acres of land which became the nucleus of their present acreage. This land 
is four miles east and one-half mile south of Potter, Leavenworth county, 
and the farm has been increased to 320 acres of well improved land. Mr. 



414 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Pennington removed to Potter in the spring of 1916, from the farm in Leav- 
enworth county, and has recently completed a fine, modern, ten-room residence 
which will serve as his future domicile during the remainder of his davs. 

James E. Pennington was married Fehruary i. 1872, to Elizabeth, daugh- 
ter of Thomas and Margaret (Brown) Snoddy, the former a native of Tennes- 
see, and the latter a native of Missouri. Thomas Snoddy first came to Kan- 
sas in 1854, and preempted the farm which he improved and where Ins children 
were reared. He was a Mexican war veteran and the Govcnnncnt gave him 
for his ser\nces a grant of land in northwestern Missouri, which he sold for 
$1,600, and wiili the proceeds of the sale built his home on his preemption in 
Kansas. The upper part of the house was used as headquarters for the 
Kickapuo ]\Iasonic lodge for many years. Thomas Sn<idd\' was Iwrn August 
27, 1825. and died October 8. 1909. His remains were interred in the 
Round Prairie cemetery. A remarkable fact about the Snoddx' house is, that 
the roof existed without repairs for over fifty-five years and at the time of its 
repair by Mr. Pennington, the excellence of the material which went into the 
building of the house excited newspaper comment. Mrs. P^ennington was 
born on September 25, 1856. and lived her wlmle life on the farm wliicli her 
father preempted. 

The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. James Emery Penning- 
ton : Rebecca, wife of William Ehart. of Atchison county, Kansas; Bessena, 
wife of Joseph James, of Atchison county, a farmer and horse and mule 
dealer; Roxie, wife of John Goff, of Potter, Kan., a thresher and farmer; 
Thomas \V., living on the home farm; Frank 1'., a lumber merchant, of Burr 
Oak, Kan., who was associated with liis father in tlie grain business in Potter, 
in 1906; George, a farmer living in Leavenwortli county: Mamie, a student 
in the Potter High School. 

]\Ir. Pennington, with others in his neighborliood. organized and placed 
in operation the Farmers' Elevator Company, of which he was president. 
This concern built the Potter grain elevator and later sold it to H. A. Ode. 
He has long been identified with the Democratic -party, but lias never sought 
political preferment of any kind. At the time of the organization of the Pot- 
ter High School district, Mr. I'ennington was one of the prime movers in the 
building of the new high school building. Perhaps the best known trait of 
this grand old pioneer is liis inherent liospitality, wliich has made him famous 
and one of the best loved men in his section of the State. Concerning a great 
Christmas celebration held at the Pennington home in 191 [, llie Atchison 
Globe, of December 27, 191 1, saj's: 

"J- E. Penninglcjn, a well known farmer of the Round Prairie neighbor- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 415 

liood, south of town, always provides a Wig entertaiiimeni fur his immediate 
friends and relatives ever\- Christmas, and spares no pains or expense to make 
these annual affairs highly enjoyahle. Idie late holiday was no exception to 
the rule. On ilonda}- quite a crowd oathered at Mr. Pennington's home, as 
usual, and spent a day of merrinicnl. .\ big Christmas tree loaded with al- 
most everything conceivable in the way of holiday gifts, was provided by Mr. 
Pennington ; a big dinner was also served, and in the afternoon the men in- 
dulged in a hunt. A long wire was stretched across a field, with a horse 
hitched to each end of it. The wire was thus dragged across the field and in 
this manner all of the rabbits were scared up. The men followed behind the 
wire and shot the rabbits as they jumped out. hour jack rabbits were scared 
up and one of them killed ; also many cottontails. It is said that Mr. Penning- 
ton expended nearly $200 on this affair. He is a very prosperous farmer and 
is noted for his hospitality." 



DR. EARL A. GILMORE. 



Dr. Earl A. Gilmore, veterinary surgeon, of Effmgham, Kan., was born 
September 27, 1887, at Ames, Iowa, a son of W'illiam J. and Jerusha' (Nor- 
ton) Gilmore. His father was born in 1850, in New "S'ork State, and when 
an infant accompanied his father, George Gilmore. to Iowa. His mother 
was born at Zearing, Iowa, November 10, 1855. and died March 7, 1898. 
William J. was reared on the pioneer farm in Iowa, and was able when a 
young man to take advantage of the opportunity to amass wealth in the new 
and rich State, which was being developed during his day and lifetime. He 
was married September 5, 1869. He became one of Iowa's most prosperous 
farmers, and in his later days, when he retired from active farm work, he 
traveled extensively throughout the country, visiting many points in the West, 
and the Philippine Islands. On February i, 191 5, while aboard a Missouri 
Pacific train en route to Kansas City, the train was wrecked, and he was 
injured to such an extent that he was laid up in the hospital at Kansas City 
for several weeks, and then returned to his home at Ames. Iowa. There 
were ten children in the Gilmore family : Mrs. Uretta Stevens, of Star City, 
Mich. ; Mrs. Maria Pellersells, of Grand Rapids, Wis. : Maines Gilmore, now 
in Alaska ; Charles, of Greeley, Colo. ; George, living in Iowa ; William, a 
college professor at Winnipeg, Canada; Earl A., the subject of this review; 
Mrs. Eva Burton, of Ames, Iowa; Ella, deceased; one child died in infancy. 
The mother of these children was a daughter of Isaac Gilmore, a native of 



4l6 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Ireland. The Gilmore family is also of Irish descent, all four of Dr. Gil- 
more's grandparents having emigrated from the Emerald isle. 

Earl A. Gilmore was educated in the Nevada (Iowa) High School, and 
studied at Drake University for one year; the Iowa State College at Ames 
for two and one-half years; then studied for two years in the Kansas City 
Veterinary College, graduating April i6, 1912. His funds being exhausted, 
when he decided to become a veterinary surgeon, he found it necessary- to 
work his way through his final college course, by doing reportorial work 
on the staff of the Kansas City Star. Upon his graduation he immediately 
located in Effingham and has built up an extensive practice in his profession, 
covering a territor}' of twelve miles, north and south, and nine miles, east 
and west. 

Dr. Gilmore is a member of the Missouri Valley Veterinary Association, 
and the National veterinary fraternity, the Kansas City chapter of the Delta 
Alpha Psi. He is a Republican in politics and is fraternallv affiliated with 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge and the Knights and Ladies of 
Security. Dr. Gilmore takes a keen and active interest in the civic welfare of 
Effingham and is usually found in the forefront of undertakings which are 
intended to promote the best interests of the city. 



ALFRED JONATHAN HARWI. 

In writing the history of a city and county such as Atchison, the reviewer 
very naturally finds that among the large number of men who have had much 
to do with the up-building of the community, and who can be counted among 
the really successful men of the period covered, there are few who stand out 
preeminently among their fellows, and whose individuality looms far above 
the average, and who are noted not only for their individual accomplishments 
on their own behalf, but who have performed deeds which have endeared 
their memory to posterity for generations to come. In this respect we must 
consider the late Alfred Jonathan Hanvi. founder of the great A. J. Harwi 
Hardware Company, millionaire, statesman, and philanthropist, of Atchison. 
Mr. Harwi will long be remembered as one of the leading figures in the busi- 
ness world of Atchison. He was a pioneer in the establishment of the great 
wholesale houses which have made Atchison famous over the western country. 
Beginning his career a poor man, endowed with financial and business ability 
of a high order, blessed with a keen foresight into the future, having con- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 417 

fidence in the ultimate development of the countn^^ tireless and industrious in 
all his undertakings, he achieved a truly remarkable success, and through it 
all he was a man among men, who never lost the respect and regard of his 
fellow men because of his great success in the realms of business and finance. 

Alfred Jonathan Harwi was born at Ritterville, Lehigh county, Pennsyl- 
vania. Januarv 21, 1847, the eldest of four sons, born to Michael and Lucretia 
Harwi. One of the children died in infancy, and the others, Edwin C. and 
W. H., followed Alfred J. to Atcliison and became associated with him in the 
hardware business which he had established. Edwin C. died September 4, 
1903. and W'ilsnn H. Harwi died May 30. 191 1. A sister died in Pennsyl- 
vania when hut a cliild. Micliael Harwi followed the trade of carpenter in 
heavy cunstruction work during his life, and was engaged in the Iniilding of 
canal locks in the days when tlie construction of internal waterways was in 
vogue. He was also a farmer, and at the time of iiis death was engaged in 
quarying and contracting for slate. His sons having all come to the West, he 
made preparations to join them here in Atchison, but on the point of his de- 
parture on October 8, 18S2, lie was taken ill and died. His widow. Lucretia 
Harwi. then came to Atchison and resided here with lier children until her 
demise, in November. 1904. 

A. J. Harwi received his education in the schools of his native State, 
attending the district school of his neighborhood until ten years of age, then 
becoming a student at a Moravian school in Bethlehem, which was located 
four miles from his home and required him to walk the distance across a 
mountain both morning and evening. After spending two years in diligent 
study in this institution he entered a general store at Bethlehem for the pur- 
pose of acquiring business experience. However, while learning the art of 
barter and trade over the counters of the general store he did not neglect the 
cultivation of his mind. He read, listened and learned, and in his spare time 
continued his studies until his mind was broadened and he became a man of 
advanced tliought, learnefl to read and judge his fellow men. and acquire 
?. refinement and polish which in later years assisted him' in his undertakings 
and enabled him to command the respect of his fellows. His ambition was to 
eventually engage in business for himself, and he saved his money to this end, 
and in 1868, when he was twenty-one j'ears of age, he became a partner in the 
furniture business with J. B. Zimmele, but sold out two years later and heark- 
ened to the advice of Horace Greeley, who said : "Go west, young man, go 
west, and grow up with the country." AYhile at Bethlehem Mr. Harwi mar- 
ried Cora Wheeler, with whose father he became associated in the hardware 
and implement business at Butler, Mo. When this partnership was dissolved 

27 



4l8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

a few years later, Mr. Harwi went to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and for a few 
months was a clerk in a hardware store. In the year 1875 ^^ came to Atchi- 
son equipped with considerable commercial experience, but having little cap- 
ital. Hf and C. H. Dearborn began a retail liardware I'.usiness in a small 
way in the building at 408 Commercial street. The concern prospered 
from the start and its success was undoubtedly due to Mr. Harwi's intelligence 
and common-sense business methods and his wonderful capacity for hard and 
unremitting work. This hardware business soon became one of the leading 
local jjusiness enterprises of the rapidly growing city of Atchison. Like 
other men who have been successful in life, Mr. Harwi was visionary, but his 
vision did not take on the dream-like character. It was practical and foresaw 
the inevitable development of the western country and an increased demand 
for all kinds of products as the country became more and more settled. He 
l)elieved in common witli others of the period that Atchison was destined fu 
become the gateway and the distributing jjoint for a large section (^f territory. 
Acting upon this sound, practical belief in the early eighties when the retail 
business had assumed large proportions and necessitated expansion in other 
ways, he conceived the idea of engaging in the jobbing business. He did so, 
and again his wonderful business acumen and ability came into play, with the 
result that the A. J. Harwi Hardware Company is known throughout the 
West and middle West, and has done a noteworthy part in making Atchison 
famous as a wholesale center. The result of its founder's vision and industr}- 
is one of the great wholesale houses of the West, represented by about twenty 
traveling salesmen covering four States, while over fifty local employes are 
engaged to handle the vast amount of office work and the great warehouse 
and shipping details incident to such an important commercial institution as 
the A. J. Harwi Hardware Company has developed into within thirty-five 
years. Their commodious fom^-story office and warehouse building, located 
on the comer of Commercial and Ninth streets, is one of the handsome modern 
business houses of Atchison. One can begin to realize the scope and extent 
of this business when he stops to think that it requires 75,000 feet of floor 
space to afford ample warehouse facilities. In 1889 the A. J. HarAvi Hard- 
ware Company was incorporated with a capital stock of $100,000. 

Mr. Harwi was three times married. His first wife, Cora Wheeler, 
whom he married in Bethlehem, left one daughter, Mrs. E, P. Ripley, of 
Boston. His second marriage was with Eliza1-)eth Whitehead, of Atchison, 
in 1873, to which union two children were born: Mrs. H. P. Shedd, of Ben- 
sonhurst. Long Island, and Frank E., president of the A. J. Harwi Hardware 
Company. The mother of these children died October 14, 1907. Mr. Harwi's 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 4x9 

third marriage occurred June 3, 1909, to Mrs. Mary E. Holland, who sur- 
vives him. Mr. Harwi passed away September 5, 1910. During his later 
years the stress of business and the ceaseless activity which had been his lot 
during life began to tell upon him, and for over twenty-five years prior to his 
demise he was a sufferer from locomotor ataxia. The things which he 
accomplished necessarily demanded that he be a hard and tireless worker, 
but he never spared himself, and at a time when he should have begun to con- 
serve his bodily strength he worked the hardest, with the result that his span 
of life was shortened under what it might have been. 

It is not .alone through the magnificent mercantile concern which Mr 
Harwi conceived and built up that he is known, but he was a public spirited 
gentleman who contributed generously to charitv and philanthropic work. 
Although he accumulated wealth outside of his business to exceed a half mil- 
lion dollars and loaned out considerable money on mortgages, he was never 
known to have taken advantage of a debtor and to foreclose a mortgage. 
Although he was a member of the Congregational church, he was a trustee of 
Midland College, Atchison, and established and endowed the Harwi scholar- 
ship prizes, which have been of inestimable benefit to many young students. 
He was one of the trustees of the Atchison County High School at Effingham, 
and was also a warm advocate of providing well for the education of the 
youth of the community. Mr. Harwi was elected State senator from 
the Atchison district in 1884, but did not allow his duties as legis- 
lator to interfere with his business affairs, it being his custom while the legis- 
lature was in session to spend the day in the legislative halls at Topeka, 
return home and spend the greater part of the night in the supervision of the 
business. His ability as a legislator came naturally into the limelight, and 
there was talk of running him as the party's candidate for governor of the 
State, but this talk met with little encouragement from Mr. Harwi, inasmuch 
as he was \vrnp])e(] u]) heart and soul in the re-organized Harwi Hardware 
Company at the time, the project demanding all of his time and energy. 



FRANK EDWIN HARWI. 



Frank Edwin Harwi, president of the A. J. Harwi Hardware Company, 
is one of Atchison's live young citizens who is following in the footsteps of 
his highly successful father. Mr. Harwi is in charge of the extensive whole- 
sale hardware concern founded and built up by his' father, A. J. Harwi. 



420 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Frank E. Harwi was born October ii, 1884, in Atchison. He received his 
education in the pubhc schools of his native city and in the Andover Prepara- 
tory School at Andover, Mass. He matriculated as a freshman at Yale Uni- 
versity, but was called home by the illness of his father, and he became his 
father's assistant for the ensuing year. In 1905 he entered the sophomore 
class of Kansas University, but gave up his college course in 1906 to enter his 
father' hardware etablishment, and upon his father's demise took over the 
active management of the concern and became president of the A. J. Harwi 
Hardware Company. 

.Mr. f laru i was married September 30, 1908, to Miss Morence Ca'n, 
a daughter of John M. and Lucy Cain. To this union two children have been 
born: Alfred J., born August 22, 1909, and Lucy E., born January 12, 1912. 
John M. Cain, father of Mrs. Harwi, was born July 30, 1839, at Castletown. 
Isle of Man. He was educated in the select schools of liis native island, Icirned 
the carpenter's trade and emigrated from the Isle of Man in 1836, locating in 
Kansas, where he was successively farmer, soldier, merchant and banker. 
He was a volunteer soldier in the compan}' organized by A. S. Speck and Asa 
Barnes, and was accepted for service in 1862. enlisting in Capt. P. H. Mc- 
Namara's company, of which he became sergeant, and upon the organization 
of the regiments of colored troops he was appointed first lieutenant of a com- 
pany in the Eighty-third regiment, colored infantn*-. He was aftenvards com- 
missioned a captain and did splendid service throughout the Civil war. After 
the close of t!ie war he farmed in Atchison county, became a merchant, and 
was connected with the old Atcliison State Bank. He died in 1897. !Mr. 
Cain was married May 15, 1879, to Lucy Neerman, a daughter of Frank and 
Tsaliella fRust) Neerman. The following children were born of this mar- 
riage : Eva, wife of Foster Branson, of River Forest, 111. : Ralph R.. a banker, 
at .\da, Okla. ; Florence, wife of Frank E. Harwi ; John Milton, with the A. J. 
Harwi Hardware Company : ^\"iiliam O.. an attorney in .\tchison. and .\lfred 
Neerman, deceased. 

Mr. Harwi is an independent in politics. He was one of the organizers 
of the Atchison Commercial Club and served as president of this thriving 
organization in 1913, and is at present a member of its board of directors. 
He is a member of tlie board of tnistees of Midland Colle.ge and is a member 
of the Atchison city board of education. He has likewise loeen one of the 
trustees of the .Atchison city hi)S])ital since its estalilisliment. \\Miile tlie 
responsibilities connected with the conduct of the great business establishment 
thrust upon his slioulders at the demise of his father Iiave been such as would 
probably daunt the young man of average ability, Mr. Hanvi has shown that 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 42 I 

he fully measures up to the requirements of his important position in the 
mercantile world and has made a reputation on his own individual account 
as a business head of decided executive ability of a high order. 



JOSEPH TROMPETER. 

\\ hen Joseph Trumpeter dejiarted this life Effingham lost one of its 
best and most- highl_\- respected citizens and his famil\- suffered the lost of a 
kind and industrious husband and father, whose sole ambition in life was to 
provide well for his kindred and those dependent upon him for a livelihood, 
and to accomplish his purpose in the most honorable and upright manner 
possible. To him fell the task nf erecting- the first countv high school build- 
ing in Effingham, and many of the most pretentious dwellings of the city were 
built by him. He was one of the wideh- known and successful contractors 
of the county, whose operations extended over a wide stretch of territory, and 
whose work was always strictly up to a certain high standard and honestly 
perfomied. 

Air. Trompeter was Ijorn June 15, 1857, in Prussia, Germany, and when 
ten years of age he accompanied his parents to America. His father was 
Maurice Trompeter. who settled on a farm in Illinois and who went from Illi- 
nois to Te.xas, but after a short residence in that State returned to Illinois, 
where he passed the remainder of his days. Joseph was reared to young 
manhood in Illinois and there married Hannah Sowers. He also went to 
Te.xas and removed fnim there to Horton, Kan. His father l)ef<ire him was 
a carpenter and Joseph learned his trade and followed it, becoming a con- 
tractor and builder when a young man. He erected several court houses in 
Te.xas, and built several school buildings and church edifices in Kansas. His 
first wife died in Horton, Kan., eight children being born to this union, of 
whom two are living, namely: Mrs. Tina Demmer, of Effingham, l\.an. ; Airs. 
Bertha Wallace, also residing in Effingham. Air. Tr(_)mpeter removed to 
Effingham, and at once engaged in building and contracting on an extensive 
scale. He erected all the buildings on the main street of the town, on the 
north side of the street, running from the Fanners and Merchants Bank build- 
ing to the news])aper office, at the end of the block. Fie also built the greater 
part of the finer residences in ICffinghrun and it is due to his handiwork and 
taste that the city presents such an attractive api)earance to the visitor. In 
the spring of 1912 he and the family moyed to his farm of 160 acres south- 



422 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

east of Effiiii^hani on wliich with his nwn liands A[r. Trumpeter erected a 
handsome farm dwening and fitted it with all modem improvements, adding 
an attractive barn at the same time. He did not live to enjoy the comforts 
of his new home long^, however, as illness brought on i^y overwork, caused him 
to take to his ]>ed and liis demise occurred August 19, 191 5. 

His second marriage was with Louise Richter, on November 8. 1892, at 
Effingham. Four children were born of this marriage, namely: Amelia, 
John. James and Mary, all of whom are at home with tlieir mother. Mrs. 
Trompeter was born in Austria, in 1874, a daughter of Juhn. born September 
2, 1852, and Amelia (Wohletz) Richter, born May 31, 1849. The Richters 
are of German birth and immigrated to America in 1882, first residing in 
Atchison and then coming to Effingham. For twenty-eight \ears Mr. Rich- 
ter was employed in railroad work on the Central Branch of the Missouri 
Pacific railroad. Mr. and Mrs. Richter now make their home with their 
daughter, Mrs. Trompeter, and assist in the farming operations. The Richter 
children are as follows: Mrs. Joseph Trompeter: Domineck. conducting a 
meat market in Effingham: Leapold, li\'ing at Tacoma, \\'ash., also a builder 
and contractor; Mrs. Amelia Hansen, residing in Texas: Mrs. Anna Royer, 
Tacoma, Wash. There are eleven grand cliildren in the Richter family. 

Mr. Trompeter was affiliated with tlie Democratic part}-, but was never 
a seeker after political ])referment. He was a member of the Catholic church, 
and was fraternally connected with the Knights of Columbus and the Modem 
Woodmen. Throughout his life he was an industrious and hardworking citi- 
zen who did his duty as he sa\\- it and lived an upright and honest life. He 
was prominently identified with the civic life of Effingham and was highly 
respected for his many excellent qualities. 



JOSEPH N. ARTHUR. 

Joseph X. Arthur, automobile salesman and garage proprietor, of Ef- 
fingham, Kan., is one of the progressive and enterjjrising business men of 
the second citv of Atchison county. Signal success has attended liis efforts 
during the years he has been a resident of Atchison county. He eml)arked 
in the automobile business and established a garage in Effingham, despite 
the fact that predictions were madti that the venture would not be a success, 
and Mr. Arthur as a result is the recognized pioneer automobile man of 
his part of the county. Since taking the agency for tlie l-'ord cars in 1912, 
he has sold over iialf the total of Ford cars sold in the countv and vicinitv. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 423 

Mr. -Vrthur first started in business in 1910 and established a small garage 
in the rear of his real estate office. His business grew to such an extent 
that larger quarters became necessary, and in 19 13 he erected a large con- 
crete building, forty by eighty feet in extent, in which is incorporated his 
office, display and repair rooms. He employs a skilled mech;inic, assistant 
and driver. Mr. Arthur handles the Dodge Brothers, the Maxwell, and 
Ford automobiles. 

J. N. Arthur was born June 3, 1869, near Corning, .\dams county, Iowa, 
and is a son of John and Martha Arthur, natives of Oh.io. Both parents 
were reared in the old Buckeye State, and were early pioneer settlers in 
Iowa, coming from Bucyrus, Ohio, in 1855, and driving overland via the ox 
team route, with all their movable possessions loaded on wagons en route 
from St. Joseph, Mo., to their destination in Adams county. Iowa. John 
Arthur homesteaded Government land in Adams county and preempted along 
the river where timber and water were plentiful. He prospered as the years 
v.-ent on and the country became more and more settled, and he laecame the 
owner of over 800 acres of excellent Iowa farm lands. He resided in Adams 
county, Iowa, until his demise, in 1907. 

John Arthur settled on the banks of a river for the purpose of having 
timber, fuel and water, three essentials in keeping alive in the then sparsely 
settled countrv in the suulhwestern part of Iowa. He built a log cabin of 
logs hewn from trees chopped down with his own hands and chinked the 
cracks and crevices with mud. \\%en he preempted his first tract of land 
in Iowa he had a yoke of oxen, $10 in money and a favorite bull-dog, things 
which he was fond of telling about as he grew older and more prosperous. 
During his fifty-two years of residence in Iowa he accumulated 800 acres 
of land and had money loaned out to the amount of $10,000. He was the 
father of eleven children, nine of whom grew to maturity, each of whom 
as he married was assisted by the father to settle on a farm <if his own, and 
all have prospered — an enviable record for a pioneer family to make. 

Joseph N., with whom this review is directly concerned, was reared on 
the Iowa farm, and knew something about the hardships of the pioneer days 
in bis boyhood. He attended the district school in his neighliorhood, and 
followed farming until he engaged in the implement business in his home 
county for some years, with a fair degree of success. He left his native 
State in 1904 and came to Effingham, Kan., purchasing 120 acres of land 
about one and one-half miles distant from Effingham in Atchison county. 
One year later he embarked in the real estate business, in partnership with 
B. F. Snyder. This partnership lasted for two years and then Mr. Arthur 



424 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

engaged in the business for liimsclf. He also l)egan to write insurance, and 
was reasonably successful in both the real estate and insurance business. He 
erected a brick building for his office quarters, and. when automobile owners 
multiplied in Effingham and vicinity he foresaw the need of a repair shop 
and established one in the rear of his real estate office. He soon afterward 
rented an abandoned garage and hired a mechanic to do the repair work. 
It was not long until larger quarters became necessary, and he built as told in 
a preceding chapter. In July of 191 5, Mr. Arthur dis]X)sed of his insurance 
business, and has since devoted his energies entirelv to the automobile 
business. 

He was married in 1892 to Lillie M. Ramsey, daughter of Xewton Ram- 
sey, a pioneer settler of Adams county, Iowa, and a Union veteran of the 
Civil war. Four children have blessed this union : Pearl, aged twenty-one 
years; Jennie, aged eighteen years, and a teacher of music, and an accom- 
plished musician ; Le Roy. nine years of age ; Charles, three years old. Three 
children are deceased : Chester A. died at the age of eight years ; Alilton died 
at the age of eighteen months; Blanche died at the age of nine months. 

Mr. Arthur is a Republican in politics, and has identified himself more 
or less with the civic life of his adopted community, and is considered as one 
of Effingham's best boosters and live wires. He is a member of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal churcli, cimtributes to the support of the same, and is affil- 
iated with the Odd Fellows lodge and the Knights and Ladies of Security. 



DOX CARLOS XE\\COMB. 

It is a pleasure for the biographer to write a story of the life of a man 
who has arrived at tiie evening of life and be able to record something really 
worth while for the benefit of posterity. The life annals of a man who ha.s 
succeeded in making a name for himself, achieving a well deserved com- 
petence, and lieen of some use to his community, and has arrived at the time of 
life when he can look back over the vista of the busy years that have passed, 
is interesting to a high degree. In D. C. N^ewcomb, pioneer merchant and 
patriarch, of Atchison, we find embodied that spirit of the West which en- 
abled men to build up this great country and to achieve things of importance 
in the business and civic world. Mr. Newcomb loves his home city, its people 
and prestige and is proud of its standing among the cities of the West. He 
has had no small part in the up-bm'lding of Atchison, and it would have been 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 425 

better in the days gone by if the city had more men hke him to assist its 
growth. Ever ready to contribute to any enterprise which might help the 
growth of the city, his Hberality and boosting prochvities became proverbial, 
and it has oft been a saying of his that Atchison could just as well have been 
a city of fifty or sixty thousand inhabitants as to be its present size. Such 
men as he are of decided benefit to any community. 

D. C. Newcomb, a pioneer merchant of Atchison, perhaps has had as 
much to do with the commercial development of Atchison county for the past 
half century as any other man within its borders. When Mr. Newcomb came 
to Atchison county in 1858 it was a difficult matter to tell wliellier Atchison, 
or its rival town, Sumner, was to be the chief town of the county. Sumner 
w^as a thriving frontier town, but Mr. Newcomb picked Atchison as the win- 
ner and time has demonstrated that his judgment was sound. D. C. New- 
comb was born in \\'ashington county, \^ermont, on Friday, July 13, 1836, 
and is a son of Hosea and Harriet (Bixby) Newcomb, the former a native 
of New Hampshire and the latter a native of Ro.xbury, Mass., born in 1805. 
Hosea Newcomb was born in 1803 and came from a prominent New England 
family of English descent. The Newcomb family was founded in New Eng- 
land in 1635 by Francis Newcomb and his wife, who came from England and 
located in New England at that time. It is recorded that they made the voy- 
age on a sailing vessel named "Planter." Hosea Newcomb, the father of 
D. C, was prominent in the affairs of his native town, Waitsfield, Vt., where 
he remained until 1859, when he came to Kansas, settling at the new town of 
Sumner, now extinct, in Atchison county. He took an active part in the early- 
day development of that promising frontier town and served as postmaster 
there. However, he returned to Vermont in 1873. where he died in 1889, 
at the age of eighty-six, and his wife passed away March 17, 1903, age ninetv- 
seven years, eight months and one day. 

D. C. Newcomb was one of a family of fi\e children and is now the only 
one living, except a sister. Mrs. Lydia M. Shephard, of Minneapolis. A 
brother. Dan J. Newcomb. was a very early .settler in .\ichison county, com- 
ing here some time before D. C. arrived. He was prominent in the organiza- 
tion of Atchison county and was the first register of deeds of ilic countv. 
D. C. serving as his deputy. D. C. Newcomb was reared in the town of 
^^'■aitsfield, Vt.. where he attended the public schools and later was a student 
at Newlniry Seminary. Tn early life he clerked in a store at Johnson. Vt., and 
also clerked for a time in Montpelicr. \'t. Tn 1858 he came to Atchison 
county and first landed at Sumner, but immediately went to Atchison, and, 
although the latter town was also in its early stages of development, the loca- 



426 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUXTV 



tion impressed Mr. Newcomb so favorably that he determined to locate there. 
Soon after coming here he was appointed depnty register of deeds and served 
in that capacity for three years. He then engaged in clerking in a store, and 
in 1864 entered into partnership with Samuel Gard, who had been a fellow 
clerk of his, and they organized the firm of Gard & Newcomb and engaged 
in the mercantile business. 'Their capital was limited, perhaps less than $2,500, 
but they were two industrious young men and had a reputation for honesty 
and square dealing, which was an important asset. Mr. Newcomb went to 
New York and bought a stock of goods valued at about $15,000, mostly on 




Residence of D. C. Newcomb. Atchison. Kan. 



credit, and at the end of the first year they iiad paid for every dollar's worth 
of goods which they had bought in the meantime and had a stock of about 
$15,000 worth on hand. The partnership arrangement continued about four 
years, when Mr. Newcoml) purchased his partner's interest, who desired to 
dispose of his business on account of failing health. Mr. Newcomb continued 
in business alone and conducted the great Newcomb department store, the 
business of which developed far beyond his most fanciful dreams. Mr. New- 
coml) continued in the mercantile business until Tooq, and for vears was the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 427 

leading merchant of Atchison. He sold his business to Ed Lake, who has 
conducted it since 1905. 

Mr. Newcomb has not only been a merchant prince in northeastern Kan- 
sas, but has been identified with the growth and development of Atchison 
from many standpoints. He was one of the organizers of the First National 
Bank and was closely identified with that financial institution for fifteen years. 
He served successively as director, vice-president and president, but when he 
went out of business he disposed of his banking interests. 

Mr. Newcomb was united in marriage in 1866 with Miss Anna E., 
daughter of Capt. George W. Bowman, an early-day steamboat captain, but 
later engaged in the mercantile business at Atchison. He was a native of 
Brownsville, Pa. To Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb have been born two children : 
Hattie May, now the wife of Maj. Harry A. Smith, U. S. A., a graduate of 
West Point Military Academy. During the Spanish-American war he held 
the rank of major in the Twenty-first regiment, Kansas infantry, and is now 
major in the Twenty-eightli regiment. United States infantry, doing (hitv mi 
the Mexican border. To Major Smith and wife have been born two children : 
Newcomb, a cadet in the United Stales Military Academy, West Point, X. 'S'., 
and William .\., a graduate of Shattick's school, Fairibault. Minn., now a 
student in the University of Minnesota. George Edgar, the youngest child 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb, born March 19, 1869, died March 25, 1909, 
aged forty years. He was married in October, 1895, to Miss Dorothy Jones, 
a native of Wisconsin, and three children were bom to this union : Clara 
Forest, D. C., and Charles Jones. Mr. Newcomb has been a life-long Repub- 
lican and has always supported the policies and principles of that party. He 
has had many flattering inducements to enter politics, but has refused to ac- 
cept, preferring to follow his commercial career in which he has been so suc- 
cessful. Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
church, and for years have been active in the work of their congregation and 
both have lived exemplary Christian lives. Mr. Newcomb has held every of- 
fice within the gift of the church, all of which have come to him without 
solicitation. In fact, every preferment has come to him unsolicited. Tn 1896 
and 1900 he was elected a lay delegate to the general conference of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church held at Omnha in 1896 and Chicago in 1901. 



WILSON R. SMITH. 
Wilson R. Smith, of the fimi of Snyder, Smith ^ Company, Effingham, 
Kan., is an admirable type of a successful business man who has lieen a res- 
ident of Effingham for the past six years, and has so identified himself with 



428 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the life of the community that it seems to the average citizen that }ilr. Smith 
has been a resident of the city and county all of his natural life. The firm, 
of which he is an active memlier, handles hardware, implements, grain, coal 
and feed, and is composed of G. M. Snyder, \\'. R. Smith and U. B. Sharp- 
less, present county treasurer. This firm was organized in February of 
19 1 5 and took over the business of Sharpless & Snyder. The concern also 
operates a grain elevator of 10,000 bushel capacity, and has two large ware- 
houses and coal-yards, in addition to the business room on Main street. 

Mr. Smith is a Virginian by birth, and was born at Salt Sulphur Springs, 
Monroe county, W. Va., on April 28, 1856. He is a son of Granville and 
Caroline (Clark ) Smith, both of whom were born and reared in \'irginia, and 
were descended from colonial ancestors. A direct ancestor of Wilson R. was 
the first settled in Monroe county, and headed a long line of tillers of the 
soil, the parents of Wilson R. li\'ing on their fann in Virginia until their 
deaths. 

Wilson R. left his ancestral home in Virginia in April of 1884 and 
journeyed to the town of Craig, Holt county. Missouri, purchasing a farm in 
the neighborhood of Mounty City, which he culti\ated with considerable 
success for ten years, and then engaged in the grain and stock business for 
a period of nine years. He resided in Holt county until 1909 and then came 
to Effingham, Kan. His first venture here was in the grain and elevator 
business, which he conducted for a period of four years, and then sold out 
to the Farmers' Elevator Company. In February of 1015. he purchased an 
interest in the business in which he is now engaged. Continuous success has 
followed Mr. Smith's efforts, and practically every luisiness venture in 
which he has embarked has proved to be uniformly successful. His methods 
of transacting business are above reproach and are such as to commend him 
to the public in general. 

He was married in 1885 to Mrs. Celia C. Zachary. a widow, who was 
the mother of one child, Edith Belle, by a former marriage. Two children 
have blessed this marriage: Alberta, wife of Ross Meador, li\ing on a farm, 
five miles southwest of Effingham; Jennie, wife of C. A. Hawk, residing 
three miles north of Effingham on a farm. 

Mr. Smith is a stanch Republican in his political affiliations, and is a 
member of the Modern Woodmen and the Brotherhood of .\merican Yeo- 
man. He is one of Effingham's substantial and enterprising citizens, who 
is ever ready to assist his adopted community to lietter the conditions of 
things in general and readily lends a hand when needed to assist the growth 
and well Ijeing of the city. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 429 

GEORGE E. HEXDEE. 

Mr. Hendee is an automobile salesman, machinist and garage proprietor, 
is one of Atchison's hustling business men who has made good in the auto- 
mobile business. Seven years in the motor industry in Atchison has s.een him 
advance in his chosen wurk until he now owns the largest and l)est equipped 
garage in the city, and has a plant including equipment and cars in stock valued 
at over $15,000. Mr. Hendee is salesman for the Regal, Chalmers and 
the White automobiles. 

He was born on a farm in Lancaster county, Nebraska, July 31, 1872, 
being a son of George and Loretta (Kistler) Hendee, who were the parents 
of five children : William, deceased : ^Irs. ^largaret Bennethy, of Logansport, 
Ind. ; George E. ; Delbert, of Logansport, Ind., and Leona, at home with her 
parents. George Hendee, Sr., was born in Canada, in 1846, removing from 
his native country to Indiana with his parents when a boy. He was reared 
to young manhood in Indiana and served as a soldier in Company G, Twenty- 
first regiment, Indiana infantry, until the close of the war, in 1865. After 
the Civil war he migrated to Lancaster county, Nebraska, and homesteaded 
on 160 acres of Government land. He built up a splendid farm 
from the raw and unbroken prairie and prospered as he desen'ed, living on 
his acreage until 1891, at which time he started a general store at Panama, 
Neb. He retired from active pursuits in 1898 and moved to Royal Center, 
Ind., where he is now li\ing. The Hendee family is of French origin, and 
the founders of the family first settled in the Dominion of Canada. The 
mother of George E. was born in Pennsylvania in 1842, a daughter of Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch parents. 

He of whom this review is written was reared on the Nebraska farm and 
received his elementary schooling at Panama and York, that State. Early in 
life he displayed an aptitude for machinery and determined to fit himself 
to become an expert machinist. Accordingly, in 1895, he enrolled as student 
in the State L'niversity at Lawrence, and pursued the machinist's course, hav- 
ing previously studied electrical engineering at York, Neb. When thirteen 
years of age, George started out to make his own way, educate himself and 
at the same time earn his living. While a student in the York Technical 
School, he worked nights in the electric light plant. For a period of three 
years he was a fireman on the Chicago, P>urlington & Ouincy railroad and the 
Santa Fe System, being promoted to the post of railway engineer while in the 
employ of the latter system. He was then employed by the General Electric 
Company, of Chicago, in the installation of and erecting mining machinery. 



430 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

his duties requiring him to travel in the South for over a year. He was em- 
ployed by the Chalmers company for one year erecting heavy engines, and was 
employed as engineer of the Pearsons' Flouring Mills at Lawrence, Kan., for 
seven years. For a time he sen'ed as master mechanic at the Leavenworth 
coal shaft on the Government grounds at Leavenworth, Kan. In the year 
1901 he built and operated a machine shop at Cripple Creek, Colo., but his 
plant was destroyed by fire in 1902. He then moved to Grand Junction, Colo., 
where he worked in the oil fields and .was round house foreman for the rail- 
roads in that city until he resigned his position and located in Denver, Colo., 
where he worked as a machinist in the Missouri Pacific shops until he took 
employment as engineer on the Colorado & Southern railway. After this 
he was employed as a machinist in the shops of the Santa Ve railroad. Imt 
resigned this place to become foreman in the plant of the Locomotive 
Finished Material Foundry in Atchison. Following this he was chief engi- 
neer for tlie P>lair Milling Company, resigning to take employment as an ex- 
pert machinist with the Atchison Motor Company until 190S. In that year 
he engaged in business, and has made a name for liimself in the motor and 
business world of Atchison. Mr. Hendee is looked upon as one of the rising 
and successful young business nien of Atchisim, and justly deserves all of 
the success which has come to him. 

His marriage with Laura Hall, of Lawrence, Kan., occurred in 1902 and 
gave him a faithful helpmate who has assisted him in every way to achieve liis 
present success. Two children were bom of this marriage, Velva and Ken- 
neth, both deceased. Mrs. Hendee was born in .\ugust, 1879, in Wisconsin, 
a daughter of John and Nettie (Crow) Hall. nati\-es of Wiscmsin. Slie is 
a well educated ladv and is a graduate of tlie college at Piurlington, Kan. Mr. 
Hendee is an independent in political affairs, and is fraternally allied with 
the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Independent Order of Odd Ixdlrnvs, 
and the Modem Woodmen of America. 



WILLIAM D. KISTL[^.R. 



\\'illiam D. Kistler, prosperous farmer of Shannon township, is descend- 
ant of good old Pennsylvania Dutch stock, and has lived in Atchison county 
for thirty-six years. He came to tiiis county from his ancestral home in 
Pennsylvania, in moderate circumstances, if not actua]l\ ;i ])oor ni;ui, ;uul tlur- 
ing that time has accumulated a fine fann of 200 acres which ranks 
among the best and most productive farms of the county. The little shack 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 43 1 

in which he and his faniil}- lived when the}- first came tn Ivansas has been 
superseded Iiy a handsome and comfortalile residence and great sliade trees 
have grown up around it. The modest "eighty" in which Mr. Kistler invested 
all of his small capital on his arrival here has grown steadily with substantial 
additions from time to time as lie was enabled to purchase adjoining tracts. A 
large red barn alike shows evidence of thrift and good management on the 
part of the proprietor. 

W. D. Kistler was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, December 5, 
1853, a son of Xathan J. and Catharine ( Dietrich) Kistler, both of whom were 
born in the adjoining comUy near Lehigh county. Xathan J. Kistler was 
born April 6, 181 1, and died September 11. 1878. He was a son of Jacob 
S., who was a son of Samuel Kistler, whose father, John George Kistler, emi- 
grated with his wife, Dorothia, from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania 
early in the eighteenth century, arriving in Philadelphia Octoljer 5, 1737. 
Nathan J. Kistler was a captain of State militia and died at the old home in 
Lehigh county. Two brothers of W. D. and a sister out of a iamily of nine 
children settled in the West. After his public school training Mr. Kistler 
attended the Kutztown, Pennsyb.'inia, Normal School and ])repared himself 
for the teaching profession. He taught school in his native State for four 
years, after which he clerked in a general store for four years, previous to 
migrating to Kansas. He left the old home in Pennsylvania in 1879 and 
came to Atchison county, Kansas, investing in an eighty-acre tract in Shannon 
township which he graduallv improved. The small house which he first 
erected was gradually enlarged as the needs of his family demanded more 
room and his means permitted. In 1883 he erected the present handsome 
home, which is one of the most attractive places in the township. Mr. Kistler 
raises cattle, horses and hogs and feeds his grain products to the live stock on 
his farm, thus managing to keep up the fertility of his acres and being able 
to market his farm prorkicts in the most profitable manner. 

He was married in 1876 to Ellen Brobst, who was born in Lehigh county, 
Pennsylvania, in 1853, a daughter of Daniel and Lydia (Kimken) Brobst, of 
Lehigh county, and whose ancestry came from Germany. The)- are the par- 
ents of five children : Mrs. Alice Bunnell, of Lancaster township, this county : 
Anna, wife of Samuel Du Bois, also of Shannon township; Calvin, a farmer, 
residing at the Du Bois home, and assisting in the management of the farm ; 
Bertha, wife of James Dooley, residing in Shannon township; William, at 
home, married Catharine W'olters. 

Mr. Kistler is a Republican in politics, but he has never been an office 



432 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

seeker, or sought preferment at the hands of his fellow citizens. He is 
affiliated with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He and the members 
of his family stand well among their neighbors and are highly esteemed by all 
who know them. 



ANDREW KEITHLIXE. 



The late Andrew Keithline enjoyed the distinction of being one of the 
oldest, if not the oldest living pioneer resident of Atchison. Fifty-six years of 
his four score and se\en years of life were spent in Atchison and vicinity. In 
the fulness of his years, and satisfied in the reflections concerning a long and 
useful Iif« well spent he lived a quiet, retired life in his comfortable home at 
1 121 Santa Fe street until the Death Angel called him. He loved to meet 
his many friends and speak reminiscently of the days when Atchison was in 
the embryo stage, and of the stirring scenes during the da\s when Kansas was 
in the throes of becoming an integral part of the great American Union. He 
was one of the citx's grand old men who was universally loved and respected 
by all who knew him. He came of that sturdy Pennsylvania German stock, 
noted the country over for their sterling qualities of endurance and the ability 
to do their share in the transformation of a wilderness to a land of homes 
and plenty. 

Andrew Keithline was born on a farm in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, a 
son of John and Mar\- (Xeyhart) Keithline. The first Keithline to come to 
America was Colonel Keithline, who figures ])rominentlv in Rcv<ilutionarv an- 
nals and who accompanied liaron De Kali: t<i this country in 1775. Andrew 
Keithline's grandfather, Joseph Keithline, was liorn in Xorthhampton county, 
Pennsylvania, served in the War of 18 12, and died in 1850. He was a tailor by 
trade and contracted to make buckskin breeches for the Ciovernment, to be worn 
by the soldiers during the war. Josei)li's children wore buckskin breeches 
made by their father. John Keithline, the father of Andrew, operated a 
wagon shop which also served as the family residence for some years, in fact, 
Andrew was born in his father's wagon shop. He pro.spered, in the course of 
time, and came west in 1863 and invested in eighty acres of land, south of 
.Atchison and later owned 320 acres west of .\tchison on the Parallel road. 
This tract was partly fenced at the lime of purchase and cost John Keithline 
$25 per acre. He made his home tlicreon and was joined by his family in 
1864. The mother of Andrew died in 1865 and John returned to the old 
home in Pennsvlvania where he died in 1868. Xine children were born to 




/ y\a^L_ 






HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 433 

John Keithline and wile : Samuel, Catliarine, Andrew, Julia, Sarah, Priscilla, 
John, Peter and Maiy E. Of these, Samuel, Sarah and Andrew came to 
Atchison county. 

Andrew left the parental home in December of 1857, and went to Michi- 
gan, remaining until 1859, when he came to Atchison, where he resided until 
the fall of 1864. His first employment was with the firm of Walters & Ros- 
well, who conducted a general store and wanted a clerk familiar with the Ger- 
man tongue. For the two years previous to his locating in Atchison he con- 
ducted a cooperative store in Michigan. His first trip to the Far West was 
taken in i860, when he went to Denver and disposed of a stock of goods for 
his firm. He made another trip across the plains later than this. In 1864 
he was called out with the Kansas State militia to repel the Price invasion. 
On October 31, 1864, he moved to his farm west of Atchison, and remained 
there tilling his acreage until September i, 1898, and made his permanent 
home in Atchison until his death. His fine farm consisted originally of 220 
acres and when he removed to Atchison he still owned 190 acres of the origi- 
nal farm. Mr. Keithline bought a handsome brick residence on Santa Fe 
street and b\' wise investments and carefuUv husbanding his resources accu- 
mulated a comfortable competence for the support of his decliinng years. He 
was considered a well-to-do citizen. He was married on No\ember 5, 1854, to 
Rose Varner, born in 1832 in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of 
George Varner, whose father was a soldier in the Revolution. Two children 
w-ere born to this well respected couple, namely: Gilbert, born in 1855, died 
in Jackson county in the spring of 1915. He was the father of seven children, 
Herschell, Sydney, Rose, Emma, Mary, Andrew and l^aura. Mrs. Cora 
Warters, a daughter of Mr. Keithline, lives in Atchison. She is the mother 
of four children: Bessie, Andrew, Cora Willis and Lorene. 

Mr. Keithline was one of the original Free State men of Kansas, and 
was indued to come here by the fact that men in favor of making Kansas.a free 
State were needed in the Territory. He consistently espoused the principles 
of the Republican party, taking an active part in politics during his younger 
days and served for two years as justice of the peace. One of the bright spots 
in his memory of bygone days was his warm iViendship for Senator John J. 
Ingalls, which friendship was reciprocated by the illustrious senator. He al- 
ways adhered to the Lutheran religious tlenominalion. which was the faith 
of his fathers. The evening of life must come to us all and happy is the man 
who can calmly wait for the last call to summon him to his just reward in the 
world to come, at peace with all niankinil mid cared for 1)\- cajiable haiiils; 

28 



434 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

such was the life of this fine old gentleman of whom it has been a pleasure 
to write this brief review. 

Andrew Keithline departed this life December 14, 1915. The end came 
peacefully, as he had wished. The worn-out body of this grand old patriarch 
ceased to be able to hold the immortal soul of one of the grandest and best 
loved men of the early pioneer days of Atchison county. Mr. Keithline was 
a good and honest citizen whose upright and sturdy character will long prove 
an inspiration and guidance for the present and future generations of Kansans 
who niaj-'peruse tliese pages. He was a prominent factor in the building up of 
Atchison county, and was intimate with the great men of his day and genera- 
tion. When his time came and the Angel of Death called him to the long rest 
he was content to go and had no regrets. Death had no terrors for him as 
his life was unspotted and clean, and in keeping with the attributes of the man 
himself. 



ABRAM STEVER. 



Abram Stever, one of the early settlers of Benton township, Atchison 
county, and now deceased, was born November 3. 1837, and departed this 
life on July 2~j, 1881. He was born in Schoharie county. New York, a son 
of Abram and Nancy Stever, both of whom were born and reared in New 
York State, the father being a son of Gemian parents, who were founders 
of the family in this country. Two brothers emigrated from Germany, one 
of whom settled in New York and the other made his home in Ohio. 
Abram was reared to young manhood in his native State and when twenty 
years of age migrated to the new State of Wisconsin, then in process of set- 
tlement. He became a farmer in Walworth county and cleared a home 
from the timber. Five years later he was married, and in 1867 came to 
Kansas, driving his movable possessions across the country, his wife and 
children coming by train to St. Joseph, Mo., where they crossed the Mis- 
souri river by ferry. The first location of the family was in Brown county, 
Kansas, where they lived until 1874 and then came to Atchison county, where 
Mr. Stever purchased 160 acres of wild prairie land in Benton township, 
i)ne and three-fourths miles northwest of Effingham. He improved his farm, 
erected a good home and beautified the premises with fine shade trees and 
shrubber)^ After his demise in 1881, Mrs. Stever made her home on the 
farm until 1893, when she removed to Effingham, and has since resided 



I 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 435 

here, with the exception of a few years' residence in Mankato, Jewell county, 
Kansas, with her daughter, maintaining a permanent home in Effingham. 
Abram Stever was married December 24, 1862, to Sarah Elecia Bailey, 
of Walworth county, Wisconsin. To this union have been born the fol- 
lowing children: Leona May, died at the age of fifteen years; Jennie Bailey, 
died at the age of thirteen ; Joseph Warren, died when twenty-two years old ; 
Arthur Carlton, a clothing merchant at Wetmore, Kan., who married Maud 
Hawk, of Effingham, and they have one daughter, Leona May: Carrie 
Adella Stever, at home with her mother, a graduate of the county high 
school, and taught for seven years in the Effingham schools, and is a special- 
ist in music, having graduated from Bethany Conservatory at Lindsborg, 
Kan., in 1906. She pursued a post-graduate course at Lindsborg during 
winter vacation, and studied during one winter under William H. Sher- 
wood, America's greatest pianist. She was for five years a successful teacher 
of music at Mankato, Kan. Returning to Effingham in 1911, she became mu- 
sic director in the Atchison County High School, but resigned to take up studio 
work entirely: Ray Howard, conducting a suitatorium at Frankfort, Kan., 
married Inez McFarlan ; Ralph Roy Stever, a teamster at Nevada, Mo., mar- 
ried Treva Spell, and has had four children : Lloyd Orr, \\'arren Clayton, 
Ralph Vern, Lola Esther, deceased ; Ernest Clayton, a graduate of the 
county high school, proprietor of a suitatorium at IMacon, Mo., married 
Charlotte Henderson, and has one child, Roy Estell ; Frank Abram Stever, 
county high school graduate, located on the family estate in Benton town- 
ship, married Daisy McFarlan, and is the father of three children ; Coral 
Xadine, Geneva Fa\-, and Mildred Lorene. Mrs. Stever was born January 
10, 1843, on a farm in Walworth county, Wisconsin, a daughter of Joseph 
and Sarah (Perry) Bailey, natives of Maryland and Dundee, III, respec- 
tively. An uncle, Amos Bailey, was one of the first surveyors in the city 
of Chicago, and run the first line in what is now the city. Joseph Bailey 
was one of the first settlers in Walworth county, Wisconsin, at a time when 
there were very few people in the State and neighbors were twelve miles 
distant from one another. It was a common custom for a number of settlers 
to band together and market their produce together in the citv of Chicago. 
Amos Bailey was the owner of several sections of land near Lake Geneva, 
Wis., which is now the great millionaires' resort, near Chicago. Joseph 
Bailey was twice married, his second wife being Mary Catharine Sipperly. 
It is also worth recording that a brother of Abram Stever, named Wash- 
ington Stever, was a soldier in the Union army and fought in the Army of 
the Potomac from the beginning to the end of the war. At the time of Mr. 



436 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Stever's death, tlie oldest son was onh- thirteen years of age, and Mrs. Stever 
was left \\ith a large family, the youngest of whom was six months old. 
Aljram Stever was a Republican in his political affiliations, but will best 
be remembered for his activity in behalf of the organization of the Pres- 
i)yterian church in Effingham. He was one of three men who raised the 
fund to ])ay for the building of the First Presbyterian Church erected in 
Effingham, and was a deacon and trustee, having been one of the only two 
deacons ever installed in the early church. He was active in church work 
during his entire life and was a thorougldy honest, religious gentleman, who 
carried his belief into his daily life and in all his undertakings. He was 
a good husband, a kind parent and an excellent citizen, and loved by every- 
one who knew him. 



REV. Z. S. HASTINGS. 



Few pioneer citizens of Atchison C( unity have lived more useful or 
cleaner lives tlian Rev. Z. S. Hastings, retired minister and farmer, of Ef- 
fingham. Kan. During his nearly fifty years of residence in Kansas as a 
farmer, educator, preacher, and statesman, he has worked continually for the 
well-being of his neighbors and friends. Without fear of contradiction it can 
be stated that Rev. Hastings has jierformcd a greater number of marriage 
ceremonies and officiated at the funerals of more deceased residents than 
any minister in Atchison county. Des])itc his three score and seventeen 
years this grand old patriarch bears his age lightly and takes an active inter- 
est in the affairs of his community. 

Rev. Z. S. Hastings was born March 15. 1838, on a farm near Bed- 
ford, Lawrence county, Indiana, a son of Howell and Edith (Edwards) Hast- 
ings, natives of North Carolina. On his father's side the family is of Quaker 
origin and a very old one in America. Tlic first Hastings having been a 
follower of W'illiam Penn, came from England to settle in the Quaker col- 
ony in Pennsylvania. A descendant of the first American Hastings, Joshua 
by name, migrated to North Carolina and there founded another branch of 
the family. Here in the Southland, Howell Hastings was reared and married, 
and with his wife and two sons migrated to Indiana to become one of the pio- 
neer settlers of the Hoosier State. He died at his home in Indiana Decem- 
ber 25, 1854, leaving seven children: Joshua Thomas, deceased; William 
Henry, John Arthur, Nancy Elizabeth, deceased; Zachariah Simpson, with 
whom this review is concerned; Cliarlotte Ann, deceased; Rufus Wiley, liv- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 437 

ing in Arkansas. Of tlie foregoing, Joshua Thomris and ^\'illiam Ilcnry 
fought hi the Union army during the late rebeUion of the Southern States ; 
Joshua first fought in the Home Guards of Missouri, ami, returning to 
Indiana he raised a company for service in the war, after fighting under 
General Lyons at the battle of Springfield. He taught school for a time 
in Missouri, but returned to Incliaiia. He died in Kentucky. U'illiam Heniy 
enlisted in a Missouri regiment. 

Z. S. Hastings was educated in the common schools of his native State, 
studied in Indianapolis, and also pursued a course at Hiram College, in 
preparation for the Christian ministry. In 1857 he went to ^Missouri and 
taught school for five years, studying in the meantime while teaching. In 
1862 he returned to his native State and began preaching the Gospel in the 
Christian denomination. He taught and preached at the same time while 
preparing himself further for the ministry. His first experience in the min- 
istry was obtained in i860 while in Missouri. In 1867 Mr. Hastings came 
to Kansas, resided in Leavenworth county for one year and in 1868 came 
to Atchison county and located on a farm near Farmington. He taught the 
Farmington school for fi\-e years and preached in the vicinity of his home 
during this time. He cultivated his farm of 130 acres and preached at the 
Farmington church and in the surrounding country for a period of twenty- 
five vears. In 1895 he removed to Effingham and continued preaching 
until 1003 when he retired from active work in the ministry. Mr. Hastings 
was an excellent fanner as well as minister and made a success of his farm- 
ing operations, having the distinction of selling an eighty acre tract of farm 
'and, the first for Sico an acre ever .sold in the county uj) to that time. This 
farm was located east of Effingham, and was the first tract near the town to 
bring the price of $100 an acre. 

He was married on June 28, 1870, to ]\Iiss Rosetta Cutler, and to 
this union have been born seven children: Hariy Howell, an electrical en- 
gineer, located at St. Louis, and who was educated in Holton College and 
Kansas University; Paul Pardee, assistant freight and passenger agent of 
the Santa Fe railroad, with headquarters at San Francisco ; Otho Ono, a 
graduate of the Atchison county high school, taught school for ten years, 
ser\'ed as county superintendent of Atchison county four years, and grad- 
uated from the Atchison Piusiness College, and is at present bookkeeper for 
Urich's planing mill at Independence, Kan.; Wiley Wyatt died in infancy; 
Clara Charlotte, deceased, formerly a teacher, wife of Charles Sprong. of 
Potter, Kan.; Edith Eliza, deceased, who was also a public school teacher; 
Miln Milton, a journalist and author, of New York City. Milo graduated 



438 HISTORY OF v\TCIIISON COUNTY 

from the .Vtcliison county high school, the State AgTicultural College at 
Manhattan, and pursued a post-graduate course in the State university. 
The mother of these children was born August 5, 1844, in Sandusky Plain, 
Ohio, a daughter of the Rev. Pardee Butler, a famous figure in Kansas his- 
tor\-, and who was an outspoken advocate of the anti-slavery principles dur- 
ing the struggle which made Kansas a free State. He was so frank and 
fearless in the expression of his views and so strenuous in the support of the 
anti-slavery doctrine that his utterances brought him frequently in contact 
with the pro-slavery men and border ruffians, and on one occasion 
when in .\tchison he was captured by ruffians and sent down the 
Missouri river on a raft. Complete details of the life and activ- 
ities of Pardee Butler are given in another chajiter in this volume. ''Pardee 
Butler's Own Book," begun during the latter part of his life, and finished 
and published by Mrs. Hastings, tells of his life and adventures in Kansas. 
Speaking biographically, Mr. Butler was born March 9, 1816, and died 
October 20, 1888. He first saw the light of day at Skaneateles. N. Y., and 
immigrated with his parents, Pliincas Butler and wife, whn came tu Ohio in 
1818. Phineas Butler was born in New York State. Pardee Butler was 
reared to young manhood in Ohio and there married Sybil Carlton, of Sul- 
livan, Ohio, who was born July 4, 1823, and died August 7, 1898. She was 
a daughter of Joseph Carlton, a native of Massachusetts, who immigrated 
to Ohio in an early day. In his boyhood, Pardee herded sheep on San- 
dusky Plain, and after his father's death resided in Sullivan, Ohio, In 1850 
he removed to Iowa and settled on a farm in Cedar county, where he lived 
for fi\e years. While a resident of Iowa he preached in Illinois for two 
years. In May of 1855 he set out for Atchison county, Kansas, on horse- 
back and settled on a farm at Farmington. For many years he served as a 
Christian minister and conducted farming operations. He had a remarkably 
retentive memory, which enabled him to memorize the whole of the New 
Testament while herding sheep in Ohio. Rev. Butler was the first State 
evangelist of the Christian denomination to visit Iowa and was also the first 
State evangelist to take up the work of his church in 1\ansas. Practically 
all of his traveling while engaged in missionary work was accomplished on 
horseback. Night coming- on he would picket his horse in a grassv spot and 
use his saddle for a pillow. Pardee Butler was one of the notable figures 
in the In'story of Kansas, and will be remembered as long as history endures, 
as a brave, useful and faithful ])atriot, and minister, whose life was full of 
good deeds and who always stood for the right. He was the father of seven 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 439 

children: Mrs. Rosetta Hastings, Clara Louise, Euj^ene Pardee, Maria 
Corintha, all of whom died in infancy; Charles Pardee on the home fann; 
Ernest, died in infanc)^ ; George, living at White City, Kan. 

Rev. Hastings has always been a stehdfast advocate of prohibition, but 
has generally allied himself politically with the Republican party principles. 
In 1876 he was selected liy the Republican party in the county as their can- 
didate for the legislature, although at the time lie was an avowed Prohibition- 
ist, and was elected, serving in the Kansas legislature during the ensuing 
session. For eighteen years he served as a member of the school board in 
his home district, and was for six years a member of the Atcliison County 
High School Board. He believes in education for the young to the fullest 
and is heart and soul in favor of giving young men and women every op- 
portunity to acquire a higher education, as is attested by the splendid train- 
ing which he was enabled to give each of his own offspring. Rev. Hastings 
has baptized hundreds of converts during his ministerial career and started 
them onward in tlie better Hfe. His whole life has been dedicated for good. 



KNUD G. GIGSTAD. 



Knud G. Gigstad, farmer and breeder of fine cattle, was born in Nor- 
way September 28, 1856, and is a son of Gulick and Anna Gigstad. He was 
one of seven children one of whom is now dead. Four of the boys and one 
daughter are living in the United States. The father was a native of Nor- 
way and spent his life in that country. 

Knud G. Gigstad left Norway at the age of twenty to try his luck in 
America. He came without funds and went to work as a farm hand in Brown 
county, Kansas. He remained at that place two years and then rented 160 
acres from his uncle, Benedict Mutson. This was a profitable venture and 
before long he was able tc^ Iniy eighty acres of unimproved land in section 
28, Lancaster township, Atchison county, for which he paid $16.25 an acre. 
Mr. Gigstad worked hard to get his farm in workable shape, each year find- 
ing him a little more prosperous, and finally he added 320 acres to the farm, 
besides 436 acres of rice land in Liberty county, near Houston, Texas. 
Eighteen years ago he built a large house on the farm and has since erected 
a large liarn and other substantial buildings. Mr. Gigstad is a lireeder of 
Shorthorn cattle and has made exhiliits at the American Royal stock show in 
Kansas City, Mo., and in 19 13 was awarded the prize as grand champion of 



440 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

America on his Shorthorns. Tliis is a high iionor and is ample testimony of 
tlie quaHty of Mr. Gigstad's stock. He is an extensive shipper to all parts 
of the United States. His reputation as a breeder is firmly established among 
cattle men all over the country. He is almost sure oi one or two first prizes 
whenever he enters his cattle in a fair. Mr. Gigstad also has a fine three 
acre orchard. He is a hard working man and has succeeded despite great 
handicaps, and his financial success has not caused him to neglect the wel- 
fare of his county, as he has always been active in supporting measures for 
the good of Atchison county. 

He is married to Lena Olsen, a native of Atchison county, and a daughter 
of Herrol and Julia Olsen. She was born in 1866. Her parents are natives 
of Norway and her father was an early settler of Atchison county. Mr. and 
Mrs. Gigstad have eleven children: Anna Flattre, of Lancaster township; 
Mrs. Julia Henz, of Lancaster, Kan. : Harry, Clara, Gena. Gilbert, Alatilda, 
Lillian, Gladis, Carl, Charles, all living at home. Mr. Gigstad is a Repub- 
lican and a member of the Lutheran church. 



ALBERT BARNES HARVEY. 

The memory of a good and noble man lingers long after his demise in 
the hearts and minds of those who knew him best. The late .Albert Barnes 
Harvey, of Muscotah, Kan., during the course of a long and notable career, 
covering over forty years in Atchison county, accomplished much in a material 
sense and left behind him an unimpeachable record f(ir integrity and upright 
living which will long endear his memory to his former mortal associates. 
He lived in the days when men were more closely drawn togetlier in the 
great struggle to create a State from a wilderness of prairie and unpeopled 
waste, and did his part in the development of his adopted county, of which he 
was one of the real pioneers. Soldier, farmer, banker and religious worker 
who lived true to his ideals as a man and citizen, he walked with the leaders 
of the great State which he assisted in up-building. 

Albert Barnes Harvey was born May 12, 1841, at \\'illiamsix)rt. Pa., a 
son of Samuel and Margaret Harvey. His parents went from their native 
State to Illinois in the early days of the settlement of that State, developing 
a fine farm in Henderson county, Illinois. Samuel Harvey prospered in the 
State of his adoption, reared a fine family, and in his later days retired to a 
comfortable home in Monmouth, 111., removing to the city for the purpose 









( mp^ViA: 



7 





^^Viyij^-€4J, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 44I 

primarily, of giving his ciiildren the advantages afforded tliere for oljtaining 
a good school education. He died at the home of his son in 1 lenderson 
county after a long and useful life. The suhject of this review, Alljcrt Barnes, 
when a young man twenty years of age, hearkened to the first call of Presi- 
dent Lincoln for troops with which to cjuell the rebellion of the Southern 
States and enlisted in Company G, Tenth infantry, regiment of Illinois volun- 
teers, and served faithfully throughout the Civil war. He was engaged with 
his regiment in many great battles, such as Corinth, Island Number Ten, Mis- 
sionary Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga, Siege of Vicksburg, and 
Capture of Atlanta, and took part in Sherman's famous march from Atlanta 
to the sea and the subsequent taking of Savannah. He marched in the Grand 
Review at Washington, D. C, and was mustered out of the service July 12, 
1865. He then returned home and engaged in the peaceful pursuit of farm- 
ing until 1874, when he came to Kansas and settled on a farm southwest of 
Muscotah. This farm was only partially improved at the time of his pur- 
chase and he improved and cultivated it until 1880, at which time he came to 
Muscotah and engaged in the hardware business in partnershii) with A. J. 
Harwi ; later he was in partnership with F. S. Roberts, who was succeeded 
by \\". C. Allison. In i8yo he l;ecanie associated with J. H. Calvert in the 
banking business at Muscotah, he and his partner purchasing the bank founded 
by George Storch and changing the name to the Muscotah Exchange Bank. 
This bank was later changed to the Muscotah State Bank and is one of the 
thriving financial concerns of Atchison county, now incorporated with the 
Farmers State Bank. [Mr. Harvey was in the banking business for twenty 
years and served as president of the Muscotah State Bank, and was success- 
ful in his business ventures to such an extent that he became one of the wealtliy 
citizens of the county. During his later }ears he and Mrs. Harvey enjoyed 
traveling about the countr}-, ihc condition of his health becoming such that 
it was practically necessar)- fur him to spend his winters in the Southland. 
He and Mrs. Harvey spent many happy days in visiting the battlefields o{ 
the South over which his regiment had fought and they enjoyed life to the 
utmost during those later years. 

-Mr. Harvey was married October 25, 1871, at Strongliurst, 111., to INIiss 
Viola Allison, who was born October 25, 1841, in ^\'ashington count}', Penn- 
sylvania, a daughter of John and Margaret (Carter) Allison. John Allison 
was born in Pennsxlvania and was a second cousin of President \\ illiam Mc- 
Kinley, whose mother was an Allison. Margaret Carter Allison was born 
in Scotland and accompanied her parents to this country when twelve years 
of age, where they settled in Henderson count}', Illinois. I'mth of Mrs. 



442 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Harvey's parents died in Illinciis, and a brother, John C, who enlisted in 
the Union army at the age of seventeen years, died at Ft. Donelson. An 
older brother, Hugh, also served in the L'nion army, and a half brother, W. C. 
Allison, now of Horton, resided in Muscotah for many years and was one 
of the pioneer business men of the city. The Allison family is a very old and 
numerous one of Scotch descent. No children came to bless this happy wed- 
ded life of Albert H. and Viola Harvey, but they reared two adopted daugh- 
ters, who are now established in comfortable homes of their own. namely : 
Lela, wife of A. P. Bishop, of Topeka, now a farmer living southwest of 
Muscotah, and Lula, wife of E. H. Purdy, of Kansas City, Mo. Mrs. Bishop 
lias four children : Albert. George, Dorothy and Ruth. ]\[rs. Harvey spends 
the spring and summer seasons in her beautiful residence in Muscotah and 
invariably travels in the South during tlie winter. Mr. Harvey retired from 
active banking pursuits in 1910. 

Mr. Harvey was a member of the Congregational church at Muscotah 
and served as deacon of the church from 1898 until his demise, on Monday, 
July 22, 1912. For many years he was superintendent of the Sunday school 
and was very fond of young people, nothing giving him more pleasure than 
to gather about him a group of intelligent young folks with whom he was 
always at his best. He took a keen interest in church and Sunday school work 
and endeavored to follow the precepts of the Greatest of All Teachers during 
all the days of his long and useful life. He was ]irnininent in Masonic and 
Odd Fellows lodge circles and served as worshipful master of the Muscotah 
Masons on two occasions. He was a member of the Grand Army of the 
Republic. He was a Republican in politics and took a keen interest in the 
political and civic affairs of Atchison count)', serving three terms as a member 
of tlie .\tchison County Higli School loard and a term as mayor of his home 
city. Many of the distinguished men of Atchison and the State of Kansas 
were his personal friends, among them being the late Governor George W. 
Click, with wlioni he sjicnt a winter in l'"lorida, Ex-Covernor W. j. i'.ailey, 
and the late Judge Horace M. Jackson, of Atchison. He was, withal, a home 
and church man above everything else. He loved his home and his family 
and was hospitable to the core of his being, always ready to entertain friends 
or even strangers at his board, jolly and big-hearted, always. 



MARTIN KLEIN. 
.Martin Klein, living a retired life in the town of Potter, Atchison county, 
Kansas, at tlie advanced age of four score and two years, is one of the oldest 
of the Kansas pioneers, who for over sixty-one years of his long life has 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



443 



lived in the Sunflower State, and has seen the steam railway take the place 
of the overland freight trains, hauled by oxen and mules, and has witnessed 
the automobile superseding the farm wagon and horse and buggy as a means 
of transportation. On his lonely claim in the' north part of Leavenworth 
county, near Potter, he could see the great trains passing along the Ft. Riley 
road from Leavenworth to Salt Lake; he remembers the dread visitation of 
the grasshoppers in the seventies, wlien the "hoppers" came in dense clouds, 
ate up all the growing crops and left devastation and desolation in their 
wake. Martin Klein is one of the best known of the old-timers in this sec- 
tion of Kansas and took an active part in the slavery contest which was bit- 
terly waged on Kansas soil, and nearly gave his life in defense of his prin- 
ciples, later to shoulder a musket in defense of his adopted country. 

Alartin Klein was born March 2. 1833, in Alsace-Lorraine, a son 
of Peter and Teresa (Miers) Klein, both of whom were born and reared in 
Alsace-Lorraine, and were of ancient French extraction. When Martin was 
fourteen years of age, his parents in 1847, left their native land and im- 
migrated to Oneida county. New York, where they settled on a farm near 
Rome. The elder Klein prospered in the land of his adoption and Martin 
grew up imbued with American ideals, along with the other five children 
of the Klein family. Martin was the youngest of a family of six children 
born to Peter and Teresa Klein. Three brothers of Mrs. Klein, Joseph 
Miers, and two others, were soldiers, who served under Napoleon Bonaparte, 
and were members of the Grand Army of Napoleon which marched to the 
siege of Moscow. Two of the brothers were killed at Moscow, and Joseph 
was one of the few out of the many thousands of soldiers who lived to 
return home and tell about the ill-fated expedition which cost Napoleon his 
grand army. 

In the fall of 1854, Martin Klein left his old home in New York and 
set out for Kansas, to grow up with the country. He arrived in Leaven- 
worth on September 18 of that year, and lost no time in taking up a claim 
in Leavenworth county, which ser\'ed as his home until 1900, when he re- 
tired to a comfortable home in the town of Potter. Six years after his 
arrival in Kansas he married Miss Paulina Hawley, whom he espoused on 
March 29, i860. She was a daughter of Francis H. and Louise Hawley, 
both of whom were natives of old Virginia, and were early settlers in Ken- 
tucky, where Mrs. Klein was born November 12, 1826. She departed this 
life January 4, 1907, in Potter, Kan. She was a loving and faithful help- 
meet to Mr. Klein for forty-seven years, and endured with him many hard- 
ships incident to the pioneer life in Kansas. 



444 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

When Mr. Klein first came to Kansas in 1854, the turmoil and the bor- 
der warfare waged lietween the pro- and anti-slavery forces, was just begin- 
ning, and he, being a pronounced anti-slavery man, was tlirown into the 
thick of the fight. He was an accurate marksman with tlie revolver, and 
often found occasion to make use of his ability with the pistol. He was so 
active in his work in behalf of the Free State party that he was marked 
for vengeance by border ruffians. An occasion whicli is memorable, and 
marked the savagery of this warfare, is worth recording : "On a Sunday in 
the spring of 1S56, when Mr. Klein was at church, three strangers came to 
church, ostensibly to buy corn from him. After the bargain had been struck, 
and he had agreed to sell the men the corn wanted, they insisted on him 
accompanying them to Easton, Kan., in order to get his pay for the corn. 
This Klein refused to do. During the parley one of the men had kept a 
hand hid under his coat on the plea that he had a sore member. Tlie wind 
blowing the coat flap to one side. Klein noticed that the man was concealing 
a revolver in his hand. They finally showed him a warrant for his arrest. 
He then knew that his life was in danger, and again refused to accompany 
the men to Easton. He turned to go back to tlie church and thc}- opened 
fire on him, firing eight shots in all, four of which took effect in his bod)', 
one shot striking him in the head, one in the side, and one in the hip. He 
fell to the ground and the ruffians rode away, leaving him for dead. Hap- 
pily, the wounds were not fatal, and he recovered, and lived to see tiie final 
triumph of the catise which he loved, and for which he had sacrificed his 
jieace and nearly lost his life in advocating. During those early days Mr. 
Klein served as constable and deputy sheriff ami was constantly in danger 
of his life. In the fall of 1S56, he and others of the Free State men deemed 
it prudent to leave their homes and go to Lawrence, Kan., where they joined 
the citizen army, which was lieing organized in defense of Free State prin- 
ciples. He took part in several incipient battles and scraps with, the pro- 
slaverv advocates during those years, and when the war broke out he en- 
rolled in the Kansas militia and fought in Captain Baird's company wlicn it 
marched to battle against General Price's anny of invasion. 

Mr. Klein has a keen remembrance of his first day in Kansas, when 
he walked a distance of twenty-four miles from Ft. T.eavenworth to find his 
brother-in-law, Charles C. Foster. He was all day finding Foster's claim. 
Starting out without his breakfast, he lost his way, and it was 8 o'clock 
that night before he arrived at his destination, footsore, weary and hungry. 
The prairie grass in those days grew as high as a man's head in the bottom 
lands, and was knee high on the uplands, and the richness of the soil was 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 445 

apparent to a man brought up on a farm. From liis cabin door Mr. Klein 
could look out in the distance and see the old Ft. Riley trail which led from 
Ft. Leavenworth to Salt Lake. One morning on arising he saw eighty cov- 
ered wagons standing on the trail, each of which had hitched to it six yoke 
of oxen. Tiiis was a sight worth seeing and entertaining to a plainsman, 
being an indication of the onward march of civilization as it moved ever 
westward. On one occasion while serving as an officer of the law, Mr. Klein 
was sent to the cabin of Jim Foster, a noted border desperado, to effect his 
arrest, but Foster was absent at the time fnim his home on the bluffs over- 
looking Big Stranger creek. After the war was over. Mr. Klein settled 
down to farming and peacefully tilled his acres until his retirement to Pot- 
ter. He took an active and influential part in the affairs of his community, 
and has always been allied with the Republican party, never, however, hav- 
ing been a seeker after political preferment, and never held office except the 
post of school' director in his district. 



BARNEY CUMMINS. 



Barney Cummins, farmer and trustee of Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison 
county, was born in Atchison Deceml^er 17, ICS59. a son of Patrick and Mary 
(Faulkner) Cummins, the former a native of Roscommon county, and the 
latter a native of County Caven, L-eland. Both came to America from their 
native land when young, and met, and were married in Philadelphia. After 
their marriage they went to Wisconsin and lived there one year and then 
came to Atchison, Kan. Patrick was employed on a Missouri river steam- 
boat for a time, saved his money and moved to a farm, which he rented 
for aliout ten years, accumulating sufficient capital to then purchase a quar- 
ter section of school land in Mt. Pleasant township, the tract now known as 
the old Cummins homestead. Patrick Cummins succeeded in his farming 
venture and became prosperous as the years passed. During the Civil war 
he was enrolled as a member of the Kansas State militia. He was known 
as a I'ree State Democrat, and was a member of the Catholic church. He 
died in 1871, and the widowed mother of Barney Cummins is still living at 
the age of seventy-six years, on the old home farm. There were six children 
in the Cummins family, namely: Barney: Charles, on the home place; John, 
a farmer in Atchison county: Kathrine. living with her mother; Mary, wife 



446 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of William Rogers, of Nortonville, Kan. ; Sophia, wife of Thomas Cavanaugh, 
of St. Joseph, Mo. 

Barney was about four years of age when the family removed from 
Atchison to the farm in Mt. Pleasant township. He received his education 
in the district school, near his home, and has lived on the farm all of his life, 
excepting one year spent in Atchison. Mr. Cummins recollects with sad- 
ness the severity of the early-day teachers as compared with the teachers of 
today. He recalls that he was frequently given his choice of punishments, 
wliich included either having his ears cut off, or take a sound whipping with 
a great gad. This badly frightened him, and he also remembers how the 
teacher jerked a big boy from his seat and threw him unconscious to the 
floor of the school room. Happily, the days of brute strength control of 
pupils in the schools is past, and a new and laetter era of kindness and for- 
bearance has dawned, years since. Mr. Cummins is the owner of loo acres 
of well improved land and is a progressive farmer. 

He was married January g, 1882, to Sarah Maylen, a daughter of 
Joseph and Elizabeth Maylen. The father was a native of Canada, and the 
mother was born in Liverpool, England, their children being a product of the 
intermarriage of French, English and Welsh ancestry. Joseph Maylen was a 
French Canadian and his wife was of Welsh and English descent. They 
came to Kansas in the early days and settled on a farm in Doniphan county. 
Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Cummins : William, living at 
Potter, Kan.; Ella, wife of Luther Blodgett, a farmer in .\tcliison county; 
.Anna, wife of Harry Linsey, living in Atchison county; Joseph, at home 
with his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Cummins have reared all of their children 
on the farm upon which they have lived continuously since their marriage. 

Mr. Cummins is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen lodge of Potter, 
and is a member of the Catholic church. He is a Democrat of the old school, 
•'.nd since attaining his majority he has taken a more or less active part in 
political affairs. He has served several terms as trustee of Mt. Pleasant 
township, and- it can be said of him that no man ever filled the office more 
capably or administered the affairs of the township to better advantage or 
more economically and honestly than Barney Cummins. He was first elected 
to the office in 1892, again in 1907, then in 1908 and again in 1912, being 
re-elected in 1914. As trustee, Mi. Cummins has the supervision of eight 
schools' in his township, including the graded high school of Potter. He 
is a faithful and conscientious public official in whom the people impose 
every trust. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 447 

ALVA CLAPP. 

Alva Clapp, president of tlie retail hardware company which bears his 
name, has been engaged in business on Commercial street in .\tchison since 
May, 1907. At that time he purchased the retail store of a local wholesale 
firm, and has made a pronounced success of the venture, [t is one of the 
most attractive and well stocked stores of the city and is well patronized. 
Mr. Clapp is popular with his patrons and the citizens of Atchison generally. 
He takes an active part in city affairs and is especially interested in the public 
school system. Having been a teacher before he became a merchant, he has 
never lost interest in the schools, and is now the president of the Atchison 
city board of education. 

Mr. Clapp was born August 23, 1868. at Carthage, Mo. He is a son of 
Isaac and Susan B. (Eckler) Clapp. natives of North Carolina and Illinois, 
respectively. Isaac Clapp emigrated from North Carolina to Danville, 111., 
when a young man. and married in his adopted State. His parents were slave 
owners in the southland, and he himself owned slaves, but having a pro- 
nounced distaste for the institution of slavery he disposed of his human chat- 
tels and moved to the North. After a residence of some years in Illinois, he 
located in Carthage, Mo., and owned a farm in Jasper county which he cul- 
tivated. In 1875 h^ removed to Cheri7vale, Kan., and invested in a tract 
.of land near that city. Here he resided until his death in October, 1913. 

Alva Clapp received his education in the schools of Cherryvale, Kan., and 
began teaching school when a very young man. He taught two terms in a 
district school and served for two years as high school principal. He had a 
liking for business and obtained his first experience in the retail hardware 
trade in a store at Conway Springs, Kan., from 1891 to 1900, or a period of 
ten years. He then traveled for two years in the interest of a local wholesale 
hardware company and was then employed for five years in the various de- 
partments of the local concern. In 1907 he organized the Alva Clapp Hard- 
ware Company and purchased the retail department of the Blish, Mize & 
Silliaman Company of Atchison. Mr. Clapp has given evidence of a pro- 
nounced aptitude for business affairs, and faithfully attends to the numerous 
details which require the undivided attention of the proprietor of a thriving 
concern, such as is in his charge. 

He was married in September of 1896 to Beatrice Kathrine De Haven, 
of Wichita, Kan. They had one child, Harold De Haven, who died at the 
age of one and one-half years. Mr. Clapp refers to Mrs. Clapp as his part- 
ner in the business and his best and most competent assistant. Mrs. Clapp is 



448 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

not only a good wife and socially active in the city, but she takes a just pride 
in assisting her husband in making a success of his business. Mr. Clapp is 
politically allied with the Republican party and has served for fourteen years 
as a member of the school board. During his period of service as a member 
of the board the school system of Atchison has made its greatest advances, 
and the high school has achieved considerable prestige. New buildings have 
been erected to accommodate the growing needs of the school system, and 
others are in course of erection. All of these improvements have received 
the hearty support of Mr. Clapp and he enjoys the respect and esteem of 
his brother members to such an extent that when the presidency of the board 
became vacant he was elected to the position. He was also recently elected 
treasurer of the Commercial Club of Atchison, another city boosting organi- 
zation in which he is a prominent figure. Mr. Clapp is affiliated with the 
Modern ^Voodmen and the Elks lodges. 



HON. GEORGE STORCH. 



One of the notable and influential figftu-es of the first and second decades 
in the histun- of Atchison county was the late George Storch, of .\tchison. 
He came to Kansas when the State was in its infancy of development and was 
a pioneer merchant of old Kcnnekuk, becoming in turn a merchant, banker, 
statesman, and was, withal, dnc of the most useful citizens of Atchison county 
of whom the reviewer has iiad opjiortunity to write. Mr. Storch was a pio- 
neer with a vision which enabled him to see far ahead into the future. This 
\ision, coupled with faith in tlie eventual prosperity of Kansas, led him to 
invest heavily in farm lands which made him one of the wealthy citizens of 
Kansas prior to his demise. For nearly lialf a century, Mr. Storch was closely 
identified with the financial and civic life of Atchison county, and twice rep- 
resented the county in the halls of the State legislature, each time acquittin.g 
himself with credit and honor. 

George Storch was born near Poppen-Hausen, Bavaria, Germany, Feb- 
ruary 22, 1835. and was a son of Thomas and Margaret (Breitung) Storch. 
Thomas, the father, was a farmer and linen dealer in his native locality and 
was considered fairly well to do. George was reared to young manhood in 
his native land and received a good common school education. When seven- 
teen years of age he determined to cross the seas and seek his fortune in 
America. In accordance with this determination he embarked on a sailing 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 449 

vessel wliicli laiuled him at New Orleans. From this southern city he made 
his way bj' river steamer np the Mississippi and Missouri rivers to Herman, 
Mo. Here he joined a brother who was farming in the neighborhood and who 
assisted George in securing employment on a nearby farm. He worked at 
farm labor in Missouri for some years and in April, 1859, he came to Atchi- 
son, Kan. This city did not offer much inducement for the ambitious young 
man and he was desirous of engaging in the mercantile business. Kennekuk, 
in the north central part of the count}-, was then in the hey-da\- of its pros- 
perity and seemed to offer a better location than Atchison. After a few 
months' stay in Atchison he went to Kennekuk and opened a general merchan- 
dise store with the capital which he had saved while working on the farms in 
Missouri. He was successful from the start and his judgment in the matter 
of Kennekuk being an excellent business location proved correct. Kennekuk 
was at that time a ])rosperou.s and thri\-ing village located on the overland 
mail and emigrant route and the Storch store made money for its owner to 
such an extent th'it he was enabled to branch out and invest in lands and 
engage in the banking business. Mr. Storch justified liis faith in his adopted 
State by investing heavily in lands which have greath- increased in wilue since 
his original purchase of the same. In the early days of the development of 
the West, the railroad companies were granted large tracts of farm lands 
along the right of way by the Federal Government. These tracts were placed 
on sale l^y the railroads, and were .sold for very low prices and easy terms 
in order to induce settlers to locate in the regions being developed. Mr. 
Storch took advantage of the low jirices of the farm lands and invested hcavih'. 
This property comprised many thousands of acres which have since increased 
enormously in value over and above the original purchase price. Kennekuk 
had its day, and the time came when the decline of the village was inevitable 
owing to the building of the Central Branch railway out of Atchison, and 
which passed to the southward of Kennekuk. Mr. Storch saw the time com- 
ing when the once flourishing inland village would be no more, and in 1867 
he removed to Atchison and managed his large farming interests from this 
city. 

Upon his removal to Atchison he immediately became identified with the 
leading financial interests of the city and in 1S73 organized the (jerman Sav- 
ings Bank which was for many years one of the strong financial institutions 
of the city. He was also identified with the first bank established in Mus- 
cotah, Kan. He engaged in the real estate and farm loan business in Atchi- 
son and organized the Eastern Kansas Land and Loan Company, a concern 
which is still doing business and of which his daughter, Mrs. Louisa J. Lips, 

29 



45° HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

is president. Mr. Storch sen-ed as president of the German Savings Bank 
until its stock was purchased by the United States National Bank, and also 
filled the office of president of this bank during the period of its existence. 
He was engaged in banking pursuits for a period of eighteen years. 

He was married in 1859 to Miss Elizabeth Fox, a daughter of John and 
Elizabeth Fox, who removed from Evansville, Ind., where Mrs. Storcli was 
born, to Carroll county, Missouri, and settled on a farm. Two children 
blessed this union of George and Elizabeth Storch: George H., who will be 
remembered as a bright, intelligent and capable Atchison citizen and who was 
associated with his father in business for several years, and died in July, 191 1, 
and Louisa Justina, widow of Oscar Lips. Mrs. Storch died in February, 
1905, and almost three years later followed the demise of the husband and 
fatlier, who departed this life in January, 1908. Oscar Lips and Louisa Jus- 
tina Storch were married in 1891, and that union was blessed with a son, 
Charles, torn in October, 189O. Charles Lips received his primary education 
in the public schools of Atchison, his preparatory work in the Culver, Ind., 
Military Academy, and is now pursuing a collegiate course in the Kansas 
University at Lawrence. Oscar Lips was born in St. Louis, Mo., a son of 
Dr. Charles August Lips, a former practicing physician of St. Louis, and 
who was of German descent. Oscar was reared and educated in his native 
city, and when a young man engaged in the wholesale drug business. His de- 
mise occurred in Atchison, August, 1905. 

George Storch was a Republican in politics and took an active and in- 
fluential part in political affairs during his long years of residence in Kansas. 
Not long after establishing himself in business at Kennekuk he became jiost- 
master of the town, and assisted in establishing the first union school in the 
village, serving as a member of the board of education which had charge of 
this school. Tile Hortoii HcadligJit has the following historical account of 
this school in an issue of August, 1905, in part : "The old stone school house 
was not the first school building in the Kennekuk neighborhood, but it was 
the first substantial one in this part of the country and marks an important 
epoch in its development. It was built in 1S67. It was a joint district, eight 
miles north and south. The west line was the road between Atchison and 
Jackson counties. A strip of country two miles wide and eight miles long 
was in Atchison county and a corresponding trip of country was just over 
the line in Brown count>-. The school house was quite a structure to be builded 
in that early day, but the settlers did not complain at the high taxes, since 
their children had a good place to attend school. The cost was :ibont $3,000, 
quite a good sized sum for early settlers to expend, but it shows their deter- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 451 

mination to provide an education for their children. The first school board 
was composed of George Storch, Squire Willis and Henry Claunch. ..." 

Mr. Storch was always greatly interested in the cause of education and 
after his removal to Atchison he served as a member of the Atchison board of 
education and was president of this body for a time. While a resident of 
Kennekuk he was elected to represent Atchison county in the Kansas legis- 
lature in 1864. During the ensuing session he voted for Gen. James H. Lane 
for United States senator and voted to ratify the fourteenth amendment to 
the National constitution. In 1876 he was elected a member of the legisla- 
ture from the city of Atchison, and during the session following his election 
he was a member of the ways and means committee and voted for P. B. Plumb 
for United States senator. Mr. Storch made an excellent record as an able 
and honest legislator, who had the best interests of his State at heart. He was 
active in civic and political affairs in Atchison and served as a member of the 
city council of which body he was president for one year, declining re-election 
when his tenn of office e.xpired. The following tribute to his ability as a 
city father appeared in the Atchison Champion of April 6, 1873 : "One of 
the best councilmen our city has ever had leaves that body after two years' 
service in it. We refer to Hon. George Storch, chairman of the committee on 
improvements. He has been industrious, independent, and energetic. Hav- 
ing the chairmanship of tlie most important and laborious committee, he has 
given his time and attention to the discharge of the duties devolving upon 
Iiim, and in tlie decision of all questions in the council he has exhibited a 
clearness of judgment and a carefulness in guarding the interests of tlie city 
that entitle him to general commendation. He dechned re-election." 

Mr. Storch served for three years as city treasurer and exhibited the 
same judgment and careful management, of tlie city"s affairs in this imunrtant 
capacity that has marked the performance of his official duties as a council- 
man and school trustee. It is worthy of record that in 1865, while in Kenne- 
kuk, he was elected a member of the board of county commissioners and served 
as chairman of that body. 

Few pioneer citizens of Atchison lived a more useful or busier life than 
he of whom this review is written. The name of George Storch figures prom- 
inently in the historical annals of Atchison county as a builder and creator and 
an honorable and upright citizen, who left behind him when iiis soul winged 
Jts way beyond the knowledge of mortal ken, a record imperishable, and a 
name unblemished and untarnished of which his descendants may well be 
proud. While opportunities for achieving fortune and fame may not be as 
great at this day as they were in George Storch's time and era, the story of 



452 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

this poor Cierman emigrant bi>\- who made his own way in Kansas from pov- 
erty to affluence and won an honored place in llie liistory of liis adopted'counly 
and State is well worth reading and may serve as an inspiration and guidance 
to others of the present and rising generations. 



THOMAS BROWN. 



There is considerable satisfaction in writing the life story of a man who 
has worked his wa}- upward from poverty to a position of wealth and in- 
fluence in the space of a lifetime, and accomplished it all with his own strong 
arms and mind. When one adds to this accomplishment the rearing of a 
large family to lives of usefulness, and to bring up a bevy of young men and 
women to comfort their parents in their declining years, there is not much 
for any one individual to w'ish for. Thomas Brown, retired fanner, of 
Effingham. Kan., has done all of this and is the proud father of one of the 
largest families in Atchison county. Had lie done no more than to bring into 
the world his thirteen children, he would have been worthy of praise and 
been entitled to honorable mention in this volume, as a patriotic and sturdy 
American citizen. A native of the Emerald isle, he came to America in his 
youth, and now ranks as one of the Kansas and Atchison county pioneers. 

Thomas Brown was born in the little village of Altone. Ireland, 
and is a son of John and Mary (Dalton) Brown. His birth occurred on 
Eebruary' lo, 1847. His father was a farmer in his native country, and made 
a good living for his family, later moving to the town of Altone and engag- 
ing in the transfer business, in which occupation he was fairly successful and 
enabled to provide for his family in comfort. He was the father of ten 
children, seven of whom came to America to seek their fortunes in the land 
of opportunity. The seven who came across the ocean were : J- P. Brown, 
a pioneer merchant and capitalist, of Atchison, now deceased : Mrs. Bridget 
Norton, who died in 191 3 at her home in Pittsfield, Mass. ; Mrs. Mary Scully, 
of Troy, N. Y. ; Mrs. Anna Elkhom, of Troy, N. Y. ; Mrs. Margaret Hewitt, 
of Independence. Mo. ; Mrs. Kate Waters, deceased, who was the wife of a 
soldier in the British army. The father of these ch'ldren died in Ireland, 
and the motlier died in Troy, N. Y. 

Thomas Brown emigrated from his native land to this country in 1865, 
and hired out to a farmer in Orange county. New York, at S20 per month. 
Tlie farm where he was employed was located seventeen miles north of New- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 453 

burg, on the Hudson river. He worked there for two years an.d carefully 
saved his earnings until he had $300. With this capital he set out for the 
West and joined his brother, J. P. Brown, who was then located in .Atchison. 
His first employment was on his brother's stock farm, located north of Mon- 
rovia. Unfortunately, he was taken ill not long after his arrival, and lay 
sick for a long time with typhoid, all of his savings going to pay for medical 
services and nursing. He remained on his brother's farm for ten years and 
laid by another stake during that time. During this period he cultivated 
three farms, owned by J. P. Brown, who did not require him to pay any 
rental fees. Even the taxes were paid by his brother who was only anxious 
to keep the land in cultivation and give his brother. Tom, a start in the 
world. In the year 1877, Thomas, having saved enough money to buy a 
farm of his own, invested his savings in a tract of 160 acres of high prairie 
land, northwest of Effingham, in Benton township. His first land invest- 
ment cost him $2,250. The land had on it only a small shack which was soon 
replaced Ijv a comfortable home. It is now one of the best improved places 
in this section of Kansas, and the Brown farms are among the most pro- 
ductive in the whole State of Kansas. A handsome white farm house graces 
the home place, which can be seen for miles around, and it is quite impos- 
ing. Mr. Brown prospered as he deserved and increased his holdings to 
the grand total of 640 acres of good Kansas land. The remarkable part 
about his purchases of land is that he paid cash for every tract of land 
which he bought and never went in debt for a single acre. This land, pur- 
chased at varying prices, is now easily worth $125 an acre. Mr. Brown 
carried on general fanning and live stock raising until February of igii, 
when he turned over the management of the home farm to his son, and re- 
moved to Effingham, where he has a beautiful and comfortable residence 
in the west part of the city. 

He, of whom this re\-iew is written, was married on October 20. 1869, 
to Miss Anna Neely. born in Ohio in 1846, a daughter of Samuel Neely, 
who migrated to Atchison county, Kansas, in 1868. Sixteen children have 
been born of this marriage, thirteen of whom are living, all of whom are 
married excepting one daughter and a son : John, a farmer, living near Blue 
Rapids, Kan. ; Mrs. Ida I-'ishlmrn, living on a farm near Meriden, Kan. ; 
William. Charley, Frank, and Edward, who are located on their father's 
ranch ; George lives at Effingham ; Richard, a successful farmer, living south 
of Muscotah; Mrs. Pearl Dunn, of Oklahoma; Mrs. Ethel Smith, residing in 
Oklahoma: Edith, at home with her parents; Mrs. Juha Wagner, living near 



454 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Mortimer, Kan.; Mrs. Mary Kemp, on a farm near Vermilion, Kan. This 
worthy couple have thirty-si.x grandchildren. 

Mr. Brown is a Republican in politics, but is decidedly independent in 
his voting and making up his mind concerning political questions of the 
day. He believes in supporting tlie man best qualified to serve the people in 
a civic capacity, rather than blindly following the dictates of political leaders 
or so-called bosses, a characteristic of the man in all of his conduct through 
■life. He is a member of the Effingham Catholic church and is a liberal sup- 
porter of this denomination, having contributed liberally toward tlie build- 
ing of the local church. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons lodge and became a member of this lodge in 1871. It is a matter 
of historical record that Mr. Brown, Willis Walker and Hump. Henderson, 
of Effingham, are the three oldest living Masons in Atchison county in 
point of years of membership in the order. What more honor does a man 
wish than has l)efallen this Atchison county pioneer? 



ALBERT H. BL.MR. 



Albert H. Blair, farmer, of Center townshiii, Atchison county, was 
born March 6, 1862, near Astoria, III., and is a son of William and Alcinda 
(McCormack) Blair. He was one of five children, Daisy being the only 
other survivor. She resides in Center township and is now Mrs. Warner. 
Two other children died in infancy, and William died while living on the 
farm which Bert now owns. The father was liorn May 18, 1833, in Browns- 
ville, Fayette county, Pennsylvania. He was a son of William Blair, and 
was a glass cutter while living in the East, but when he went to Illinois, 
he engaged in farming. Later, he farmed in Fulton county, Illinois. In 
1863 he came to Kansas and engaged in freighting between Atchison and 
Denver, with his brother, Edward. They foUmved this exciting occupation 
about three years, and in that short time had many experiences wliich they 
related with great delight in after years. They were never attacked by the 
Indians, for llie reason that tlicy drove in large numbers, with lOO wagons 
to the train, and the Indians were shy of such a large force. However, one 
night they thouglit tliat their luck had changed. Mr. Bl.'iir can just barely 
remember the incident, although his father has told it over so many times 
that it seems to him as if he remembered the original incident. One night 
the party camped on the trail between Atchison and Denver, lying asleep 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 455 

under their wagons. Indians had been seen that day and the freighting 
party was a little uneasy, and some of the more nervous members feared an 
attack. Late in tlie night the mules became frightened and woke up Mr. 
Blair. William Jumped up, and off in the dark he cnuld see a white object 
approaching. The cry of "Indians" .went out and rifles were aimed. 
William shot, but could not hit tlie object. No one else could, for it was 
very dark and the object could not be seen distinctly. The white object 
kept approaching, and finally took a definite outline in the darkness. It 
was a white steer. One night when Indians stampeded the mules of the train, 
William and a comrade set out in pursuit of the Indians by flaying the mules 
with arrows and drove them so fast that the pursuers caught up with them 
by hard exertion and recaptured the horses. These are typical of many 
narratives which the elder Blair related of his early-day experiences on the 
plains, .\fter quitting the freighting business, he and his brother engaged in 
milling in Atchison, Kan. Three years later William sold his interest to his 
brother, and started a livery business. A year later he went to farming in 
Doniphan county, Kansas, and moved from one farm to another for several 
years. In 1882 he was elected sheriff of Atchison county on the Democratic 
ticket, and his first term was so successful that he was re-elected. After his 
term expired he continued to live in Atchison for some time. He then bought 
160 acres of land in Center township and remained there until 1891, when 
he removed to Effingham, where he lived in retirement until his death in 
1899. The mother of Bert Blair was lx)rn January 11, 1S4.2, in Browns- 
ville, Pa. She is a daughter of Alonza and Sarah J. fHibbs) McCormack, 
who were natives of Pennsylvania. They came west in the early days and 
farmed in Illinois and Iowa. The mother is now living with her daughter, 
Mrs. Daisy Warner, in Center township, Atchison county. 

Bert Blair grew up on his fatlier's farm and in .\tchi?on, and was edu- 
cated in the district schools and the Atchison public schools. He lived at 
home until he was eighteen years of age when he engaged in railroading. It 
may liave been the stories of his father about the travelers that prompted him 
to go into railroading. At any rate he found the adventurous work to his 
liking and he worked as a fireman on the Missouri Pacific railroad passen- 
ger train from Kansas City to Omaha, until he was promoted to the posi- 
tion of locomotive engineer. His run was from Hiawatha to Kansas City, 
which was a division of the Missouri Pacific then. In 1890 he rented his 
father's farm, and at the death of the latter, he inherited eighty acres, and 
he has since increased his holdings to 160 acres. He has Iniilt a fine modern 



456 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

barn on his place, 50x54 feet in size, with a capacity of ninety-two tons of 
hay, and was designed and built by Mr. Blair himself. 

In 1886 he married Sarah P. Jeffery, who was born February 20, 1869, 
in Missouri. She was a daughter of Ira P. and Mary (Farley) Jeffery, 
both of whom were born in Virginia. They came to Atchison county, Kan- 
sas, in the seventies, and are now deceased. To Air. and Mrs. Blair have 
been born four children, as follows : Roberta, deceased ; Claude, Effingham, 
Kan., married Vera Pittman, of Effingham, and has one son, Thomas 
Albert, who was bom December 24, 1909; William C. who mar- 
ried Elsie Stickler, of Lancaster, and has two sons, Chester Eugene, born 
April 23, 1913, and Bert William, born October 20, 1914. A daughter, 
Sarah, died in infancy in Kansas City. Mrs. Blair died November 20, 1915, 
and her remains were interred in the cemetery at Lancaster. Mr. Blair is a 
Democrat. He attends the Methodist church, and is a member of the Eagles 
and Modern Woodmen of America. 



GEORGE H. T. JOHNSON. 



Tiiere is considerable distinction in being the oldest practicing physician 
in Atchison county, and this well merited honor properly belongs to Dr. George 
H. T. Johnson, of Atchison, Kan., who for nearly half a century has prac- 
ticed his profession continuously in the city with ever increasing prestige and 
success which has never abated during the long period of his career. Dr. 
Johnson is one of the best loved and well respected professional men of the 
city who has won his place in the front rank of his profession by sheer merit 
and ability of a high order. Despite his seventy-tiiree years of age he still 
continues to minister to the ailing and has kept abreast of the wonderful 
advances made in medical science. 

Dr. G. H. T. Johnson was born near Mt. Vernon, Jefferson county, Illi- 
nois, October 15, 1842, a son of James and Lydia (Cricle) Johnson, the 
former a native of Connecticut and tlie latter of Illinois. His paternal grand- 
father, George Johnson, was a soldier in the American army during the War 
of 1812. The father of Dr. Johnson died when he was an infant and his 
mother departed this life at the age of seventy-eight years. George H. T. 
was educated in the public schools of Jefferson county and ]\Iount Vcnion. 
He remained at home until the summer of 1862, when he enlisted in the 
, Union army as a member of Company G, One Hundred and Tenth regiment. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 457 

Illinois infantry. In September of the same year' tin's regiment was assigned 
to the command of General Buell, then at Louisville, Ky., and first saw action 
at the battle of Perryville, Ky., Octol>er 8, 1862. Subsequently, the One 
Hundred and Tenth was transferred to General Rosecran's army and took 
part in the great battle of Stone River and the campaign which resulted in 
the capture of Chattanooga, and the great battle of Chickamauga. He was 
under General Thomas at the battles of Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain and 
Missionary Ridge. General Grant in person directed the maneuvers of Gen- 
erals Thomas' and Rosecran's combined forces during these famous engage- 
ments. Subsequently, his regiment was assigned to the cominand of General 
Sherman and served under Sherman until the close of the Civil war. He took 
part in the siege and capture of Atlanta and the famous March to the Sea, 
which culminated in the capture of Savannah, which city Sherman presented 
to President Lincoln as a Christmas gift. He also participated in the cam- 
paign of the Carolinas and was at the last battle fought by Sherman's army 
at Bentonville, N. C, and at the surrender of the Confederate army under 
Gen. Joseph Johnston near Raleigh. From there the victorious army marched 
to Richmond, thence to Baltimore and on to Washington, where they par- 
ticipated in the Grand Review. Mr. Johnson was honorably discharged from 
the service and mustered out June 8, 1865. The doctor tells many anecdotes 
of his long and varied army experience which are all interesting and show 
that he proved himself not unworthy of the martial blood coursing through 
his veins and transmitted from his grandfather. 

Upon his return home from the war Mr. Johnson taught one term of 
school and then decided to take up the study of medicine and make the science 
of healing his life vocation. .Accordingly, he entered the Cleveland Homeo- 
pathic Medical College and subsequently attended the Homeopathic Medical 
College of St. Louis, Mo., where he was graduated February 26, 1869. While 
a student at college he heard of the city of Atchison and was impressed with 
the idea that it would be a good place to locate. After looking around for 
a few weeks he became convinced that Atchison was a desirable location for 
a young physician and he came here in April of 1869 and soon built u]) an 
excellent practice which grew in volume as the years went on. In 1885 Gov- 
ernor Martin appointed Dr. Johnson a member of the State board of health, 
and in April of that year he was elected president of the board and retained 
the position for eight years. He is president of the Atchison board of pension 
examiners for the LTnited States Government and has acted in that capacity 
for several years, his service as pension examiner beginning during the term 
of President Arthur and continuing under the administrations of Presidents 



45!^ HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Harrison, McKinlcy, Roosevelt and Taft. lie always takes an interest in 
tlie hrotliers who f(night in the aiiny under the stars and stripes for the 
preservation of the American I'nion and does eventhing in his power to aid 
the old soldiers. He is a charter nienihcr of the Homeopathic Medical Society 
of Kansas and served two terms as president of this society. He is also a 
meinher and has been a senior member of the American Institute of Homeo- 
pathy, the oiliest medical institute in the United States. For many years he 
has been a member of the American Public Health Association, as well as 
the County, State, and American Medical Associations. Fraternally, he is 
affiliated with the Masonic order, the Independent Order of Odd hVllows, 
and tlie .\ncient Order of XTnjted Workmen, and has been a surgeon of John 
.•\. Martin Post. No. 03. Grand Army of the Reimblic. since its organixation, 
excepting two years when be served as the post commandei-. Ur. Johnson 
is a man of wide and thorough experience, broad and tolerant in his views, 
who h.is comm.uuled tlie ciMifidenee and high esteem of the people of Atch- 
ison and the sm-ronnding countn- during the many years m which he has 
been a resilient of the cily. He is one of llie best known men in the county 
anil holds high rank as a physician whose skill has not suffered alxitement 
as the years have gone by. 

Dr. Charles 11. Johnson, his son, practices with Ins father, lie is a 
gnidu.ite of the Kansas State ITniversily and completed a course in the medi- 
cal ilepartment of Columbia University, N. Y., and also graduated from the 
(."ollcge of riiysicians and Surgeons of Xew York Cily. b'or two yeais lie 
served as staff physici.m of the Roosevelt Hospital of Xew ^'ork City, where 
he gained a wide ;md \aried experience in the practice of liis profession that 
has pro\en to be iiualuablc lo him in his later c.arcei'. Since locating in .\tch- 
ison with his father be lias built up a fine ]iractice ami servetl for ten years as 
.surgeon of the Orphans" Home at .\tchison. 



THOMAS C. TREAT. 



Thomas C. Treat, who is eng.iged in the investment brokei-age business 
in .\tchi.>^on, is one of the extensive land owners of .Xtchison county. Mr. 
Treat is a native of Atchison county. lxirn March 26. 1R65. and is a son of 
Levi .^. and Mary O. (Cooper) Treat, the former a native of Connecticut 
.and the latter of F.ngl.iiul, ^lary D. Cooper was born in I'.xeter. Devonsliire. 
b'.ngknul. an.l was ,1 daughter of Tboinas and Man- \ Cooper, The Cooper 



HISTORY OK ATCHISON COUNTY 459 

family immigrated \<> America wluii Mary I), was a eliild. 'I'lie family eon- 
sisted of the ])arents and tliiee cliildreii. Tliey made 1'ie trip acrtjss tlie 
Atlantic in a sailing- vessel, the voyage taking six wcoks. 'I'liey located at 
Covington, Ky., where the parents spent their lives. Mary i^. Cooper had 
friends living in Atchison, and came here in 1857, where she later met and 
married Levi S. Treat. Levi S. Treat was lx)rn in Connecticnt in 181 4, and 
was a .son of Amos Treat, who removed with his family lo the Western Re- 
serve, which compri.sed twelve counties in northeastern Ohio. The Treat 
family located in that section in 1828, when Levi S. was fourteen years old, 
and lliere tlie ])arents spent the remainder of their lives. 

When a young man, Levi S. Treat was in the employ of the Covernment, 
l)rospecting for copper in the Lake Suiierior region. lie was thus engaged 
for eight or ten years, and in 1856 came to Atchison county. Kansas. .Shortly 
after arriving here, he jireempted 160 acres of land, part of which is now in- 
cluded within the city limits of Atchison. Here he followed farming and 
fruit growing in the early days and prospered and acf|uired consideralile 
land. He dealt rjuite extensively in real estate and was one of the early pro- 
moters of Atchison, and built the first brick business hou.se in that city. Tliis 
building was located two doors east of the Ryrum Hotel. Levi S. Treat 
was a successful business man and one of the substantial citizens of Alchi- 
.son county. During the Civil war I.e was a colonel of the Twelfth regiment, 
Kansas militia. He died April 13, 1881, and his wife survived him for sev- 
eral years, passing away March 29, 19L3. They were the parents of six 
children, as follows: Kate married .Samuel K. VVoodworth, and they reside 
in California; Frank resides in Arizona; Thomas C, the subject of this 
sketch; Alice married George Cuerrier, of Atchison, Kan.; Grace married 
William Berry, of Atchison, Kan., and Ethel married Harry McHuff, of 
Omaha, Neb. 

Tliomas C. Treat was rearerl in AtchisfHi and eflucalcd in the pul)lic 
schools, and later attended St. Benedict's College. He then was engaged in 
fniit growing for a number of years, and in 1889 engaged in the investment 
anrl brokerage business in Atchison, and has continued in that business to 
the ])resent time. Mr. Treat owns over 1,100 acres of land besides various 
other interests and investments. He is one of the pi<-;neer fruit growers of 
.Atchison county, and owns a fifty-acre fruit farm, which has few equals, if 
any, in the State of Kansas. The trees on this place arc a1x)Ut fifteen years 
old, and. invlcr normal conditions, are very productive. Mr. Treat has made 
an extensive study of the fruit business and has developed a scientific system 



460 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of treating his trees. He was the first fmit man in Atchison county to use 
the spray method, and he has been very successful in the fruit business. 

Mr. Treat was one of the organizers of tlie Union Trust Company, 
which was later merged into the Exchange State Bank, and has been a direc- 
tor, or other officer, in that institution since its organization. He is also a 
stockholder in the Exchange State Bank. He is a member of the Benevolent 
and Protective Order of Elks, and is one of the progressive and public spir- 
ited citizens of Atchison county. 



CHARLES H. FUHRMAN. 



Charles H. Fuhrman, farmer and stockman, of Lancaster township, Atch- 
ison county, Kansas, was born in Schleasien, Germany, December 13, 1852. 
He is a son of Ernst and Louise (Heine) Fuhrman, and is their only 
child. The father was married again, however, and to his second wife, Jo- 
hanna Gerlach, twelve children were born, as follows : Ernst, Atchison, Kan. ; 
Caroline (Dierking), Dodge City, Kan.; Louise (Repstein), Jefferson 
county, Kansas; William, St. Joseph, Mo.; Reinhold, farmer, Lancaster 
township, Atchison county, Kansas ; Julius, Doniphan county, Kansas ; Trau- 
got, Center township, Atchison county ; Herman, Lancaster township, Atch- 
ison county; Paul, Center township, Atchison county; Emma (Schwope), 
Center township. Two children died in infancy. The father was 
born in Germany July 8, 1826, and in 1872 came to America 
and settled in Atchison county, Kansas, where he bought 160 acres 
of land in section 16, Lancaster town.ship. Tliis was timber and 
prairie land and there was only a small, poorly built house on it at the time, 
but during the twenty years wliich he owned it he built several substantial 
buildings and made numerous improvements. He then sold the place to his 
son, Herman, and removed to Lancaster, where he lived in quiet, well-earned 
retirement for five years, when he went to live with his son, Paul, in Cen- 
ter town.ship. where he died September 2, 19 13. The mother, Louise (Heine) 
Fuhrman, died in Germany when a young woman in 1852. Charles Fuhr- 
man's step-mother, Joehanna (Gerlach) Fuhrman, was bom in Germany, and 
is now living witii her daughter, Emma, in Center township, Atchison county, 
in her eighty-fifth year. 

Charles Fuhrman left Germany with his parents when he was nineteen 
years of age. He had received his education under the German system, and 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 461 

had been taught the carpenter's trade, but never followed this occupation 
after lie came to America. He remained with liis parents, helping his father 
on the farm in Lancaster townsliip until he was twenty-five years old, 
when he bought i6o acres of land in section i8, Lancaster township. When 
he took possession tlie farm had mi improvements, and he first built a house 
and a barn, and added other improvements and conveniences. He acquired 
more land until he now owns 390 acres, including eight acres of 
fine timlier land on his home place and ten acres of timber oh 
the farm which he rents. He has stocked his farm with graded animals. Be- 
sides his real estate investments, Mr. Fuhrman is a shareholder in the Huron 
Telephone Company. He was married in 1878 to Louise Roerchen. who was 
born in Germany July 16, 1857. She left her native land with her uncle. 
Karl Schwope, in i860. They came to Wathena, Doniphan county, Kansas. 
Her mother died on the ocean while coming to America and the little daugh- 
ter was reared by her grandparents in Doniphan county and attended the 
grammar sch(.)()l at Wathena. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Fuhr- 
man : Em.st, farmer, Lancaster township, Atchison county; Ida (Tuley), de- 
ceased; William, Lancaster township; Selma (Lange), Grasshopper town- 
ship, Atchison county; Edward, living at home; Mallei, also living with her 
parents. Mr. Fuhrman is a Republican, and has been road overseer of Lan- 
caster township. He belongs to the Evangelical church, and is a member of 
the Modern W'oodmen of America. 



CHARLES LINLEY. 



A true analysis of the growth and developniL-nt of the man- 
ufacturing and commercial enterprises of a city invarialily lirings forth 
the fact that while the interested principals furnished capital, energ}- 
and ability, its financial institutions were also material factors. The 
citv of .\tchison is not an exception to the rule. The policy of her banks has 
been, since the first one was established, to extend assistance to merchants 
and manufacturers. Both executives and directors have been keenly alive 
to the fact that a lil)cral policy, in so far as was consistent with sound bank- 
ing, was essential to commercial growth. Among those who have realized 
success in this field of activity is he whose name initiates this article. He first 
entered the banking life of the city in the early nineties, subsequently .sen-ed 
Atchison county in an official capacity and re-entered financial circles as one 
of the organizers of the Union Trust Company in 1907, was later elected 



462 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

cashier of the Exchange State Bank, and in 1911 resigned to accept his pres- 
ent position, that of cashier of the First National Bank. 

Charles Linley was born in the city of Atchison July 10. 1867. and is 
the only surviving member of the family of Dr. James M. Linley, a pioneer 
physician of the city and one of her most influential citizens. Dr. Linley 
was born in Salem. Ky., the son of a pioneer, and was of English descent. 
He was reared in his native State, received a good academic and classical 
education, and subsequently entered Miami Medical College at Cincinnati, 
Ohio, from which he was graduated with the Degree of Doctor of Medicine. 
During the closing years of the Civil war he entered the Union army as a regi- 
mental surgeon and sened until the close of the conflict. Previous to enter- 
ing the army he had married Mary A. Hubbard, a daughter of Charles Hub- 
bard, of Hickman, Ky., a member of one of Kentucky's most prominent 
families, an influential citizen and a widely known and successful physician. 

Following his service in the Union army, he came to tiie conclusion that 
Kansas spelled opportunity for him, and bringing liis family, located in the 
city of Atchison in 1865. From this time until his death, which occurred 
November 28, 1900. he continued in the active practice of his profession. He 
was recognized as one of the most successful physicians and surgeons in 
northeastern Kansas. He was a man of attractive personality, was intimately 
acquainted throughout the city and county and licld in tlie highest esteem by 
all who knew him. His record for continuous years of practice has seldom 
been equaled in the State. He was a believer in the religion of ileed. and his 
creed v.-as to do good. He believed in the gospel of help and hope. For forty- 
five years he lived his creed and preached his gospel to the citizens of his 
adopted State. He was not only a successful physician but also realized a 
substantial success in a commercial way. He was directly or indirectly 
interested in many business enterprises. He was one of the active forces in 
the organization of liie First National Bank, and from the establishment u^itil 
his death was a member of its directorate. He and his wife were prom- 
inent in the social and religious life of the city, and the Linley residence was 
known for its gracious hospitality which was extended to their many friends 
with true Kentucky spirit. Dr. and Mrs. Linley were the parents of five 
children, all of whom, with the exception of our subject, are deceased. Hub- 
bard Linley, the eldest, was graduated in medicine and became one of the 
most prominent surgeons in northeast Kansas. He was division surgeon of 
the Missouri Pacific railway, Atchi.son district. His death occurred in July, 
igii. Tliomas died in childhood; Victor, on November 20, 1915: and Maria 
died in childhood. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 463 

Charles Linley was reared in the city of Atchison and received his early 
education in its puhlic schools. Subsequently, he entered Kansas University, 
where he completed a course in English. He initiated his commercial career 
in 1887 when he entered the employ of the First National Bank of Atchison 
in the capacity of collector. In 1892 he was appointed deputy treasurer of 
Atchison count\-. That he filled this position satisfactorily is attested 
throug-h his having been electeil treasurer of the county in 1899 and re-elected 
to that office in 1902. His second term expired in 1905, but he held over 
until 1907, as the gentleman elected to the office in the fall of 1904 died 
before being sworn in. The administration of the affairs of this office under 
Mr. Linley was marked by efficiency, economy and courtesy. During the 
last two years of this service he was the junior member of the Antle-Linley 
Grain Company of Atchison, In 1907 he was actively concerned in organiz- 
ing the Union Trust Company of Atchison, and was elected secretary and 
treasurer. He filled this position until 1909, when the Exchange State Bank 
was organized. This institution took over the Union Trust Company, and 
Mr. Linley Mas elected cashier. He remained w'ith the Exchange State Bank 
until 191 1, when he was elected cashier of the First National Bank, the insti- 
tution in which he had received his first business experience some twenty 
years previous, and in the organization of which his father was an active 
factor. To the banking fraternity ]\Ir. Linlev is known as an energetic, able 
and progressive executive, one who has brought the administrative policy of 
his bank to a point of high efficiency. He has extensive commercial inter- 
ests aside from the bank. He is a stockholder in the Globe Publishing Com- 
pany, the Bailor Plow- Company, and the Cain ^filling Company. Since 
attaining his majority, he has been active in the political life of the county, 
and is one of the influential members of the Progressive party. Mr. Linley 
is a member and past exalted ruler of Atchison Lodge, No. 647, Benevo- 
lent and Protective Order of Elks. He is also a member of Atchison Lodge, 
No. 404, Loyal Order of Moose. 

On June 26, 1890, in Atchison, Mr. Linley married Miss Roberta Wil- 
son Riddell, a daughter of Mrs. Josephine E. Riddell. Thev have one child, 
Robert Wilson Linley, born in Atchison, March 8, 1894. He was educated 
in the public schools of his native city and graduated from its high school. 
In 191 1 he entered the law^ department of Kansas University, remaining 
until 19 1 3, when he entered the University of \\'isconsin, where he completed 
a course in English. In 191 5 he entered the employ of the First National 
Bank of Atchison in the capacitv of collector and remittance clerk. 



464 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

WILLIAM H. BUSH. 

William H. Bush, farmer and stockman, of Lancaster township, Atchi- 
son county, was born January 16, 1856, in Hanover, Pa. He is a son of 
Elias D. and Sarah (Keithline) Bush, and was one of six children, as fol- 
lows: William, subject of this sketch; Samuel, deceased; John, deceased; 
Andrew, foreman of tailoring establishment in St. Louis, Mo. ; Charles F., 
signal man for the Missouri Pacific railway in Colorado; Minnie, Atchison, 
Kan. Elias D. Bush, the father, was born December 16, 1834, in Penn- 
sylvania. He was a stationary engineer and also followed farming for a time. 
During the eighties he came to Atchison county and took up farming in 
Sliannon township. For a few years he rented his land, but later bought 
160 acres in section 26, Lancaster township, which is now owned by .\mel 
Markwalt. Elias D. Bush followed farming here until 1904, when he sold 
his place and removed to Atchison, where he is now living in retirement. 
William H. Bush's mother was born February 27, 1834, in Hanover. Pa., 
and died in iSgo, and is buried in Lancaster cemeter}'. 

William H. Bush attended the common schools in Hanover, Pa., and 
later worked in the coal mines. In 1876 he left the East and came to Atchi- 
son county, Kansas, and for five years worked for his uncle, Andrew Keith- 
line, and then rented land in Shannon township for eleven years. He was 
successful in this venture, and in 1890 bought the fami of 160 acres which 
he now fanns, in Lancaster township. When he took the farm it had only 
the most meager improvements, consisting chiefly of a small liouse and an old 
barn, both in a dilapidated condition. Mr. Bush has l)uilt a fine eleven-room 
house and a large barn, 64x60 feet. This liarn cost him 83,000, and he is 
willing to wager that it is one of the best, though perliaps not the largest, in 
Alcliison county. He now owns 320 acres of land in Lancaster township 
and lias a number of head of high grade stock, including Shorthorn cattle 
and Duroc Jersey hogs. Mr. Bush is a practical farmer, who, with prac- 
tically no start, has, by hard work and diligent economy, become a man of 
comfortable circumstances. He holds a position of high esteem among the 
many acquaintances he has made in Atchison county. 

On March 30. 1881, Mr. Bush was united in marriage with Ellen J- 
Christian, a native of the Isle of Man, a small island in the Irish sea lying 
l)etween Ireland and England. She was born January 24. 1857, a daughter 
of Charles and Mary (Kneale) Christian, both of whom were natives of the 
Isle of Man. Mrs. Bush died in February. 191 1. They had six children, as 
follows : Cora, Atchison, Kan. ; Harry, Atchison, Kan. ; Marv Smithson, 



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HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 465 

Lancaster, Kan.; Ina, deceased; Sarah, Atchison Kan.; Jessie, Atchison, Kan. 
On October 29, 1913, Mr. Bush married Mary E. Christian, a niece of his 
first wife, and a daughter of Charles and Ellen J- (Wade) Christian, natives 
of the Isle of Man. She was born near Pardee, Atchison county, March 21. 
1869, and attended the Catholic parochial school of Atchison. They have no 
children. Mr. Bush is a Republican and attends the Methodist church. He 
is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen 
of America of Lancaster. He also is a member of the .\tchison County Pro- 
tective Association, of which he was one of the organizers, and served as 
president of the association for a number of years. 

Mr. Bush is one of the most successful farmers in Kansas and is the 
owner of a highly productive tract of land. As an illustration of his success 
as a farmer, the records show that from a tract of twenty-one acres there 
was corn produced at an average of 108 bushels to the acre the first year, 
ninety-seven bushels to the acre the second year, and eighty-four bushels to 
the acre the third year, after which the land was sown to wheat in the natural 
order of crop rotation and the yield was thirty-eight bushels to the acre. 
Mr. Bush is a fiiTn believer in crop rotation as a means of preserving the 
fertility of the soil. 



MICHAEL I. HINES. 



For an individual to come to Atchison county without funds and with 
practically no influential friends to assist him to achieve success, it is remark- 
able for him to accomplish in the rather brief period of twenty-six years as 
much as has been "done by Michael J. Hines, of Lancaster township, Atchison 
county. It is apparent that Kansas presents unusual opportunities for a man 
to better his condition, if one man can accumulate 480 acres of land, liccome 
president of a flourishing banking concern and a stockholder in another im- 
portant city bank. The main reason for Mr. Hines' wonderful success must 
lie in the ability of the man himself," and the reviewer must of necessitv con 
elude that the power to achieve was inherent in his mental and physical make- 
up, which, combined with industry, dccidefl financial ability, honestv and 
uprightness has made him one of the leading citizens of his adopted county. 
Mr. Hines is a scion of old southern families, and comes of good old Vir- 
ginia stock on his mother's side, being descended from the well known Hiui- 
ter family of Virginia, who were among the founders of the Baptist church 
in the soulldand. Mr. Hines is a large stockholder and director, and was 

30 



466 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

formerly vice-president of the Antelope Peak copper mines of Arizona. He 
is the owner of a 320-acre irrigated ranch in the Valier valley of Montana, 
near Valier. 

Michael J. Hines was born July 5, 1863, in Roanoke county, Virginia, 
and was one of tlie twelve children of Henry and Katherine (Jeter) Hines, 
six of whom are living. The father was bom in Rockingham county, Vir- 
ginia, in 1833. He was a Confederate soldier during the Civil war, having 
enlisted in Virginia but was not in any battles during the war. His life was 
spent in farming except for a time when he speculated in Confederate money. 
At the close of the war he had a sack full of Confederate scrip which 
could not be redeemed. He died at his home in Abington, Va., in 1898. His 
father, Richard Hines, was of Irish descent and was a plantation owner in 
Virginia. His mother was Sallie (Howmaker) Hines, and was of German 
descent. The mother of Michael Hines was also a Virginian, having been 
born in Bedford county, Virginia, in 1841. She died in 1890. She was a 
daughter of Allison Jeter. Her mother was a member of the Hunter family, 
who were among the first members of the Baptist church. 

Michael Hines was reared and educated in Virginia and left that State 
in 1883 when he was twenty years of age. settling in Morgan county. Illinois, 
where he worked as a farm hand for six years. He then came to Atchison, 
Kan., and was engaged as foreman 1iy the Greenleaf & Baker Grain Com- 
pany. Six years later he bought his present farm of 160 acres. It was un- 
improved and none of the land was broken. Since buying the land he has 
made $10,000 worth of improvements on his place and has set out fifteen 
acres of orchard. This evidence speaks for the thrift and good judgment of 
Mr. Hines. He also has bought 480 acres of land in Lancaster township. 
He is a live, progressive farmer and stock raiser and keeps graded stock of 
all kinds on his farm. Mr. Hines is a shareholder and president of the Lan- 
caster State Bank, and is also a stockholder in the German-American Bank 
of Atchison, Kan. In politics Mr. Hines is a Democrat, but votes inde- 
pendently in county and State affairs, and for the individual. 

Mr. Hines was married in i8go at Alexander, 111., to Lillie Kaiser, who 
was born August 27, 1870, and six children have been born to this union, as 
follows: Samuel, who was graduated from the Atchison business college, 
and is now farming at home; Frank, Helen, Louise and Lillian, all living 
at home, and one died in infancy. Mr. Hines is a member of the Methodist 
church and is a trustee and steward in the Shannon Methodist Episcopal 
Church. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America and the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows of Lancaster, Kan. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 467 

CHARLES H. FALK. 

Charles H. Falk, of Shannon township, is the owner of the first tract of 
land which was filed upon in the Atchison count}- land office in 1854. This 
farm was preempted by Capt. William Jackson, who was a justice of the 
peace and a captain of home guards during the Civil war, and died at Ft. 
Worth, Tex., in 191 1. The first house built on the place was made from 
material taken from the cabin of a river steamer sunk in the Missouri river. 
Henrv Falk, father of Cliarles. and his son, have made so many excellent 
improvements on the dwelling that the dining room of the present resi- 
dence is the only part of the old cabin now in use. This part of the home 
was built in 1857. The original owner set out a grove of cottonwoods in 
1857 which was cut down in the fall of 1892 by the present proprietor, and 
erected a barn from the lumber sawed, which made over 112,000 feet of good 
mercliantable lumber. Mr. Falk's barn \\as built from this lumber, with the 
exception of the shingles. Captain Jackson sold the land to Frank Fislier, 
who died in 1877, six months after the purchase, and it was bought by Henry 
Falk, father of Charles H., in 1878. After Henrj- Falk's death, Charles H. 
came into possession of the land by inheritance, and bv purchase of the inter- 
ests of the other heirs. He has made very extensive improvements since be- 
coming the owner and despite that the soil has been in constant cultivation 
for more than sixty years the yield of crops is greater now than ever before, 
and the wheat crops in late years have exceeded twenty-two bushels an acre. 
The farm residence is attractively situated, in the center of the tract of 155 
acres and is reached by a splendid driveway, kept in first class condition by 
Mr. Falk. In fact, the private road to the Falk residence is kept in far better 
condition than many of the country roads in Atchison county, and is in keep- 
ing with the general appearance of this fine farm. 

Charles H. Falk was born May 23, 1864, in Watertown, Wis., a son of 
Henry, born in 1815, and died, 1894, and of Wilhelmina (Clout) Falk, born 
1819, and (lied m 1901. Both parents were born on the River Rhino in Ger- 
many, and married in their native land. Henry Falk was a cabinet-maker 
and immigrated to Wisconsin in 1857, and worked at his trade until 1866, 
when he settled on a farm. He came to Atchison county with his family in 
1879, a"d on February 2, of that year, moved on the fann whicli he had 
purchased the preceding year. 

Charles H. Falk was married in 1885 to Elizabeth Wolters, a daughter 
of John Wolters, a native of Holland, who was one of the first brickmakers 
in Atchison and Doniphan counties. John Wolters emigrated from Holland 



468 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

to Doniphan county. Kansas, in 1857. and came to Atchison in 1858. Dur- 
ing his long residence in Atchison he has been a manufacturer of brick, and 
the results of his handiwork are seen in the construction of many of the brick 
buildings in the city. Mr. W'olters was born in Ma\-. 1827. and is now over 
eighty-nine years of age and the oldest Atchison county resident at the pres- 
ent time. He lives a retired life on South Second street. Mr. and Mrs. 
Falk iiave children as follows: Joint H., a resident of Beattie, Marshall county, 
married Margaret Gressel, and they have two children. Karl and Pauline; 
Henrv. in the employ of the Symns Grocer Company ; Anna, a seamstress, liv- 
ing with her parents ; Rose, wife of John McGrath. a traveling salesman for 
the Symns Grocer Company, and they have one child. Rosemary ; Herbert, 
aged twenty years, and Irene, aged ten years, both of whom are at home with 
their parents. 

'Sir. Falk and his family are members of St. Benedict's Catholic Church, 
and Mr. Falk is a member of the chtuTh committee of four councilors. He 
is a Democrat, but is inchned U> be independent in his voting, having 
a decided leaning toward the support of those candidates that seem best fitted 
for the t>ffice. He has filled n(^ civic office but that of township trustee, 
which he held for one year, having been appointed by the county commis- 
sioners to fill a vacancy in Shannon township. He is affiliated with the 
Catholic Mutual Benefit Association and the Central Protective Association 
and is a mcml)er of the St. Jose])!! societv. 



GEORGE DORSSOM. 



George Dorssom. fme of the oldest living pioneer settlers of Lancaster 
township in point of residence, now living retired at Lancaster. Atchison 
county, was born August 4, 1864, in Lancaster township, Atchison county. 
He is a .son of George and Sophia (Storm) Dorssom. and was one of thir- 
teen children, four boys and five girls of whom are still living. The subject 
of this sketch was the seventh child of the family. The father of George 
Dorssom, whose name also was George, was born in Germany January 8, 
1820. He sailed to .\merica and settled in New Orleans when a young man 
and worked as a tailor there. He then went to Wayne county, Ohio, where 
he worked as a tailor for a time, when he engaged in farming. In tS6o he 
came to Atchison county, Kansas, and bought forty acres of prairie land in 
section 21, Lancaster township, which he broke with oxen. He farmed on 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 469 

this place until his death in January. 1895. He came to America a stranger 
and without funds, but b}^ hard work he accumulated considerable means and 
reared ten out of a family of thirteen children. His wife, Sophia, was a de- 
voted help-mate, and when they were struggling- to make their farm pay. she 
would load up a small hand wagon with vegetables and garden truck and pull 
it to Lancaster, where she would sell or exchange the produce for goods. This 
trip was two miles, and it was a great exertion for Mrs. Dorssom. but she 
was glad to be able to help her husband in whatever way she could. After 
the death of her first husband she was married again on February 19, 1896, 
to Jacob Merkel, a native of Germany. He died March 12. 1908. His wife 
is still active, despite her age, and lives in Lancaster with a maid. She is 
able to be about her work and takes a keen interest in life. Her children are : 
Mrs. Margaret Klep])e, a widow, residing in Brown county, Kansas; Mrs. 
Katherine Hinz. a widow. Lancaster, Kan: ; John, fanner, Lancaster town- 
ship; Mrs. Caroline Kloepper, deceased; Mrs. Sophia Myer, living in Sol- 
dier. Jackson county. Kansas ; Adam, Lancaster township ; Louisa Henrietta, 
dead: ]\Irs. Lizzie Myer. of Lancaster; Dora W.. deceased; Adam, of Lan- 
caster, Kan. ; Mrs. Louisa Fridel. Brown county. Kansas ; Henry, farmer, 
and three children who died in infancy. She has forty-five grandchildren 
and fifteen great-gi-andchildren and is very proud of them all. Her descend- 
ants all earn.- the idea of an industrious woman with them and the in- 
fluence of the life of this woman will stay with them all through their lives. 

George Dorssom, the subject of this sketch, was reared on the farm of 
his father. He attended school in tb.e Bell district and worked on his father's 
farm until he was twenty-five years of age. He then bought eighty acres of 
land from his father in section 21, Lancaster township, and followed farm- 
ing for fifteen years. He has added. forty acres to his farm and made exten- 
sive improvements to the extent of $7,000. He now owns 138 acres of land 
and a fine residence with about five acres of residence property in Lancas- 
ter. Kansas. Mr. Dorssom was a breeder of Berk.shire hogs, to which he paid 
special attention. In 1909 he retired and moved to Lancaster, Kan. He is 
a Republican and was a member of the city council for four years, h'or a 
tenri of seven years he was road supervisor of Lancaster township. He has 
alwavs taken an active interest in public affairs of his community. He has 
led a useful life and looks back on one of the longest careers of living citizens 
who were born in Atchison county. He has traveled in many parts of the 
United States, but is glad to have settled down in retirement in Atchison 
county, believing it to be the happiest country he has ever seen. 

On December 31, 1890, Mr. Dorssom married Hulda Hinz, wlm was 



470 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

born in Germany October i, i860. She came to America when she was 
twenty years old. Her father, Edward Hinz, died in Germany in 1895, at 
the age of fifty-eight years. Tlie mother. CaroHne (Lutce) Hinz. came to 
Atchison county, Kansas, in 1896, and now resides at Leavenworth. Mrs. 
Dorssom attended school in Germany. She was one of nine children. A 
brother, Richard, is a florist at Leavenworth, Kan., and two brothers 
are in tlie same business, one, Rudolph, at St. Joseph, Mo., and the other, 
Amiel, at Leavenworth. Mr. and Mrs. Dorssom have no children, but 
they adopted a child, Gustave Hinz, a nephew of Mrs. Dorssom. They reared 
and educated him, and he is now farming on the home place. Both Mr. and 
Mrs. Dorssom are members of the English Lutheran church. He is a char- 
ter member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has been a mem- 
ber of the Lancaster Lodge of Odd Fellows, No. 355, since October, 1891, 
nearly twentv-five years. Mrs. Dorssom is a charter member of the Daugh- 
ters of Rebekah Lodge, No. 431. 



CYRUS E. DAVIS. 



Cyrus E". Davis, founder and proprietor uf the firm C. E. Davis & 
Sons, plumbing and heating contractors, at 509 Kansas avenue, is one of 
Atchison's leading citizens, and a successful business man who has liuilt up his 
business from a modest l;eginning in a few short years. Fie first started with 
a small simp on Commercial street, and in October. 1914, moved to his present 
location. A complete stock of .plumbing, heating and steam fitting goods is 
carried in the shop, exceeding a value of $2,500. The excellence and thor- 
oughness of the work done bv the Davis establishment is marked, and the 
business is constantly on the increase. 

.Mr. Davis was born October 10, 1864. in I-'rederick county. Maryland, 
son of George W. and Belinda (Saunders) Davis. The Davis family is a 
^■ery old one of W'elsli extraction in America. The founders of this family 
were four brothers, who crossed the ocean and left their native land of Wales 
cari\- in llie se\enleentli century. George W. Davis was also born in I'rcd- 
erick county. Maryland, and became a contractor and builder, lie followed 
his trade in his native State until 1873, when he migrated to Nebraska with 
his family. Later he went to Texas, where he died in 1900. He was the 
father of nine sons, as follows : George W., a contractor and builder, of 
David City, Neb. ; Harry ^^^, a building contactor, of Houston, Texas ; Theo- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 47I 

dore E., a contracting painter, of Columbus, Neb. ; Mahlon, a tailor, located 
in Xorwalk, Ohio; William M., deceased; Lewis A., a tinner and coppersmith, 
of San Bernardino, Cal., in the emplo\' of the Santa Fe railroad; Cyrus E., 
with whom this review is directly concerned ; Frank H., business agent for 
the Carpenters' Union of Oklahoma City, Okla. The mother of these chil- 
dren was also born in Frederick county, Maryland, in 1825. a daughter of 
Mr. and ]\lrs. Walter Saunders, natives of England, ^^^alter Saunders came 
of a good English family and studied in a boarding school of Southhampton. 
England, and became a school teacher in Marvdand. He had the distinction 
of having taught for forty years in one school district in Frederick county, 
Maryland, and became well-to-do. Mrs. Davis died in 1889. 

Cyrus E. Davis was educated in the public schools of Columbus. Neb., 
learned his father's trade when a young man, and after taking a correspon- 
dence course in bridge engineering, he entered the employ of the Missouri 
Pacific Railway Company as bridge constructor. He remained with this 
road for five years and came to Atchison in 1886. He was employed by the 
Missouri Pacific Railway Company until 1905 and then entered the plumbing 
and heating department of the Farwell Heating Company for one and one- 
half years, and then became foreman for the Thayer Supply Company of 
Atchison. In tlie year 1912 he started a shop of his own on Commercial 
street and was successful from the start. It became necessary for him to 
seek larger quarters, and in October of 1914 he moved his Inisiness and shop 
to his present location. 

Mr. Davis was united in marriage with Ida Mayhood in 1889, and to 
this union have been born seven children, as follows: Frank M., George E., 
Reynold. Fred. Norma. Charles, and Verner, deceased. .All of Mr. Davis' 
sons are associated with him in his business, and have learned to become 
expert plumbers and steamfitters under their father's tutelage. The mother 
of these children was born November 9. 1869, in Leavenworth county, Kan- 
sas, a daughter of George and Mary (Carr) Mayhood. natives of Ireland, 
and Canada, respectively. George Mayhood emigrated from Ireland in an 
early day and settled in Leavenworth county about 1865, where he engaged 
in farming. He and his wife were married in Lowell, Mass. 

Mr. Davis is a Republican, and lias taken an acti\c and influential part 
in the civic life of his adopted city, having served two terms as a member 
of the city council. He and his family are members of the Christian church, 
and he is fraternally connected with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. 
Active Lodge, No. 158. and the Modern Woodmen of America, in lioth of 
which lodges he is much interested. 



472 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

HENRY BUTTRON. 

Tlie life story of Henry Buttron, late of Lancaster township. Atchison 
county, Kansas, reveals the accomplishments of a poor German emij;^rant, wlio 
began his career in Kansas witli nn money, and rose to become the practical 
leader of the German colon)- in the township, and to amass considerable 
wealth. His large farm of 960 acres wliich he owned at the time of his demise 
was left intact, to be held in tnist for liis children and heirs. 

Henry Buttron was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, October 12, 
1831, and he was one of the five sons of Jacob and Margaret (Zimmer) But- 
tron, two of whom came to America from their native land. Two brothers of 
the family, Frederick and Henry, came to America in 1852; Frederick settled 
in Pittsburgh, as did Henry, and he resided there until 1854, and then came 
to the \\'est. In his native land. Henry Buttron had learned the trade of 
blacksmitli ; he worked at his trade in Pittsburgli. and after he came west, he 
was employed as a smith at Elgin, 111., until 1S57. He then came to Kansas 
and preempted a claim on section 22, Lancaster township, Atchison county. 
He brought a small amount of money with him, and was enabled to build a 
very small house, and then began to improve his farm. The crops failed in 
i860, and he found it necessary to resort to the hammer and anvil in order 
to gain a livelihood for himself and his family. He, accordingly, removed to 
Atchison and was employed at his trade by Tom Ray, of the firm of Ostertag 
& Carmichael, and Anthony & Ostertag, consecutively for nine }ears. He 
then returned to his claim, redeemed the unpaid ta.xes, and entered upon a new 
era of progress and industry wliich led to his great success in the ensuing 
years. In 1882 he erected a large, handsome farm house, which at tlie time 
was one of the most conspicuous homes in the county. He added to his pos- 
sessions as he was able, and accumulated a total of six quarter sections of 
good land, of 960 acres in all, all of which he left to his widow, who resides 
on the old home place. 

Henry Buttron was married in Atchison, Kan., in 1866, to Rosa Scheu, 
whose father, Andrew Scheu. came from \\'ittenberg. Germany. The fol- 
lowing children were born to this union: Rosa, wife of Louis (jerliardt, of 
Atchison: Emma, wife of Charles Kammer, of Lancaster township: Kate and 
Jacob, at home; Henrj', who married Bertha Kemmer: I'red. married Louise 
Meek, lives near Nortonville. Kan. : Anna, wife of George Schulz, Lancaster 
township: Karl, married Anna Hegland, Lancaster township: William, George 
and Louis, at home. The mother of tlicsc children was liorn in Germany, in 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 473 

May, 1845, and came to America with her parents when nine years of age. 
She was a daughter of Andrew and Rosena ( Baner ) Sclieu, both deceased. 

Mrs. Buttron has grandchildren as follows: Kathrine. Rosa and Hen- 
rietta Kamnier ; Henry Buttron's children, three, Clarence, Esther and Kulb : 
Fred Buttron has three children, Karl, Ralph, Mildred; Mrs. Anna Schuiz 
has two children, Gilbert and Karl : Mrs. Rosa Gerhardt has one son, William ; 
Karl Buttron has one cliild, Edward; Jacub Buttron has four ciiildren, Ber- 
tha. Emma, Alice and }onn. 

Henr\- Buttron died h'eljruary 8, 1913. During the Civil war he was a 
member of the Kansas State militia, and was in the engagement fought at 
Westport, and wiiicli resulted in the rout uf the forces of the rebel general. 
Price. Mr. Buttron always took a keen interest in local and county affairs, 
and took a prominent part in affairs of importance to the well being of the 
people. He was always modest and unostentatious in his conduct, and was 
greatly respected b}- the people of his neighborhood for his codI judgment 
and patriotism at all times. Henry Buttron was a good citizen, and a kind 
parent who was highly esteemed b)- all who knew him. 



W. H. SMITH. 



Some men are natural organizers and blessed with sucli a deep love for 
the well being of their fellowmen that their activities are to a considerable 
extent devoted to spreading the gospel of good fellowship among mankind. 
The social and fraternal orders wItIcIi are popular among men of any local- 
ity are simply the outgrowth of that desire, for the realization of a great 
dream for the "Brotherliond of Man," which was predicted 2,000 
years ago. .\ man who furtliers the growth of organizations whici: have 
the welfare of the individual, singl\- and collectivel}', at heart is doing a con- 
siderable amount of definite good for the Ijetterment of social conditions. 
Such a citizen is W. H. Smith, the widely known and efficient clerk of the 
district court of Atchison, county, and a likeable and able personality, who 
figures prominentlv in the history of his countv. 

Mr. Smith was torn Feliruary 3, 1855, at Knoxville, 111. \\c is a son of 
John and Harriet (Gibbons) Smith, natives of England. John Smith, the 
father, was horn in 1808, and died in the year 1863. He was a scion of an 
English family and was a graduate of Oxford University. He became a 
contractor and builder in his native land, l>ut immigrated to America with liis 



474 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

wife and three children in 1852. setthng; in Knoxvilie, 111., where he died 
eleven years later. He was the father of the following children : Mrs. Sarah 
Ann Simpson, deceased; Mrs. Harriet Ann Webb, of Burlington Junction, 
Mo. ; Charles E., of Sierra Blanca, Texas, emploj-ed as a stationary engineer 
by the Texas Pacific railway since 18S0. The mother of tliese children de- 
parted this life February 2, 1890, aged seventy-eight years, at the home of 
her daughter, Mrs. Simpson. 

W. H. Smith was reared in Knoxvilie, 111. Being left an orphan at an 
early age, by the death of his father, it was necessary for him to start work 
when a toy and practically earn his own living and educate himself. By 
working on neighboring farms during the spring and summer he was en- 
abled to attend school during tlie winter months, and succeeded in attend- 
ing the Knoxvilie high school. He did farm work until 1865 and then 
learned the printing trade in Knoxvilie. being attached to the staff of the 
Knoxvilie Republican during the winter of 1866 and '67, and remained un- 
til 1874 in that capacity. At the early age of twenty years he wedded Elmira 
Kistler, and tlien settled on a farm in Lehigh county. Pennsylvania, on which 
was located a tannery. He operated botl: farm and tannery until 1880. when 
he decided to cast his fortunes in the western country. March 2. 1880, he 
came to Atchison with his family and moved to a farm near Good Intent, five 
miles northwest of Atchison. The year before this he had made a trip to 
Atchison county and invested in eighty acres of land which was partly im- 
proved. He developed this tract into a very fine fann and sold it at a con- 
siderable advance over and above the purchase price in 1895. In the spring 
of 1890 Mr. Smith removed to Atchison and for three years served as night 
agent at the union station for the Wells, Fargo and American Express com- 
panies. He then bought an interest in the Home Show Printing Company, 
and was connected with this concern in active capacity for a period of twelve 
years, or until 1905. The printing company was then taken over by other 
parties and he continued working in the office until 1909. 

During his residence in Atchison cnuntv previous to this time. Mr. Smith 
had Ijecome prominently identified with the Republican party and had be- 
come known as a "wheel horse" of the organization and universally esteemed 
by the rank and file of the party. He was elected to the office of clerk of 
tlie district court in the fall of 1908, and togan tlie duties of his office 
in January of 1909. He was reelected in 1912 and again in 1914. He was 
elected without opposition from any source in 1912, and overcome his op- 
ponent in 1914 by the immense plurality of 3,010 votes. For a 
period of three years he was secretary of the Republican centra! com- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 475 

mittee. and was for six years a member of the first Atchison county liigh 
school board, being one of the surviving memlaers of the original board which 
erected the county high school at Effingham, and was likewise a member of 
the board which rebuilt the school house when it was destroyed by fire. Mr. 
Smith was a member of this board while still a resident of the county and 
took a prominent part in the inauguration of this worthy institution, which 
has been so much appreciated by the people of Atchison county. 

In religious matters Mr. Smith is identified with the Episcopal church. 
Probably no man in Atchison county is identified with a greater number of 
fraternal organizations than is he. He became a member of the Odd Fellows 
August 2, 1882, and is also a member of the encampment. Since January 
I, 191 5, he has served as a secretary of Friendship Lodge, Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows, No. 5, and has been scribe of the encampment for the past 
fifteen years. For eighteen years he has been secretary of the board of trustees 
of the Odd Fellows lodge and is affiliated with the Rebekahs, and is a mem- 
ber of the canton. Since 1880 he has ben a member of the Central Protec- 
tive Association and was practically its originator, and has been the grand 
secretary of the order since 1886. The first of the annual outings and picnics 
held by this famous association was conducted in the grove on Mr. Smith's 
farm. Visitors and guests to the number of 10,000 people have attended these 
picnics. Mr. Smith has been a member of the Ancient Order of United Work- 
men since 1895, and recorder of the order for thirteen years. He is a mem- 
ber of the Woodmen of the World and has been tlieir banker for six years 
past. He is affiliated with the Knights and Ladies of Security; the Kansas 
Fraternal Citizens; a member of Atchison Aerie, Fraternal Order of Eagles, 
No. 173, and its secretary since 1904. Before removing to Atchison he was 
secretai-y of the Central Protective Association at Good Intent for five vears. 
He is at present serving his second term as State secretary of the Kansas 
Eagles, and has held various offices in the State aerie, including the impor- 
tant post of State representative. Since 1895 Mr. Smith has been a member of 
the Modern Woodmen ; is a member of the Fraternal Aid Union, and the 
Improved Order of Red Men, and is an honorary member of the Typographi- 
cal Union. 

Mr. Smith's hajjpy wedded life began July 4, 1874. when he married 
Elmira, daugliter of Joel and Matilda Kistler, of Lehigh countv, Pennsvl- 
vania, meml)ers of an old Pennsylvania family. Joel Kistler was a large land 
owner and tannery operator in Lehigh county. He and his brother, Stephen, 
operated a number of tanneries, and were extensive farmers, and were very 
wealthy. Joel Kistler came west, located in Knoxville, III, and invested 



4/6 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

lieavily in Illinois land. He died at Stony Run, Berks county, Pennsylvania. 
i^/lrs. Kistler died at Schnecksville, Pa. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been 
born the_ following children : Estella, born July 14, 1875, deceased; Harriet 
Matilda, born June 6, 1876, wife of J. A. \\'ilkinson, of Hershey, Pa., and 
the mother of two children, John J., aged twelve years, and Michael aged 
eight years; Isabelle, born December 15, 1880, wife of Dr. J. E. Exter, of 
Atchison, and mother of one child, Eugene, aged five years ; Pearl, born Octo- 
ber 12, died April 25, 1890; Helen, born May i, 1885, wife of R. H. Jones, 
chief train dispatcher for the Missouri Pacific railroad at Falls City, Neb., 
and mother of one child, Mary Elmira, aged six years ; Frank Gibbons Smith, 
born August 8, 189 1, and died February 23, 1901. 

W. H. Smith is considered as one of the best officials who has ever 
filled a county office, and he is held in high esteem for his many excellent 
qualities. To his many friends and associates he is affectionately known as 
"Big Bill," an appropriate name on account of his large stature, and an ap- 
pellation which can well be applied to his heart and mind. While large of 
body, he is also big-hearted and blessed with a breadth of mind and good 
will which embraces all mankind. 



JOSEPH W. ALLEN. 

For over forty-five years Joseph W. Allen, veteran, merchant, and 
descendant of an old and distinguished colonial family, has been identified 
witli the civic and mercantile life of the city nf Atchiscjn. He comes of 
rugged New England stock, noted for their integrity, honest}- and proverbial 
industry throughout the United States, and has been one of the builders of 
Atchison's largest wholesale grocery house. Mr. Allen has grown up with 
Atchison, and has come to be one of its Ijest known and liighly rcsi)cctcd 
citizens, hax'ing risen from moderate circumstances at the outset of his career 
to a position of affluence and decided prestige among the commercial men 
of northeast Kansas. 

Joseph W. Allen was born in Craftsbury, Orleans county, Vermont, 
March 2, 1841, a .son of Hollis F. and Sophia (Root) Allen, natives of 
Massachusetts. The father was a merchant and when a young man removed 
from his native State to Craftsiiurv', Vt., where he was engaged in the mer- 
cantile business for a numlier of years, and in the latter part of his life he 
come to Atchison. Kan., dying in 1874. He had three sons who served in 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 477 

the Union ami}-: Frank H., who later came to Atchison and was a member 
of the wholesale drug finn of McPike & Allen; George R. Allen, a retired 
manufacturer, living- at Alton, 111., and Joseph W., with whose career this 
re\-iew is directly concerned. A daughter, Anna 'H., wife of the late Frank 
Howard, founder of the Frank Howard Manufacturing Company of Atchi- 
son, died in 191 5 at her home in this city. Another daughter, Nellie, makes 
her home with her brother, Joseph W.. in Atchison, and is now in Honolulu. 
The Allen family is of Scotch origin, and Ethan Allen, of Revolutionary 
fame, was a member of the same family. 

Mr. Allen was reared to manhood in Vermont and received a good com- 
mon school education, attending the Craftsbury Academy. On Octolier 2, 
1861, in answer to the President's call for volunteers to defend the Union, 
he enlisted for three years in Company I, First regiment, Vennont cavalry. 
He was mustered in with the regiment November 19, 1861, at Burlington, 
Vt., as bugler, and was mustered out of the service November 18, 1864. He 
left Btndington December 12. 186 1, for Washington, D. C, and remained 
there with his regiment until Februar}-, 1863. at which time he was detailed 
at General De Forest's headcjuarters as musician, .\ftcrwards, he was de- 
tailed to General -Kilpatrick's headquarters as musician and remained there 
until (reneral Wilson took command of the division in April, 1864. He was 
then detailed to (General Sawyer's heailqunrters until October, 1864. at which 
time he came to BurlingtDU Vt., where lie was mustered out of the service. 
Mr. Allen was in thirty-seven engagements during his three years of service. 
and v.^as never wounded nor captured, nor was he absent from duty a single 
day on account of sickness. His regiment did- notable service under Generals 
Sheridan and Custer, and he was engaged in the famous battle of Winches- 
ter. An incident of Mr. Allen's army career is well worth recording. He 
effected, single handed, the capture of four Confederate soldiers, and the 
story of the capture is one of the historical incidents of the great conflict. 
The incident took place near Lightersville, Md., and it was afterthe regiment 
had taken part in the battle of Huntersville, Pa., July 2, 1863, and the battle 
of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863, the battle of Monterey on the Fourth of July, 
Lightersville nn July 5. and (ui the sixth nf July occurred the battle of Hagers- 
town. The men were all fatigued and had been deprived of both sleep and 
rest for .several nights in succession, Joseph Allen among the rest. When 
they had ridden nearly all night to a point near Lightersville, they halted for 
rest in the small hours nf the nmrning. Many were dismounted and fell 
asleep on the ground, Mr. .\llen doing likewise. He slei)t so soundly, how- 
ever, that when he awoke his comrades were gone. It was dark and he was 



478 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

uncertain in which direction the command had gone. He mounted his horse 
and let the animal pursue its own way without guidance. Dashing down 
the road, horse and rider came out into a main highway and unexpectedly 
came upon four men who .were as much taken by surprise and fright as 
,\llen himself. The rebels, supposing that there was a larger number of 
Union men following, made haste to surrender without waiting for an invi- 
tation. .Mien promptly accepted their surrender and took iheni along to 
the main body which was some distance ahead. His prisoners proved to be 
a major, a captain and two lieutenants of the Eighth Georgia regiment. 

Mr. Allen rode during the war a very sensible and intelligent cavalry 
horse, and thereby hangs a tale. In one of the cavalry engagements in which 
he participated he and his comrade were riding together under heavy fire. 
His riding partner was shot from the saddle and Mr. .Mien felt his own horse 
sinking under him. Believing that the animal was mortally hurt he dis- 
mounted and jumped on the back of his dead comrade's mount and rode 
away to safety. That night while lying in his blankets with the earth for 
his couch and the starlit sky for a canopy overhead he felt something soft 
and gentle nudging him. Startled, he arose hastily and was overjoyed to 
find that it was his favorite horse which had returned safely, but badly 
wounded, from the battlefield, and had hunted out his master from among 
the hundreds of recumbent and sleeping fomis on tlie camping ground. 

He returned to Craftsbury after his war service and engaged in mer- 
cantile business which he continued until 1870, when he came to Atchison at 
the solicitation of his brother, Frank H., who was at that time tlie junior 
member of tlie firm of McPike & .'Mien, wholesale druggists of Atchison. 
Mr. Allen entered the employ of the company as traveling salesman and was 
thus engaged for a period of three years. He then embarked in tlie grocery 
business in partnership with Colonel Ouigg under the firm name of (juigg 
& Allen. Colonel Ouigg commanded the Thirteenth Kansas infantrv regi- 
ment during the Civil war. The firm of Ouigg & .Mien carried on a whole- 
sale grocer)' business for alx)ut three years. Then Mr. Allen purchased his 
partner's interest, and three years later consolidated with the A. B. Symns 
Grocer Company. A. B. Symns became the president of the company and 
Mr. Allen became vice-president. When Mr. Symns died in 1005 Mr. .Mien 
became president and held the position until iqii when he retired from 
active participation in the business, although he still retains a substantial in- 
terest in the company. Mr. Allen was one of the dominant individuals in 
the development of the Symns Grocer Company in the extensive concern 
which it is at the present time. When he joined forces with Mr. Symns their 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 479 

combined capital did not exceed $15,000, and during his period of associa- 
tion with this company their business developed into enormous proportions, 
and the capital of the Symns Grocer Company now amounts to $300,000. 
Mr. Allen was a natural salesman and had complete charge of the traveling 
sales department of the Symns Grocer Company, and, in fact, during the first 
few years was the entire traveling sales force himself. Later, as additional 
salesmen were added to the force he continued to direct the sales department 
of th-; business. Mr. Allen is a prominent factor in the business world of 
Atchison, and is vice-president of the Atchison Savings Bank. He is a mem- 
ber of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and in his political 
views is absolutely independent. 



RALPH U. PFOUTS. 



Ralph U. Pfouts, a leading young attorney of Atchison, is a native son 
of Atchison county. He was born at Monrovia December 4, 1890, and is a 
son of William A. and Ollie (Sharpless) Pfouts. William A. Pfouts, the 
father, is also a native Kansan, born in Nemaha county in 1861 and is a 
son of James and Caroline (Kellam) Pfouts, natives of Pennsylvania, where 
they were reared and married, and in i860 came to Kansas, locating in 
Nemaha county. The father. James Pfouts. died a few months after coming 
to this State and his wife returned to Pennsylvania with her little family. 
A few years later, however, the Pfouts family returned to Kansas, locating 
at Lancaster, Atchison county, and here William A. Pfouts was educated 
and reared to manhood. Pie followed farming in early life and for eighteen 
years was a school teacher. In 1896 he engaged in the general mercantile 
business at Lancaster. To William A. and Ollie (Sharpless) Pfouts were 
born two children, as follows : Ralph, the subject of this sketch, and Mabel, 
deceased. The wife and mother died in 1901, and in 1905 William A. Pfouts 
married Miss Sadie M. Monnies. 

Ralph U. Pfouts was educated in the public schools of Atchison county, 
and Kansas University, at Lawrence, Kan., graduating from the law depart- 
ment of the latter institution with the class of 19 14. Shortly after graduat- 
ing he passed the State bar examiisation and engaged in the practice of his 
profession at Atchison where he is meeting with well merited success. He 
has appeared in connection with important litigations in both the State and 
Federal courts and is enjoying a lucrative practice. He possesses the natural 



480 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

qualities of an able lawyer and is an untiring student, and those who know 
him best predict for him a successful career in his chosen profession. Politic- 
ally, he is a Republican. Mr. Pfouts is a member of the Ancient Order of 
United \Vorkmen, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Atchison Aerie 
No. 173, Fraternal Order of Eagles. 



OLE G. GIGSTAD. 



Ole G. Gigstad, farmer and stockman. Lancaster township, was born 
in Norway, October 25, 1856. He is a son of Gulick and Anna (Grannan) 
Gigstad. He was one of seven children, one of whom is now dead. Four 
sons and one daughter are now living in the United States. A brother, Knud 
G. Gigstad. is also a farmer and stockman in Lancaster township. The father 
was a native of Norway and spent his life there. Ole Gigstad left Norway 
m May, 1883, and came to Atchison county, Kansas, where he worked a year 
for his brother, Knud. Then for three years he rented a farm from his 
uncle in Brown county, Kansas, and in 1887 bought the fann in Lancaster 
township. It is an eighty acre farm and ]\Ir. Gigstad has made improvements 
to the extent of $5,000, including a fine house and barn. He now owns 320 
acres of well improved land, 160 acres of which are being farmed liy his 
oldest son, Gustave. and it has a comfortable residence. 

Ole Gigstad attended school in Norwa\-, but wlien he sailed for America 
he could not speak the English language, and when he arrived here he was 
in debt to the extent of fifty dollars, which was an additional handica]). But 
his industry has brought him to the front rank of Atchison county farmers. 
He owns a fine herd of graded stock and is a successful farmer and stockman. 
He rented eighty acres additional in 1915 and he had 100 acres in corn 
last year. 

Mr. Gigstad was married in 1888 to Sevcrine Knudson. who was born in 
Norway, September 23, 1866. She left her native land in the spring of 1883 
and settled at Everest, Kan., where her brothers were living at the time. ' In 
1884 she removed to St. Joseph, Mo., where she worked four years. Her 
parents were Knud and Inger Sofie (Berntson) Knudson, natives of Norway. 
Her father was born in 1814. and immigrated to America in 1891, coming to 
Atchison county, Kansas, where he lived with his children until liis death, in 
1894. The mother was born in 1827, and died in her native country in 1887. 
Mr. and Mrs. Gigstad have eight children: Gustave A., farming the 160 acres 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 481 

west of his father's farm ; Ida, Charles, Albert, Emma, Edna, Alice, Benjamin, 
all living at home. Mr. Gigstad is a member of the Lutheran church and is 
a Republican. 



JOHN H. BARRY. 



John H. Barry, cliairman of the board of directors of the First National 
Bank of Atchison, is one of the well known citizens of the city who has 
figured in the development of Kansas, especially the eastern portion of the 
State, for a period of many years. For fifty-seven years he has been a resi- 
dent of the State, and has made his own way from comparative poverty in 
his youth, to a position of affluence which compares most favorably with that 
of the men of his day with whom he has been associated. lie has seen the 
Sunflower State develop from a wilderness, unsettled and unpeopled, except 
by the wild animals and Indians, to become one of the fairest and greatest 
of the sub-divisions of the American Union. He is proud of Atchison 
and her prestige, and has played no small part in the task of advancing his 
adopted city to the forefront of western municipalities. 

J. H. Barry is of Celtic origin, having been born in the city of Boston, of 
Irish parents, in 1849. His parents, Michael and Ellen (Roach) Barry, were 
natives of County Cork, Ireland, wliere they were reared and mirried, and 
crossed the Atlantic to seek their fortune in the new world. Settling in Bos- 
ton in the early forties, Mr. Barry plied his trade of tailor with fair success 
and owned and conducted his own tailoring establishment. Fie died there 
when John H. was a small boy. His widow, accompanied by her son, then 
journeyed across the countiy to Leavenworth in 1858. Here the buy was 
brought up until he was fifteen years of age and in 1862 became a freighter 
in the employ of the Government. He was a "mule whacker," or driver, who 
had charge of a team of six mules which he drove from Ft. Leavenworth 
across the Great Plains to New Mexican ppints. Saving his earnings, he em- 
barked in the freighting business at Leavenworth for himself in i86f), driv- 
ing his outfit over the route of the Ft. Scott & Gulf railroad, via Baxter 
Springs, Kan., through the Indian Territory to Indian agencies in the terri- 
tory and Texas, carrying wagon loads of merchandise and trinkets on tl:e 
outward bound trip, and bringing back a load of furs, hides and osage orange 
seed. The trinkets taken along were intended for the Indians who exchanged 
ihcir furs for adornment. The osage orange seed was in great demand at 

31 



482 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

this period inasmuch as the settlers were then oinhng their lands witii usag'e 
hedges. Mr. Barry's freighting venture proved ])r()fitahle. and lie made con- 
siderable money during the two years in which he made trips to the South- 
west. In 1870 lie engaged in railroad contracting, and was fairly successful 
until 1873. He graded and laiilt man\- miles of railroad in southern Kansas 
and through Oklahoma, ancrin the huildingof the L. L. & G. R. R.. he reaped! 
excellent profits. He had his ups and downs, like other contractors, however, 
and one experience in particular very nearly proved his undoing. This was 
in the building of the ]\1. K. & T. R. R., in wliich Mr. Barry had contracted 
to build a twenty foot embankment for a distance of one mile. It was under- 
stood with the railroad officials that the grading was to be completed by the 
first day of the following yeai', but he rushed the work so as to have it com- 
pleted before the fall rains began. He succeeded in doing this early in the 
fall, but the head contractor, Stewart McCoy, would not accept the work as 
finally done before the time limit of the contract, unless he would deduct 
twenty per cent, from the contract price agreed upon. This arrangement 
meant the complete dissipation of his profits, and he fhially came through 
with only his outfits. This experience ended Mr. Barr\-'s contracting career, 
as far as railroad building was concerned, and disposing of his outfits, he 
came to Atchison in 1873 with a small capital. Here on March 17. 1873. 
he entered the employ of the ^Missouri Pacific railroad as switchman and re- 
mained in the employ of this road until 1879, filling various positions, such 
as baggageman, trainman and yardmaster. While engaged in railroading 
he became interested in the civic and jjolitical life of Atchison, and possessing 
an engaging and candid personality, he made many warm friends, and was 
given political preferment. In the spring of 1879 he was elected constable 
and held the post and various otliers for three years. I'ollowing tliis office 
he was appointed chief of the Atchison city police in 1883 by Mayor C. C. 
Burns and ser\-ed until 1885. In 1885 he ser\-ed as superintendent of the 
Street Railway Company. Since then he has taken a more or less active part 
in political matters in tlie city and county, and is considered one of the politi- 
cal leaders of his party. While serving as city marshal he was a United 
States deputy marshal under United States Marshal Ben Simpson. In 1885 
he established the Barry Coal and Wood Company, which he successfully 
conducted along with other commercial propositions until i(;io. He became 
interested in the Atchison Paving Brick Company, and was active in the 
affairs of this manufacturing concern for over fifteen years, Ijeing still inter- 
ested in the company. U])on the organization of the Commercial State Bank 
in November. 1906, he was electeil jjresident oi the institution, and upon its 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 483 

consolidation with the First National Bank of Atchison he became chairman 
of the board of directors of the new organization. 

Mr. Barry's marriage with Kate Curtin occurred November 28. 1874, 
and to this marriage have been born the following children : John, engaged 
in business in New Mexico; Henry, Helen and C. W., deceased: Frances 
Barry Simmons, and one son, who died in infancy. The younger daughter 
is the wife of O. A. Simmons, whose biograpliy appears in this volume. The 
mother of these children was born and reared in Leavenworth. Kan., a 
daughter of John and Helen Curtin, natives of Ohio, who came to Lea\en- 
worth in 1856. John Curtin was a landscape gardener by profession. 

Mr. Barry has always been a Democrat. In 1885 he became a candi- 
date for sheriff of the county, but was defeated by only four votes. In 1887 
he was again a candidate for the office and was elected by the large majority 
of 1,150 votes. This, too. in the face of the fact that Atchison countv has 
generally been considered a stronghold of Republicanism. So well did he 
perform the duties of his office, and so popular did he become that he ex- 
perienced no difficulty in a second election to the sheriff's office in i8S<), 
with a majority of 850 to his credit. It is stated that his majority when 
elected sheriff of the county was the largest ever given a candidate for the 
place. He is a member of the Catholic church and is fraternally connected 
with the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Knights of Columbus, and 
the Elks. ]\Ir. Barry's success has been due to a strong and winning per- 
sonality, squareness in the conduct of his business transactions which have been 
proverbial, a genius and capacity for organization, which enabled him tn plan 
and carry out his various undertakings to a successful issue, and the ability 
to make and retain friends. 



WARREN W. GUTHRIE. 



Tt is given to relatively few men to leave this world for the mysteries 
of the next, contented with what they have done here, and without regret 
for duties unfulfilled. At the end of a lingering illness, giving ample time for 
reflection, and as a last utterance. General Guthrie called closer to his bed- 
side his faithful wife and companion and his six living children then gathered 
about him and whispered to them : "I know that I am alxout to leave vou for- 
ever. I want you to know that I am going without regret except for our 
separation. I have raised a family in which I have had only pride. I have 



484 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

tried to prepare you to be good members of your own families and useful 
citizens. I have fought the fight and my work is done. I am ready to go. 
I want you to know that I leave you feeling that I have never done any man 
an intentional wrong, or left unfulfilled any duty I was capable of accom- 
plishing, and tliat I go content." 

These last whispers give a fair inde.x to the life and character of this 
sturdy pioneer Kansan. He was a type of a product of the early years of 
struggle in Kansas, now largeh' passing away. Diplomacy was a word of 
which he might never have known the meaning. He at least never practiced 
it to the prejudice of frankness. Whether as a friend who could be depended 
upon in any emergency and regardless of consequences to himself, or whether 
as a foe who could not be placated by excuses or offers of advantage personal 
to himself, and equally regardless of consequences his cards in the game were 
always upon the table face up. He despised sham and pretense in every 
form, and whether in business, politics or the judicial forum, he always fought 
his way double-fisted, straight for the goal. 

Born June 9, 1S34. on a flinty hillside farm on the lianks of the Housa- 
tonicriver in Connecticut, and ambitious for a broader field, W. W'. Guthrie 
struck out for himself early in life. At seventeen he was providing for his 
further education by teaching a rural school in New Jersey, on the present 
site of Long Branch, where the chief qualification for the teacher was his 
abilitv to thrash the biggest young fisherman in the school. In his later years 
it was one of the delights of General Guthrie to tell of his experiences in 
instructing the youth of New Jersey with a clapboard. 

In 1857 under the well known general advice of Horace Greeley, Mr. 
Guthrie, then admitted to the bar, came, seeking his fortune, to Kansas by way 
of steamboat up the Missouri river from St. Louis, landing at Whitecloud, 
thirty-one miles north of Atchison, then one of the cities upon the Missouri 
with small population but unlimited future possibilities. Shortly afterwards 
he moved again westward to Hiawatha, the county seat of Brown county, 
where he established himself in practice, his business radiating to the sur- 
rounding counties, which were reached principally on muleliack. General 
Guthrie was over si.x feet in height, and be loved to tell how. as a lanky 
young lawyer with a small mule, it was difficult to keep his feet off the 
ground in traveling from county seat to county seat. .\t Hiawatha he and 
the late Gov. E. N. Morrill were close friends, kept "bach" together, and 
had the usual quarrels as to whose turn it was to scrape the skillet. 

Elected to the Territorial legislature, his service attracted such attention 
that in liis absence, and without his knowledge, he was given by the Rejiubli- 



f 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 485 

cans the first nomination under State organization for the office of attorney 
general ; he was duly elected and served as the first attorney general of the 
newly created State. It was from his incumbency in that office that he be- 
came known as General Guthrie. He was not acceptable for military seryice 
and took no part in the Civil war except as a yolunteer in the organization 
hastily effected to repel the hivasion of Gen. Sterling Price, which was cut 
off by his defeat at the battle of Westport. 

Some of General Guthrie's friends haye felt that he would not haye 
been nominated for attorney general if he had been at the conyention where 
he was nominated, or had known that he was to be suggested as a candidate. 
While General Guthrie subsequently served with credit in the Kansas State 
senate and was an influential factor in Kansas politics for many years in the 
interests of others, he was not a successful politician as a candidate in con- 
ventions not made up of a majority of men who personally knew him well. 
He was thrice a candidate for the Republican nomination for Congress, and 
once nominated by one of the two factions of a convention which split up in 
a row and nominated two different candidates. \\"hen it came to todies 
made up of trading delegations dickering for local advantages. General Guth- 
rie's straightforwardness, his aversion to crooked deals and trades, and his 
unwillingness to offer personal reward for political assistance put him at a 
serious disadvantage. If he thought a man or thing was wrong he never 
hesitated to say so, even though he understood what the results would be. 
It is said that at the last congressional convention in which he was a candi- 
date, and in which he was the favorite candidate, the balance of the power 
was held by a delegation amenable to the allurements of promise of office, 
or more direct substantial and immediate reward. His less scrupulous 
friends tried to "dope" the General with some medicine that would put him 
out of action while they used the necessary means to the end. But the Gen- 
eral refused to he either doped or to retire and shut his eyes to the situation. 
preferring an honorable defeat. 

General Guthrie had physical as well as moral courage. Contesting the 
candidacy of a former prominent citizen of Atchison who had come from an- 
other State under a cloud, General Guthrie collected the record of this can- 
didate in his fonner home and announced that he would read it at a meet- 
ing to be held in old Turner Hall. This was in the early days when Atchi- 
son had her quota of "roughneck" citizens. General Guthrie was notified 
that they would attend and that he would read his documentary evidence at 
the peril of his life. He had never owned or carried a firearm except dur- 
ing the preparation to resist the Price raid, but on the night of the meeting 



486 HISTORY OF ATCHISON" COUNTY 

he stepped out on tlie platform at Turner Hall, and laying u])on the table a 
pair of old annv revolvers, he looked down on the "roughnecks" in the front 
row and advised them that he was about to proceed with his speech, and that 
persons wlio didn't like trouble had better leave l^efore it began. He made 
the speech. The trouble did not start. The candidate he was opposing was 
defeated. 

From the time Kansas became a State until his death. General Guthrie 
was a citizen of Atchison contemporary with that circle of brilliant and able 
men who in the early days made .\tchison the mother of the political history 
of the State, such as Senator John J. Ingalls, Governor John A. Martin, 
Governor George \\\ Glick, United States District Judge Cassius G. Foster, 
Chief Justices Samuel A. Kingman and Alljert H. Horton, and such early- 
day business men as David Au'd. the Challiss brothers, Jacob Leu. and 
Samuel Hollister. 

.\fter his election as attorney general on December 21, 1^63. General 
Guthrie, accompanied by his friend. Chief Justice Albert II. Horton. as best 
man. crossed the Missouri ri\er to St. Joseph upon the ice, crawling upon 
their hands and knees, the ice Ijeing too treacherous to support a man talk- 
ing upright, to be married to Julia, daughter of Capt. William Fowler, of 
St. Joseph, also a pioneer, the first county clerk in the territory of which 
St. Jo.seph is now the county seat. There were born of this marriage eight 
children, two of whom died in infancy, the others and the wife sur\iving 
General Guthrie. W. F. Guthrie, the eldest son, practiced law with his father 
until aboiU the time of the death of the latter, when, with his wife and three 
children he remo\ed to Kansas City and is still in practice. The second son, 
F. L. Guthrie, a retired banker, with wife, resides at Paola. Kan. Mary Lou- 
ise Guthrie is the wife of .-\. E. White, head of the commissary department 
of the Burlington system, residing in Chicago, and the mother of four chil- 
dren. Warren W. (iuthrie. Jr., practiced law in Atchison in association with 
his father and brother, and afterwards practiced alone until his death on 
August 17. IQ14. being one of the most beloved men personally of all the 
people of .Atchison. Theodore F. Guthrie, also the father of four children, 
is. as he has been since before his father's decease, the manager of the Guth- 
rie ranch in Chase county. Kansas. Gilbert L. Guthrie lias l)een the wanderer 
of the family, a metallurgical en,gi!'ieer who has seen distinguished ser\icc on 
every continent of the globe, but has given up his work to lie a companion to 
the widow, residing on the old Guthrie homestead adjoinin.g .\tchison. 

F"rom the first General Guthrie became and luitil ill health overtook him 
remained a nut.il)le figure at the bar. not only of Atchison. Imt of the State at 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 487 

large, and particularly northeast Kansas, where liis earlv successes brought 
him in as a consultant in the territory lie had formerly covered on mule- 
back, long after that territory had de\-eloped man)- able lawyers of its own. 
His name appears frequently in the reports of the supreme court of Kansas, 
and in connection with the establishment of many new and novel precedents 
in the courts. General Guthrie was an original thinker along legal lines, and 
not over-tolerant of the law as he found it in the books. When it did not 
suit him his \igorous mind would discern logical modifications and novel 
applications of old doctrines to meet tlie new necessities of his litigation. 

Every fight for the general good of the community found General Guth- 
rie in the front of battle. No difficulty daunted him. .All that was required 
for him was to decide as to what he thought right, and his hat was in tlie 
ring. Perhaps the greatest personal, direct service rendered by General Guth- 
rie to the community was in connection with the failure of the Peoples Sav- 
ings Bank. The Peoples Savings Bank was an auxiliary of the United States 
National Bank, the closing of which was brought about by the circulation 
of rumors affecting its solvency. It paid its lialiilities in full before it closed, 
but tlie assets of the Peoples Savings Bank were invested cliiefly in real estate 
mortgages and bonds not immediately payable, and as times were then, not 
readily convertil)le. so that its closure, following that of the United States 
National, left hundreds of citizens with tlieir needed savings not immediately 
realizable. General Guthrie was a holder of one share of stock only in each of 
these banks, for the purpose of qualifying as a director as an accommodation 
to the operating officers, his friends. This double failure, at a time of gen- 
eral financial uneasiness, helped by stories circulated by enemies of the bank 
officials anxious to bring them into disgrace, filled .\tchison with excitement. 
Nightly meetings, attended by hundreds of depositors, were Iield. and in their 
ignorance measures were initiated which would have resulted in a sacrifice 
of the assets and the realization to the depositors of but a small per cent, 
of their claims. General Guthrie undertook to stem this tide and save the 
depositors from themselves. He arranged with his co-directors to advance a 
sum to l)uy up at face value the deposits of the smaller and more needy de- 
positors, and out of his own funds advanced the moneys nccessaiy to protect 
the assets from sacrifice, and lent his own uncompensated efforts to their 
realization at their actual value, with the result that within a year every 
claim of the bank was paid in full. 

Like man)'- successful men who ha\e been born and spent their early 
years upon a farm. General Guthrie was interested in farming and in farm 
development and in sliowing what could lie done through proper cultivation 



488 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

and stock development. He left ample provision for his widow and younger 
children, ciiiefly in farm lands. He gave personal attention to the operation 
and improvement of his farms, and took particular delight in the management 
of his 6,000 acre ranch in Chase county, Kansas, and in the development of a 
grade of cattle originated by himself, the Polled Herefords, a strain of Here- 
fords, from which he succeeded in breeding off the horns. Nothing gave 
him greater pleasure in the later years of his life than to explain his farming 
and cattle operations to his friends and intimates. He was ready to put aside 
the most intricate litigation at any time for a chat on this subject. 

Wliilc General Guthrie's open-handed warfare upon the tilings he 
thought wrong made him many enemies, his untiring energy, integrity and 
readiness to help anyone or anything he believed to be right, brought him a 
host of friends, not only among the young lawyers he raised and trained, 
but among the public at large, and he died an honored and respected mem- 
ber of this community on April 22, 1903, at the old home place adjoining 
the city of Atchison. 



JOHN PETER ADAMS. 



Faithfulness to duty is generally recognized and rewarded by the people 
of an average American community. Atchison county is singularly fortunate 
in having as its officials men of whom it can be said are above the average 
type of county officials. The office of jjrobate judge of the county is no 
exception, and is ably filled by the present incumbent of whdni this biography 
treats. John Peter Adams is an able member of the Atchison county bar and 
a painstaking and conscientious public official. In the performance oi tlie 
duties of his high office he has won the esteem of the people of the county 
and showed such marked ability in his judicial capacity that he was elected to 
the office for the third time without opposition from any source. 

Judge John Peter Adams was born in the town of Lock Berlin, Wayne 
county, New York, June 7, 1855. His parents were Peter and Martha (Eld- 
ridge) Adams, and Judm' Adani'^ was nne of six cliildroii. 

Judge Adams received his early education in the schools of his native 
State and the Macedon yVcademy, following which he completed a business 
course at the Eastman Business College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. He practically 
worked his way through school by teaching, becoming a teacher at the early 
age of eighteen. He came to Atchison in 1870 and entered iho law office 




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HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 489 

of Judge H. M. Jackson, as a law student, and was admitted to the practice 
of law in 1880. A short time following his admission to the bar he opened 
an office for himself, and later became a partner with Roy C. Crawford. A 
partnership with Charles J. Conlon was formed some time afterward, which 
continued until the election of Mr. Adams to the office of probate judge in 
iQio. Judge Adams was reelected in 1912, and again in 1914, without 
opposition for the nomination or election. He is a Republican and a firm 
believer in a high protective tariff. Previous to his election to the probate 
judgeship, he served as judge of the Atchison city court, having been ap- 
pointed by Governor Bailey in 1902, and reelected three times following 
his appointment without opposition. Judge Adams has always earnestly 
advocated Republican principles and has been a faithful party worker. 

Judge Adams was married in Albion, Mich., June 24, 1885, to Mary 
Stevens, a native of Lock Berlin, N. Y., and a daughter of Wells J. L. and 
Nancy Stevens. To Judge and Mrs. Adams have been born three children, 
who are the pride of their parents, as follows : Eldridge, born November 30, 
1892. He received his classical education in Kansas University and grad- 
uated in medicine from Rush Medical College at Chicago in 1914. after a 
thorough course of study in the University of Chicago, now a practicing 
physician and surgeon in the Illinois State Hospital for eye, nose and 
throat, at Chicago. Dr. Adams is a rising young physician of marked ability 
and was an apt student, and is ambitious to succeed in his chosen profession. 
He graduated from the z\tchison High School at the age of fifteen, from the 
Kansas University at the age of nineteen, and received his Doctor of Medicine 
degree from Rush College of Medicine when but twenty-three years of age. 
It is safe to predict a brilliant future for this Atchison boy. A daughter of 
Judge Adams, Eleanor, aged twent)', is a student of Knox College, Gales- 
burg. 111., class of 19 1 6, where she is specializing in music — \'iolin and voice. 
Gene\ra, the voungest child of Judge and Mrs. Adams, is eighteen years old, 
a graduate of the Atchison High School, and a student in Baker University. 
The Adams family has resided in the same house at Fourth and Laramie 
streets for thirty years, or since the marriage of Judge and Mrs. Adams. 
They believe in .giving their children the advantages of a good education, as 
the best preparation possible for their future success. 

Judge Adams was reared in the E])iscopalian faith, which was the church 
of his fathers, but is an attendant with the members of his family at the 
Methodist Episcopal church. He became a member of the Masonic lodge 
in 1876. 



490 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

WILLIAM ANTHONY JACKSON. 

While we reverence the courts and look upon them as the final refuge of 
the citizenry in time of oppression or trouble, we realize that the tribunals of 
the people for safeguarding our inalienable rights as citizens are measured 
in their usefulness by the character of the men chosen to sit at the head of 
the judiciar}-. Society is protected from those criminally inclined, and we 
accept without criticism the decisions of tlie judges with whom we come into 
personal contact, because of the fact that the masses of the people have an 
abiding faith in the integrity of the courts. This confidence is more in evi- 
dence in a community where all have an opportunity of judging at close range 
tlie qualifications and personal integrity of those chosen by the people to 
administer the judicial affairs of the people. It is meet and necessary that 
the judges ni wliom we place implicit confidence 1)c men of the highest calibre, 
broad-minded and sympathetic in dealing firmly with the many diverse cases 
which are brought before them for adjudication. The district court of Atchi- 
son county is presided over by a learned jurist who lias the confidence and 
esteem of tlie people, and who enjoys the universal respect of the citizens of 
the county. Hon. William A. Jackson, judge of the district court of Atchison 
county, is such a man wisely chosen to fill the highest office within the gift 
of tlie people in his district. His career as ])residing officer of the court lias 
been marked bv a display of ability, legal acumen, broad-minded and sym- 
pathetic discernment of right and wrong in handing down his decisions that 
have satisfied the most exacting. He was iiorn in X'ersailles, Morgan county. 
Missouri, October 6, 1866. He is a son of Judge Horace M. and Lavanchia 
Tsaljelle (\'alcntine) Jackson, a rex'iew of whose life is given in this \-oluine. 

Judge Jackson has a reputation for fairness and impartiality in liis judicial 
decisions which has gone far beyond the liorders of Iiis county. The .Atchison 
Daily Champion in its issue of September 25. 1913, has this to say of his high 
honor and integrity : 

"In these days of alleged lawless lawyers and corrupted courts it is a gond 
thing to know that .\tchison county has an hunest and efficient judge to 
administer justice from the district bench. Many big men. — men of splendid 
(|ualifications and sterling integrity — liave occupied the important position now 
held bv Judge Jackson, but never before has this county had a judge whose 
service on the bench commanded more vmiversal satisfaction than that ren- 
dered l)v Judge Jackson. It is the unanimous opinion of the .\tchison Imr 
that he is the best district judge in the State, .\bsolute1y fair, impartial, 
ca])ablp. be ]ierforms the fnncti()ns of his office with a high sense of duty 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 4QI 

and responsibility to the law and to his fellow men, a duty and responsibility 
which precludes all other results, save only unqualified, justice for each case 
that comes under his supervision." 

The supreme test which could be applied to a man in his position came on 
an occasion when the father and Inother of Judge Jackson appeared for the 
defendant in a case which was tried in the Atchison court with Judge Jackson 
on the bench, and he was not found wanting. Quoting from the Atchison 
Daily Chainpwn in its issue of April kj. iqcg. concerning this uni(|uc situatinn 
and the conduct of Judge Jackson during the course of the trial of the case: 

"Many people have attended court the past week as witnesses, jurors 
and spectatiirs in the Xorris-]\lapes tial, and the fact was freely commcntt'd 
upon that the appearance in the trial of father and son as attorneys for the 
defendant and another son was on the bench, presented a situation that was 
quite unusual. Some at first indulged in unfriendly criticism of the circum- 
stances and it is therefore a pleasure for the Champion to sa^y that it has heard 
nothing but the most universal praise for the fairness, the impartialit\- and 
the splendid integrity of purpose Judge Jackson displayed in his rulings on 
everv' disputed question of law and evidence in the case. It is a fact worthy of 
C(jniment that the Clwinpioii takes pleasure at this time in giving public recog- 
nition ti) so important a matter. There is nolx)dy in .\tcliison wlio has a 
stronger following of loyal friends than Will Jackson, and it is because of his 
manhood, his honesty and fine sense of honor that he has earned them and 
retains them." 

William Anthony Jackson was tnmdled in a home-made baby-cart and 
dressed in clothing spun and made by his devoted mother. Few were the 
luxuries in which he was indulged: the plainest of fare was his sustenance 
during his childhood days. In 1870 he was placed in school at Marysville, 
Mo., and after coming to Atchison with his parents he attended the city 
schools. He attended the Monroe Institute and later entered Kansas Univer- 
sity at Lawrence, graduating therefrom in 1888. He was admitted to the 
bar and in iR8g was made a member of the law firm of Jackson I'l- Jackson. 
His success in the practice of his profession has been marked and he is widely 
known as a capable lawyer and jurist, llis first ])ublic office was that nf city 
attorney, to which he was elected in April, 1905, and served until 1900. Dur- 
ing the four years of his incumbencv of the office of city attorney he lost but 
one case which came up for trial under his care for the city. He was 
elected judge of the district court, second judicial district, in November of 
1908, and resigned the office of city attorney to take up his duties on the 
bench in order to qualify in January, 1909. His career on the bench speaks 



492 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

for itself and the fairness of his decisions is proverbial. Judge Jackson is 
remarked frequently Inr his kindness of heart, and snon after he was 
admitted to the bar the opportunity came to him to "return good for evil" 
in one particular case. A lad with whom he had come into contact on the 
school ground at Marysville, and who had tried to impose on him, with the 
result that strained feeling existed for many years between them was the 
beneficiary of his goodness. This lad, then grown to man's estate, came to 
the judge in Atchison and asked him to assist him in getting employment. 
The judge did so and earned the thanks of his boyhood enemy. 

Judge Jackson's wedded life began April 26, 1894, when he was united 
in marriage with Edith Fox, of Atchison. To this union have been bom 
two children: Jared Fox Jackson, born November 19, 1895, and now a stu- 
dent in the law department of Kansas University ; Edward Valentine Jackson, 
born June 6, 1900. a student in the Atchison High School. The mother of 
these children is a daughter of Jared Copeland. (See sketch of Jared Cope- 
land Fox elsewliere in tliis volume. ) 

Judge Jackson is fraternally affiliated with the ^Masonic Lodge. W'asli- 
ington. No. 5, of Atchison, the Knights of Pythias, the Elks, the Fraternal 
Order of Eagles, and the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity of the Kansas State 
University. He is a liberal contributor to charitable and religious denomina- 
tions, and is usually found in the van of all projects which have for their pur- 
pose the betterment of his liome citv and county. 



ROY C. TRIMBLE. 



In Roy C. Trimble, sheriff of Atchison county, tlie people have an effi- 
cient and capable public official, who believes tliat his duties are paramount 
over all other considerations, and he has shown by his steadfast and unswerv- 
ing loyalty to the ethics of his office that he is a man eminently fitted for 
high pulilic office. Wv. Trimble is a young man to hold sucli an important 
office, but is old in ability and experience. He is a native of Atchison 
county, and a son of James M. and Margaret E. (McCreary) Trimble. 

Roy C. Trimble was bom August 11. 1877. on a farm, four miles south- 
west of Atchison. His father. James M. Trimlile, was Ixirn September 10. 
1843. in P>uchanan county. Missouri, and died in January. 1910. in .\tchison 
county. He was the son of Benjamin F. Trimble, a native of Kentucky, who 
immigrated to DeKalb, Mo., where he conducted a blacksmith and wagon re- 
pair shop, and later removed to Texas. After a residence of some vears in 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 493 

Texas lie settled in Atchison county, where the son, James M., bought a farm 
which he ctiltivated until 1905, when he disposed of his land and invested in 
a livery business. He was thus engaged until his death. During the Civil 
war, Mr. Trimble was enrolled in the State militia. Benjamin F. Trimble 
was one of the early pioneer settlers of Atchison county and owned a farm 
near Effingham. The children of James M. Trimble are J. P., a railway 
mail clerk on the Central Branch railroad; A. F., a rural mail carrier; K. S., 
a farmer, south of Atchison; E. S., a resident of Lake Ballinger, Wash. ; Roy 
C, and T. O., a ranchman, near Seattle. Wash. 

The mother of the foregoing children was Margaret E. McCreary, born 
in 1850 and died in 1890. She was a daughter of Solomon McCreary, a 
pioneer settler of Atchison county, who had a farm eight and one-half miles 
south of Atchison. Solomon McCreary was born in Clay county, Missouri, 
in 1822, and died in Julv, 191 1. He was a son of Elijah McCreary, and 
was the )-oungest of a family of thirteen children. The family is of Scotch- 
Irish ancestr}-, and originally settled in South Carolina. S. K. came to 
Kansas in 1854, first settling in Leavenworth county, and four years later 
moving to Atchison county. He bought a land patent from a Mexican war 
veteran, and made his home on the pioneer farm until bis death. His chil- 
dren were as follows: Mrs. B. Frank Trimble, Mrs. Margaret Trimble, de- 
ceased; Mrs. Nellie Adams; Cora, deceased; W. S., deceased; Mrs. Nettie 
Perkins, Leavenworth ; S. K., and Mrs. Grace Salmon, of Los Angeles. 

Roy C. Trimble was educated in the district school No. 5, located south 
of the city, and resided on the farm until 1905 when he was engaged in the 
liver\- business with his father, continuing until the latter's death, after which 
. he conducted the business for a few years and then traded it for some real 
estate. He was first a candidate for sheriff in igi2 on the Republican ticket, 
but lost out by 288 votes. He was again a candidate in 1914 and won b}- the 
considerable margin of 700 votes. 

Sheriff Trimble was married November 2. 1904, to Ma}- Florence Hart- 
man, who was born near Purcell, seven miles southwest of Atchison, and is a 
daughter of Ex-Sheriff F. C. Hartman, now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Trimble have been born the following children: Guy Roy, born August 7, 
1905; Cynthia tjrace, l;orn ^lay 2, 1907; Clara May, born May 10, 1913, 
and Henrietta Gale, born June 4, 191 5. 

Mr. Trimble and wife are members of the Presbyterian church. He is 
fraternally affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the 
Fraternal Aid. Mr. Trimble is likeable, and has a winning personality which 
goes far toward making him a successful and popular official. Such enco- 



494 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

miums and praise as have come to him for his conduct of the duties of the 

sheriff's 

friends. 



slieriff's office are well deserved and he is constantly widening his circle of 



CHARLES J. COXLOX. 

Charles J. Conlon, a prominent attorney of Atchisi^n. who is Udw serving 
his second term as county attorney, is a native of the Empire State. He was 
born at Orwell, Oswego county, New York, October 31, i860, and is a son 
of James and Anna (Bowen) Conlon. the former a native of Xew York and 
the latter of Ireland. Anna Bowen, the mother, came to America with her 
parents, William and Xancy Bowen, when she was thirteen years of age. 
James Conlon was bom in Onedia county, New York, and was a son of Charles 
Conlon, a native of Ireland, who immigrated to .\merica in 181 4 and settled in 
Oneida county. New York, where he spent the remainder of his life. James 
Conlon grew to manh()od in Oneida cinintx'. and in 1859 was married and 
about a year later removed to Oswego county, bought a farm and followed 
farming there until 1867. He then returned to Oneida county, where he 
remained until 1870, when lie came to Kansas, locating in Atchi.son county. 
He bought a farm about a mile and one-half soutliwest of the city of .\tciii- 
son, where he was successfully engaged in fanning and stock raising until 
about a j-ear prior to his death, Xovember i, 1899, at tiie age of seventy-three. 
He was a very successful farmer and a highly respected citizen, and at the 
time of his death owned 200 acres of valuable land, which is still owned by the 
Conlon family. He was a life-long Democrat and a member of the Catholic 
church. His wife died September 22, 1898, aged sixty-three years. They 
were the parents of the following children : Anna M. married Peter Donovan, 
now deceased, and three children were born to this union, Peter. Fredrick and 
Charles, and after the death of her first husband. .Anna M. married John Mc- 
Inteer, who is also now deceased and she resides in Atchison : Charles J., the 
subject of this sketch: William H. resides on the old homestead; John F., 
farmer, .Atchison: James D., plumber, St. Louis, Mo.: Letitia M. McKenna, 
Denver, Colo., and Fred J. died in .Atchison at the age of thirty-three years. 
He was a machinist and well and favorably known in .\tcliison county. 
Charles J. Conlon was educated in the public schools, St. Benedict's College. 
Atchison. Kan., and Whitestown Seminary, Whitestown, X. Y., graduating 
from the latter institution in the class of 1882. He then entered the law de- 
partment of the L'niversity of Michigan, at Ann Arlxir, Mich., and was 



i 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 495 

graduated in tlie class of 1884 with tlie degree of Bachelor of Laws. He then 
engaged in the practice of his profession at Atchison. Kan., and has continued 
in the practice to the present time. He was elected county attorney of Atchi- 
son county in 1912 and reelected to succeed himself in 1914. Mr. Conlon 
is a capable lawyer and is a fair and fearless prosecutor. Mr. Conlon was 
united in marriage Februan,' 14, 1903, to Miss Mae Flanigan. a native of Os- 
wego count}'. New York. 

John F. Conlon, farmer, was born October 15, 1865, in the town of Or- 
well, Oswego count}-. Xew York. He was educated in the common schools 
of his native town and later attended the Whitestown Seminary at Whites- 
town, N. Y. After coming to Atchison county, Kansas, in 1885 with his par- 
ents, he studied at St. Benedict's College. He remained with his parents on 
the home farm southwest of Atchison until their deatli, and managed the 
estate for several vears thereafter successfulh-. 



THOMAS O. GAULT. 



Personal achievements of the indi\-idual are always worth recounting 
when he has accomplished something worth while. There is considerable 
satisfaction in the latter years of the life of an industrious couple, who, 
having begun at the foot of the ladder of success and having climbed up- 
ward by degrees, have attained to a state of wealth and comfort bv the time 
middle age has been reached. Thomas O. Gault and his wife, residing in a 
beautiful farm home in the northeast part of the city of Effingham, are 
among the most respected citizens of Atchison county. Mr. Gault is one 
of the large land owners of the county, and while not an old resident he 
can lay claim to the fact that he was a homesteader in Kansas back in the 
"grasshopper" era, and has had as many ups and downs as the average 
western pioneer. 

Thomas O. Gault was born November 7, 1849, in VVycomico county, 
Maryland, a son of Archibald and Eliza (Littleton) Gault, natives of Marv- 
land, and descendants of old American colonial families. The ancestry of 
the Gault and Littleton families dates back to the earliest days of the settle- 
ment of the eastern coast of America. Archibald was the son of Obid Gault, 
who was a soldier in the War of 1812, and was an early pioneer settler of 
Indiana. Eliza Littleton was a daughter of Thomas Littleton, and died when 
Thomas O. was seven years of age. Archibald Gault emigrated from Marv- 



490 nisTouv ov atchison county 

laiul to Ripley county. Indiana, about 1859, and sculcd on a farm south of 
Pierce City, or near Stringtown. This was in a timbered countn*, and he 
Hved there only three years, returning to Maryland during the dark days 
of the Civil war. where he remained until the war was over. In 1865 he re- 
turned to his fami in Ripley county, and cultivated his Indiana fann until 
old age overtook him. and he finally returned to the old home in Mary- 
land, there spending his declining years, dying in 1900, at the age of eighty 
years. 

Thomas O. Gault was educated in the district schools of Ripley county. 
Indiana, and began working at the hardest kind of farm lalxir when yet 
a bov. When he attained his majority he came to the great West, where 
opportunity seemed to beckon with a more lavish hand than among the hills 
and forests of his native county and State. He located in Jasper county, 
Iowa, and worked at farm labor until twenty-five years of age. then came 
to Kansas and homesteaded a Government claim in Phillips county. This 
was a sad experience, however, as the grasshoppers came along soon after- 
wards and "cleaned out" the crops of the homesteaders in his neighliorhood, 
and he abandoned his claim and left the country. He returned to Jasper 
county, Iowa, in 1873, ^vhere he remained for three years, after which he 
remained in Iowa, locating in Pottawattamie county in 1S7S. where he 
had purchased a farm. He and his wife developed the farm and prospered 
for a period of fourteen years. Selling out their Iowa farm at a good round 
price in IQ03, thev located in Effingham, where they have resided since 
March of 1903. Mr. Gault invested his capita! in Kansas and Missouri lands 
and has made money since lie came to Kansas. Peing giftetl witli the money- 
making instinct and capacity, he has dealt somewhat in land and been .suc- 
cessful in his farming operations in Atchison county. He is the owner of an 
eighty acre tract of valuable land, purchased in 190J. adjoining Effingham. 
Kan., on the northeast, and has one of tlie most attractive modem fann 
homes in the county. He owns at the present time a total of 582.5 acres of 
land, 262.5 seres of which is located in Grundy county. Missouri, and the 
rest in Atchison county. He has a large farm of 240 acres near Pardee in 
Center township, which is one of the best improved tracts in the vicinity. 
This fami was purchased in 1902 and is equipped with excellent buildings, 
including a house of twelve rooms and three good barns. 

He was married on March 4, 1R88, to Miss Melissa Drury, of the town 
of Druf}-. Rock Island county, Illinois. They are the parents of two children : 
Essie, at home with her parents, and Pearl, wife of William Thomas, a son 
of Robert M. Thomas, of Effingham. Mrs. Gault was born March 4, 1861, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 497 

in Drury, Rock Island county, Illinois, a daujjliter ni Eli and Margaret 
(Huitljard) Drury, natives of Wayne county, Indiana, and Bedford county, 
Pennsylvania, respectively. Mr. iJrury served as postmaster of the village 
named in his honor in Rock Island county for thirty-five years, and was 
filling the office at the time of his death, in 1892. 

Mr. Gault is a stockholder in the Farmer's Mercantile Company of Ef- 
fingham. He is a Republican in jjolitics. Init is an independent voter, who 
believes in doing his own thinking as regards the merits of respective can- 
didates for office and the principles which influence good government. H<; 
became an Odd Fellow in Marshal] county, Iowa, in the early eighties, and 
has continued in good standing in the order to the present time. One of 
the incidents of his early career which left an impression on Mr. Gault's 
memory, which time has never been able to eradicate, was his first Kansas 
experience. He was so thoroughly cleaned out during the great grasshopper 
scourge in the seventies, in Phillips county, Kansas, that he was forced to 
walk the entire distance from Blue River, Kan., to Atchison. 



WILFULE .\. .ST.\XLEY. 



Wilfull .\. Stanley, a Civil war veteran, who perhaps has had more mili- 
tary experience than any other man in .Atchison county, is a native of New 
Jersey. He was born at Salem Novem1;er 26, 1838, and is a son of Joseph 
C. and Rebecca D. CGosline) Stanley, both natives of New Jersey and de- 
scendants of colonial ancestors, who trace their family genealogy back for 
several generations in this countrj'. The first white child born in the English 
colony that settled in New Jersey, opposite Egg Harlxjr, was an ancestor of 
Wilfull .\. Stanley. Joseph C. Stanley, the father of W51full .\.. was a son 
of Friend Richard Stanley, who was a soldier in the War of 1812. The 
Stanley's were Quakers, but there were a great many fighting Quakers dis- 
tributefl along the line of descent. Friend Richard was a son of John Stan- 
ley, who was a Revolutionary soldier and served in Lighthorse Harry Lee's 
cavaln*. He was captured and confined in a British prison ship for some time. 
He lived to be a very old man and died in 1845, at the age of 102. He was 
very active physically and mentally to a very old age. Wilfull A. Stanley 
was reared in New Jersey and received a common school education. On 
Decemljer 22, t86o. he enlisted as a private in the United States marine; and 
af»er making a trip around the world was detailed in 1861 as orderly to 
Admiral Dahlgren at Washington, D. C. He also served as orderly to Com- 

32 



498 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

manding Officer C. R. P. Rogers. Mr. Stanley was at the taking of Hat- 
teras Inlet and the operations on Roanoke Sound in conjunction with General 
Burnside's expedition. He was at the engagement of Port Royal and served 
as orc^erly to Capt. C. R. P. Rogers there. He was also at the engagement 
at Ft^ Walker. The "Wabash," upon which he was serving then, joined 
Admiral Farragut's fleet at New Orleans. Here Mr. Stanley was trans- 
ferred to the "Hartford," Admiral Farragut's flag ship, and served as orderly 
to Farragut and participated in the engagements at Fts. Jackson and Phillip, 
and was at the capture of New Orleans when he was again detailed to the 
"Wabash." Shortly after that he was taken sick with a fever and sent to 
the marine hospital at Brooklyn, N. Y. After recovering he was discharged, 
and with his discharge received a very complimentary letter from Admiral 
Rogers. After remaining home a short time he enlisted in the Second regi- 
ment, New Jersey cavalr}'. He participated in the battle of Nashville and 
was at the siege of Mobile. He went from there to Montgomery, Ala. 
About this time the war closed, but Mr. Stanley's regiment was kept in the' 
South for nearly a year during the reconstruction period, and in 1866 he was 
discharged and returned to his New Jersey home. Mr. Stanley had learned 
the plasterer's trade when he was a young man and at the close of the war 
worked at it for some time, when the military spirit took possession of him 
again and he enlisted at Philadelphia, Pa., and was assigned to Troop L, Sev- 
enth United States cavalry, and was sent from Ft. Leavenworth to Ft. Mor- 
gan on the Platte river. Capt. Michael V. Sheridan, a brother of "Little 
Phil," commanded this troop and they were mobilized at Ft. Hayes for a 
winter campaign against the Indians in the Wichita mountains. This cam- 
paign was against the Arapahoes, Comanches and some other tribes. 
.\fter an engagement with Lone Wolf's band the soldiers were forced to 
retreat, but soon after were reinforced at Big Timber by a Kansas regi- 
ment, and after that captured Lone Wolf and Satanta, chief of the Kiawas, 
and returned the Indians who had been on the war path to the Ft. Sill reserva- 
tion. After that Mr. Stanley returned to Ft. Leavenworth and had charge 
of the hospital stores for two years, when he was transferred to Wingate, 
N. M., where he also had charge of the hospital stores until 1872. when he 
was discharged and returned to New Jersey. In 1889 he came to Kansas, 
locating in .\tchison. where he has since worked at his trade most of the 
time. He had lived in Philadelphia for some time and in Georgetown, S. C. 
before coming to Kansas, and came to this State on account of his wife's 
health. Mr. Stanley was married in 1877 to Mrs. Mary E. (Ingravi) 
Fpuntain, a widow. She is a native of Bellefont, Pa., born June 25, 1842, 



1 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



499 



a daughter of Isaac D. and Deborah (Grant) Ingram, natives of Pennsyl- 
vania and descendants of old Pennsylvania stock. Joshua Bloomfield Will- 
iams, a major in the Revolutionary war, and at one time colonial governor 
of New Jersey, was a grand-uncle of Mrs. Stanley's mother, and Mrs. Stan- 
ley is a Daughter of the American Revolution. She is a member of the 
Ladies' Corps of the Grand Army of the Republic, and is past department 
president of Kansas, and National press correspondent, and has filled all the 
offices from the local circle to the National. Mr. and Mrs. Stanley have one 
child, Leon Glen, born in 1881. He served in Troop B, Si.xth United States 
cavalry. He was in China at the rescue of the foreign legations and sup- 
pression of the Boxer uprising and later served in the Phillipine Islands, and 
after three years' service he was honorably discharged. He was the first 
post printer at Ft. Leavenworth, and is now in the employ of the Atchison 
Globe, in the capacity of pressman and mailing clerk. He married Sadie 
Wiggins, and two children have been born to them, as follows : Inez Leona 
and Richard. Wilfull A. Stanley is a member of the Grand Armv of the 
Republic and has Ijeen adjutant of the Atchison post for ten years and is 
past commander. 



CHRISTIAN W. STUTZ. 



Christian W. Stutz, a substantial farmer of Center township, .Atchison 
county, was bom and reared in Lancaster township, this county, and is a 
son of pioneer settlers of the county. The Stutz family came to Kansas 
from Missouri in 1859. Christian W. is a son of Christian and Catharine 
(Schweitzer) Stutz, both of whom were born in Germany from whence they 
came to America in 1855, and first settled in Jackson county, Missouri, com- 
ing from there to Lancaster township in Atchison county four years later. 
Christian, the father, was born in Germany, March 25, 1825, and when thirty 
years of age decided to locate in the new country where there were better 
opportunities for gaining a livelihood and laying up a competence. Accord- 
ingly, we find that after a residence of four years in Jackson county, Missouri, 
he came to Atchison county, and with his savings invested in eighty acres of 
timber and prairie land in Lancaster township. He hired a man to break this 
land with ox teams, and proceeded to cultivate his land. He made extensive 
improvements on his farm from time to time as he was able, and added to 
his acreage to such an extent that at the time of his death, December. 1898, 
he was the owner of 380 acres of land. Christian Stutz was the father of 



500 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

seven children as follows : Mrs. Caroline Demel. of Central City, Neb. : 
Mrs. Katherine W'ilkins. of Atchison, Kan. : Frederick, a member of the 
Atchison police force ; Christian A\'. ; Gustave, a prosperous farmer of Lan- 
caster township; Jc^hn. a farmer in Center township: one child died in in- 
fancy. The mother of these children was torn in (jermany in February of 
1829, and died in Lancaster township, in December, 1888. 

Christian W. Stutz, whom this review directly concerns, was reared on 
the old home place of the Stutz family in Lancaster township, and educated 
in the Lancaster school. He assisted his' father in the operation of the home 
farm until he was twenty-three years of age, and then began fanning for him- 
self on land which he rented from his father. He continued to till the 
rented land for four years, all the time saving his earnings, with a view of 
eventually owning a farm of his own. He made his first investment in 1891 
when he purchased and inherited, partly, eighty acres of improved farm land 
in section 8, Center township. He at once began to remodel the home and 
make extensive improvements, and it might be said that he has never ceased 
to improve his surroundings. In igoS he erected a new l)arn, 50x50 feet, 
and now lias one of the attractive places of his township and county. Mr. 
Stutz has continued to add to his land holdings until he is now the owner of 
393 acres of land, all nf which he has secured through his own efforts. Dur- 
ing 1915 he had ])lanted 160 acres to corn which gave him an excellent 
crop. He keeps good graded stock and maintains a herd of Shorthorn cat- 
tle. He has made cjuite a reputation as a breeder, and in 1914 e.xhibited 
a "Mahrath Jack" at the Atchison county fair which was awarded the second 
prize. In addition to his farming interests he is a share holder in a copper 
mine located in Arizona. 

Mr. Stutz was married in 1891 to Kathrine W'alz, and of this union 
have been born ten children, as follows: Charles F., \\'illiam, John E., Clara, 
a graduate of the Atchison County TTigh School: .\rlliur, Mary and Marga- 
ret (twins), the latter deceased: Francis. Nora B.. Reidel, all of whom are 
at home with their parents. Mrs. Stutz was born September 8, 1868, in 
Atchison, Kan., a daughter of Charles and Kathrine (Reidel) \\^alz, both 
natives of Germany. Charles AX'alz emigrated from Germany to Cincin- 
nati, Ohio, and there learned the butcher business and trade. W'hen nine- 
teen years of age he left Germany to seek his fortune in .\nierica. and about 
1857 came to Atchison and worked in the first butcher .shop ever operated 
in that city. He later bought the shop of I'hilliii Link, and after operating 
it for a time bought a farm in Shannon township, where he lived until his 
death, in 1891, at the age of sixty-one years. Kathrine, his wife, was born 



■ 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 5OI 

in 1842. and died on the old h<ime place in Shannon township. 

Mr. Stutz is a Democrat, bnt has never sought political preferment, hav- 
ing no time other than for the management of his large farming interests. 
He is fraternally connected with the Odd Fellows and the Fraternal Order 
of Eagles. 



MICHAEL JOSEPH HORAN. 

In observing the management of the leading commercial houses of Atchi- 
son, the fact is determined that, invariably, the executi\e departments are in 
charge of young men who ha\e practically grown up with the business. The 
Dolan Mercantile Company is one of the oldest wholesale institutions of the 
city, and one of the most successful and substantial. Its affairs are con- 
ducted by young men who entered the employ of its founder when boys, and 
have advanced, step by step, in the management of the concern. M. J. Horan, 
the president of the Dolan Mercantile Company, began his career in a humble 
capacity in the business of which he is now the chief executive, and has be- 
come an honored and able member of the body of commercial men who ha\e 
made Atchison preeminent among the cities of the West. The story of a 
self-made man is always interesting and this review is a story of a self-made 
man. 

Michael Joseph Horan is a native of Atchison, born Xo\x'nil)er i J, 1875. 
He is a son of Michael Frank Horan, a native of Bir, Kings county, Ireland, 
born in 1824. The elder Horan left his native heath when a young man. 
with his young wife, who died later in Atchison. He first located in Peru, 
Ind., and there met William Dolan in 1840. He came to Kan.sas in 1865 and 
located some land at Wetmore. pro\-ed uj) on his homestead, and one year 
afterward located in Atchison. Here he engaged in the real estate business, 
and became fairly well to do. For years he was a well known figure in 
Atchison and took an active interest in Democratic politics. He died in 1888. 
His second wife was Anna Dean, whom he married in her native county of 
Queens, Ireland. She was born in 1844 and died in February, 19 10. They 
were the parents of the following children: Mrs. John A. Reynolds, .\tclii- 
son ; Miss Bridget Horan, Atchison: Anna, at home: Michael Joseph, Atchi- 
son: Frank, Marshalltown, Iowa: Charles L., .secretary of the Dolan Mer- 
cantile Company, and in charge of the shipping (lei)artmenl. 

M. J. Horan was educated in the parochial schools and St. Benedict's 
College, of Atchison. At the age of sixteen years, or in 1892, he entered the 



502 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

employ of the Dolan Mercantile Company, as office boy. He applied Iiim- 
self diligently to his duties and promotion step by step followed, as a matter 
of course. His next position was that of bill clerk. This was followed by 
his promotion to the post of bookkeeper and then buj-er. W'hen the company 
was incorporated in 1900. he was elected vice-president. He succeeded Mr. 
Dolan as president of the company, upon the latter's death in 1913. 

Mr. Horan was united in marriage in Kansas City, Mo., w-ith Martha 
Emma Malone in 1909. To them have been born four children: Michael 
Joseph, Mary Ann, Francis and William. Mrs. Horan is a daughter of 
Edward Malone, formerly a resident of Atchison, and who died here, after 
which the mother and all of the family except Martha Emma removed to 
Chicago. In political affairs Mr. Horan is an independent Democrat, who 
favors good and efficient government, and believes that it can best be ob- 
tained by good and capable officials regardless of their political adherence. 
He is a member of St. Benedict's Catholic Church, and is affiliated with the 
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the United Commercial Trav- 
elers. ]Mr. Horan is recognized as one of the substantial and pro- 
gressive business men of the city, and he and his wife have many wann friends 
among the best families of the city, who esteem them for their many excel- 
lent qualities of mind and heart. Mr. Horan's dignified and courteous de- 
meanor in the conduct of his business affairs has won him universal respect 
and esteem both of patrons and employes of the concern of which lie is the 
head. 



RINHOLD FUHRMAN. 



Rinhold Fhurman, farmer and stockman, of Lancaster townsliip, Atchi- 
son county, Kansas, was lx)rn in Germany February 11, 1863. He is a son 
of Ernest and Johanna (Gerlach) Fuhrman. and was one of twelve children 
born to them. The others are as follows : Caroline Deaking, Dodge City, 
Kan.; Louise Repstein, Jefferson county, Kansas; William, St. Joseph, Mo.; 
Julius, Doniphan county, Kansas; Trauget, Center township, Atchison 
county ; Herman, Lancaster townsliip, Atchison county ; Paul, Center town- 
ship, .\tchison county ; Emma Schwope, Center township. Atchison county • 
Ernest, .\tchison, Kan., and two children who died in infancy. The fatlier 
bv an earlier marriage to Louise (Heine) Fuhrman had one son. Charles, 
a farmer and stockman of Lancaster township, Atchison county. 

Ernest Fuhrman was born in Germany July 8, 1826, and immigrated to 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 503 

America in 1872, settling in Atchison county, Kansas, where he bought 160 
acres of land in section 16, Lancaster township. This was timber and prairie 
land and had only a small, poorly built house on it at the time, but during 
the twenty years that he owned it he built several substantial buildings and 
made numerous other improvements. He eventually sold the place to his 
son, Herman, and then bought 160 acres in Doniphan county, where Julius 
lives, and moved into Lancaster where he lived in retirement. He bought 
eighty acres in Center township. Five years later he went to live with his 
son. Paul, to whom he sold the eighty acre tract, in Center township. He 
died on Paul's second farm of 160 acres in Center township September 2, 

1915. The mother, Johanna (Gerlach) Fuhrman, was born in Germany and 
resides with her daughter, Emma, in Center township, Atchison county, at the 
age of eighty-five years. 

In 1872 Rinhold Fuhrman left Germany with his parents who came to 
Atchison county, Kansas. He was reared on his father's farm and attended 
school at Rock district No. 59, and when eighteen years of age began life 
for himself as a farm hand for $15 a month and proved himself a capable 
worker and later was given $20 a month, which was more than the average 
farm hand was paid at that time. He worked three years as a hired hand 
and then rented his father's farm *for five years, and later l)ought it. The 
farm consisted of 160 acres in section 20, Lancaster township. He improved 
it considerably after he took charge of it in 1899, erecting a house at a cost 
of $1,000, and he also built a barn which cost $500. He has built sheds and 
other improvements since and did most of this work with Iiis own hands. 
He has always been a hard worker and obtained all that he now owns by 
hard labor. He has a fine little orchard which is in a thrifty condition. He 
keeps graded stock and takes great care to keep his animals up to the standard. 

On October 8. 1890. he married Emma Kammer, a native of Lancaster 
township, who was born .April 18. 1868. She attended school at Rock dis- 
trict and is a daughter of Karl and Johanna Kammer. She has a brother, 
Karl, who is a farmer in Atchison county. Mr. and Mrs. Fuhrman are the 
parents of three children, as follows : Mrs. Laura August Poos, Lee's Summit, 
Mo. : Edna and Karl, both living at home. Mr. Fuhrman is a Republican and 
he and his wife are members of the Evangelical church. He is a conscien- 
tious, hard working farmer who has deservedly attained success. In March, 

1916, Mr. and Mrs. Fuhrman left the farm and retired to a home in Lan- 
caster, where Mr. Fuhrman purchased a residence. He has rented his farm 
after accumulating a competence which will enable him to live in comfort the 
remainder of his days. 



504 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

JOHN E. REMSBURG. 

The past half century lias witnessed the transformation of the section of 
Kansas known to the world as Atchison county from wilderness to a smiling 
and peaceful land of thriving towns and cities and checkered with fertile 
farms, a development which has been duplicated many times over in the great 
State of Kansas. While this wonderful tronsformation was going on as the 
handiwork of man — particular individuals from out of the mass of men who 
were working wonders in giving to this Nation a new commonwealth, were 
likewise developing mental attributes with which they had been gifted — states- 
men, soldiers, and men of letters were in the making. Atchison county, Kansas, 
has has been made famous by several illustrious sons who have achieved more 
than ordinary renown in the world of letters, as well as in other lines of en- 
deavor. John E. Remsburg, editor and publisher of the Potter Kansan, edu- 
cator, author and lecturer, during nearly a half century of residence in the 
county, has become as widely known in the realm of literature as any Kansan 
citizen. He has achieved a reputation as a writer and lecturer of force which 
is world-wide and deserved by the recipient. Mr. Remsburg came to Kansas 
from hi§ native State of Ohio in 1868. Two years after his arrival in Atchi- 
son county he was married to Miss Nora M. Eiler, of Walnut township, this 
county, who came with her parents from Missouri to Kansas in 1855. Seven 
children were born to this marriage: George J., John J.. Reullura R.. Wirt 
A., Charles B., and Claude A., all of whom are living, and Eugene, deceased. 

"The International W'ho's Who," printed in English, German. French 
and Italian, and |Hil)lished in London. Paris and New ^'ork. contains the fol- 
lowing biographical sketch of Mr. Remsburg; 

"John E. Remsburg. Teacher, lecturer, author: born near Freinont. 
Ohio, U. S. A., January 7, 1848. Of German-English descent, his paternal 
ancestors emigrating from Germany to ^Maryland about 1760; his maternal 
ancestors emigrating from England to Boston in 1640. His father was 
George J. Remsburg. son of John P. Remsburg, who removed from ■Mary- 
land to Ohio in 1831 : liis mother was Sarah A. (Willey) Remsburg. tlaugh- 
ler of Eleazer \\'illey, who removed from New York to Ohio alxiut the same 
lime. Educated in the public schools of Ohio and at Fort Edward Collegiate 
Institute, New York, continuing his studies after leaving school. F.ntcred 
Union army at 16, serving until close of Civil war. For fifteen years engaged 
in educational work in Ohio and Kansas, serving as sujjerintendent of ])ublic 
instruction of Atchison county, Kansas, four years (1872 to 1876). Mar- 
ried in 1870 Nora M. Eiler, daughter of Jacolj Filer, a Free State pioneer 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 505 

of Kansas. In 1880 became a lecturer and writer in support of free thought 
and State secularization. Delivered over 3,000 lectures, speakings in fifty-two 
States. Territories and provinces, and in 1,250 different cities and towns, in- 
cluding every large city of United States and Canada. In the performance 
of this work traveled over 360,000 miles. Author: 'Life of Thomas Paine,' 
1880; 'The Image Breaker,' 1882; 'False Claims.' 1883; 'Bible Morals,' 1884; 
'Sabbath Breaking,' 1885; 'The Fathers of Our Republic,' 1887; 'Abraham 
Lincoln,' 1893: 'The Bible,' 1903; 'Six Historic Americans,' 1906. Portions 
of his writings have been translated into French. Italian. German. Dutch. 
Swedish, Norwegian. Bohemian, Bengali, Singalese and Japanese." 

It may interest Mr. Remsburg's Atchison county friends to know in 
what esteem he is held as a speaker and writer by the world at large. From 
the hundreds of reviews and commendatory notices of his lectures and books 
which have appeared a volume of testimonials like tlie following could be 
compiled : 

"One of the best speakers and writers to be found in the West, if not in 
the whole country." — Charles Robinson, first governor of Kansas. 

"His lectures are models of logic and good sense." — Arnold Krekel. 
LL. D., Judge United States District Court. Missouri. 

"Mr. Remsburg's address was given with great eloc|uence and power." 
— E. \\'. Howe. 

"A brilliant lecture." — San Francisco Chronicle. 

"Most eloquent words." — Boston Globe. 

"An interesting and eloquent address." — Rev. J. F. Wilcox. Chicago. 

"It is lit up with such flashes of genius, it is so poetical and picturesque 
that one never wearies of hearing it." — E. M. Macdonald. New York. Presi- 
dent American Secular Union. 

"He retired with the reward of loud and long continued a|ipirmse." — • 
Kansas City Star. 

"Came in for his full meed of praise today." — Ncu' York- Herald. 

"J. E. Remsburg was paid at the rate of two dollars a minute for his 
New York address: pn)ba1)ly the higiiest price yet paid for a Kans.is talk." 
— Noble L. Prentiss, 1882. 

"A noble lecture." — Ernestine L. Rose, noted reformer, London. 

"He has gi\en to tiie world several volumes of priceless wortli." — L. K. 
Washburn, editor Boston Investigator. 

"This volume of 600 pages is a digest of all that is know n of the subject." 
— Franklin Steiner, author. New York. 

"Nothing equal to it has been puljlished witliin my recollection either 



506 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

in America or Great .Britain."— Charles Watts, President British Secular 
Union. 

"It is indeed excellent — nothing could be lietter." — Sir Hirnm ATaxim, 
London. 

"In many respects tlie most important volume on the subject tliat has 
yet appeared." — Le Pensee, Brussels. 

"Excellent, bold, direct, unanswerable." — James Parton. 

"Mr. Remsburg is an orator of high and wide reputation." — Washington 
Post. 

"One of America's noted orators." — Montreal Times. 

"A most able lecturer and writer." — Charles Bradlaugh, M. P., noted 
orator and stateman of England. 

"My translations of Bradlaugh's and Remsburg's writings have an enor- 
mous circulation in this country." — Kedarnath Basu, India. 

"His [Remsburg's] lectures have an immense circulation in India." — 
Calcutta Gasette. 

"One of the most promising orators in America." — Secular Revieiv, 
London. 

"His style is simple, earnest and attractive, and in these qualities lie is 
eloquent." — W. H. Herndon, law partner of Abraham Lincoln. 

"I have listened to all of our great orators from Clay to Ingersoll, but 
I have never heard a more polished oration than Remsburg delivered last 
night." — Hon. William Perkins, associate counsel of Lincoln in several im- 
portant cases. 

"A graphic, yet concise sketch." — Rev. S. Fletcher \\'il!iams, Liverpool, 
England. 

"Imparted in language clear and forcible and not seldom with grace 
and beauty." — -Thomas Gray, author, Edinburgii, Scotland. 

"I have never heard the case so fairly and so ably stated as lie has stated 
it tonight."— Richard B. Westbrook, D. D., LL. D., Philadelphia. 

"I have asked a bookseller to order twenty copies of Remsburg's work." 
— U. Dhammaloka, President Buddhist Tract Society of Burmah. 

"Such an admirable book is alwaxs welcome." — Rev. J. Lloyd Jones, 
LL. D., Chicago. 

"This effort to right the wrongs of Thomas Paine is, in my opinion, a 
service to mankind." — Andrew D. White. LL. D., first president of Cornell 
University, minister to Russia and ambassador to Germany. 

"The most fair and lionest of all the biographies which have yet ap- 
peared of the great iconoclast." — Boston Herald. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 507 



'^"^^'hii* 



"It will help restore to honor a much abused name and forward the cause 
of human rights the country over." — -Rev. Charles Wendt, D. D., Ex-Presi- 
dent Taft's pastor air Cincinnati. 

"May tliis brilliant work bring its author the praise of posterity." — Der 
Freidenker. 

"A very strong case." — Public Opinion. 

"A valuable contribution to literature." — Wm. McDonald, author, Canada. 

"His lectures have as large a circulation in Europe, India and Australia 
as in this country." — S. P. Putnam, author, New York. 

"A most interesting lecture." — Nezv Orleans Delta. 

"A large audience and frequent applause." — Baltimore Sun. 

"Skillfully and vigorously written." — Unitarian Herald, Manchester, 
England. 

"His style is pleasing and his arguments incontrovertible." — Tlie Uni- 
verse, Berhampur, India. 

"A noble and eloquent work." — Charles Bright, lecturer, Australia. 

"It is really a remarkable work." — Yoshira Oyama, President Japanese 
Rationalist Association, Japan. 

"Clearly, Mr. Remsburg has done his duty as he sees it, and has had the 
fairness to present at the outset the opposite view of the question." — New 
York World. 

"Given in evident fairness and remarkable completeness." — Chicago 
Times. 

"J. E. Remsburg, of Kansas, who addressed the Congressional Commit- 
tee on the Sunday question at the Capitol yesterday, made a good impres- 
sion. Every member heartily applauded him." — Washington Star. 

"My views are well expressed by him." — -Hon. George W. Julian, one 
of the founders of the Republican party and a prominent leader in Congress. 

"I will gladly contribute to his work." — Rear Admiral George W. Mel- 
ville. 

"I have the pleasure to inform you that at the meeting of the Committee 
held tliis day (January 5, 1910) you were elected an 'Oversea' member of the 
Authors' Club. " — Reginald H. B. Giller, Secretary Authors' Club, London. 

"Member Authors' Club, London ; National Geographic Society ( Wash- 
ington) ; life member American Secular Union (president three years). — 
Who's Who In America. 

"I have watched with interest his growing influence." — Hon. John J. 
Ingalls, president pro-tem United States Senate. 



508 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

"Ably and well lia\e you done your wmk." — Parker Pillshury. noted 
Anti-Slavery leader. 

"When truth and freedom triumph at last your name will be known 
and honored by all men." — Eugene V. Debs, four times the nominee of his 
party for President of the United State. 



GEORGE J. REMSBURG. 



George J. Remsburg was born in Atchison county, Kansas, September 
22, 1871. His life has been devoted mainly to horticultural, journalistic. 
archaelogical and historical work. He spent many years on a fruit farm, re- 
moving to Atchison in 1892, where he engaged in newspaper work on the 
Daily Champion, the oldest newspaper in Kansas ; he was a reporter, city 
editor, and even did editorial work on that paper up to 1900, when he re- 
turned to the farm on account of ill health. In 1894-95 he was editor of the 
Missouri Valley Farmer, now the leading agricultural journal west of the 
Mississippi. During the winter of 1905-6 he was on the reportorial staff of 
the Leavenworth Daily Post, and editor of JVestcrn Life, published in that 
city. He has also acted as special correspondent of the Leavenworth Times, 
St. Joseph Gazette, Kansas City Journal, Topeka Mail and Breeze, Topcka 
Capital, Atchison Globe, and other well known western newspapers, besides 
having been an editorial contributor to many different magazines and other 
publications. 

He has spent many years in archaeological explorations, principally in 
northeastern Kansas and northwestern Missouri, has opened a number oi 
ancient mounds and identified and explored old village sites of the Kansa 
Indians, visited by Bourgmont in 1724. and Lewis and Clark in 1804, on the 
Missouri river. He has published a pamphlet describing one of the more 
important of these old villages, entitled, "An Old Kansas Indian Town on the 
Missouri." In all, he has discovered and examined more than too old Indian 
village, camp, workshop and grave sites in the region mentioned and gathered 
one of the most extensive private archaeological collections ever assembled in 
Kansas. 

In 1897 he was elected a corresponding member of the \Vestern His- 
torical Society upon the unsolicited recommendation of Ignited States Senator 
George G. Vest, of Missouri. In 1901 he became associated with Hon. J. V. 
Brower, of St. Paul, Minn., in important archaeological investigations rela- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 509 

tive to the ancient Indian province of Quivira, visited hj- Coronado in 1541, 
and upon tlie organization of the Quivira Historical Society by Mr. Brower, 
he was made a life memljer. In 1905 he was elected president of this society 
to succeed Mr. Brower, deceased. The Quivira Historical Society erected a 
number of costly monuments to commemorate historical events of Coronado's 
time in Kansas. 

At the annual meeting of the McLean Historical Society of Illinois at 
Bloomington in 1909 he was elected an honorary member in recognition of 
his researches regarding the Kickapoo Indians, of whicli tribe the McLean 
society is making a special study. He has thoroughly explored the old village 
of the Kickapoos near Ft. Leavenworth, occupied from 1832 to 1854, and 
visited these Indians on their reservation in Brown county, Kansas, on sev- 
eral occasions, gathering a vast amount of ethnologic and historic material 
pertaining to the tribe. He is also a memi)er of the Kickapoo Club, of Bloom- 
ington, 111. 

Mr. Remsburg is a member of the National Geographical Society, hav- 
ing been elected at the annual meeting of the society in Washington in 1911. 
He has been a member of the International Society of Archaeologists since its 
organization in 1909; was appointed an associate editor of the Archaeoloi^ical 
Bulletin, official organ of this society, in igio, and elected vice-president of 
the same society in the same year. In 1901 he was elected a member of the 
American Society of Curin Collectors : was elected vice-president of the same 
in 1902, and appointed a contriliuting editor of the society's official organ in 
1906. He is also an active member of and contributor to the Kansas State 
Historical Society, and is a member of its committees on archaeolog}' and 
Indian history. 

Brower's "Memoirs of Explorations in the Basin of the Mississippi," 
Volume \']I, contains a summary account of 'Slv. Ivemsburg's archaeological 
work, and says of him; "He has long been a capable and painstaking 
archaeological explorer in the Missouri Valley." Chappell's "Histoiy of the 
Missouri River" says he is an acknowledged authority on early western his- 
tory and the archaeology of the Missouri \alle\-. 

Tie has held a number of local offices, such as justice of the peace, mem- 
ber of school board, and secretary of various clubs and societies. Pie was 
at one time a member of the Kansas National Guards. He is now connected 
witJi the staff of the Potter JVeekly Kansan and doing special correspondence 
for se\'cral newspapers. His home is at Potter, in this county. He is a son 
of John E. Remsburg, whose sketch appears elsewhere. 



510 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

WIRT HETHERINGTON. 

Heredity, undoubtedly has an important bearing upon the choice of a 
life vocation for the individual citizen, and it is evident that this maxim gov- 
erning the destiny of man himself holds good in the life of Wirt Hether- 
ington, cashier of the Exchange National Bank of Atchison. In the city of 
Atchison, three generations of bankers from the Hetherington family have 
toiled in tlie financial activities of the city, the first of whom was William 
Hetherington, grandfatlier of W. Wirt, the present scion of the family, en- 
gaged in banking. Following ^^'i^iam, the pioneer banker of Atchison, and 
who established the first banking concern in the city, came Webster Wirt 
Hetherington, father of him whose name heads this review. 

William Hetherington, the first of the line in Kansas, was Iwrn in the 
town of Milton, Penn., May lo, 1821, and was there reared and received his 
education. When he became of age he was married, at Pine Grove, Penn., 
to Miss Annie M. Strimphfler, who was born in W'omelsdorf, Berks county, 
Pennsylvania, September 24, 1827. This marriage occurred May 9, 1848, 
and William and his bride, shortly afterwards, became residents of Potts- 
ville, Penn., where he engaged in the operating of a flouring mill. Three 
children were bom to them in this city, namely: Mrs. Balie P. Waggener, of 
Atchison; Webster Wirt and C. S. Hetherington. In 1859 they removed to 
Atchison and the youngest child of the family, Mrs. William A. Otis, was 
born here. Mr. Hetherington first located in St. Louis, when he came west, 
later going to Kansas City, and from there to Leavenworth, Kan., where he 
purchased a bankrupt stock of goods, which he hauled by wagon to Atchison 
in 1859. He at once established the Exchange Bank, which absorbed the 
Kansas Valley Bank, at that time owned by Robert L. I'easc. When Mr. 
Hetherington came into possession of the bank it was located in a basement 
at the corner of Third and Commercial streets. A short time later he moved 
it to the building now occupied by the water works company, and it was here 
that an attempt was made by the outlaw Cleveland to rob the bank, but the 
attempt was unsuccessful, Cleveland being frightened away by some freight- 
ers wlio were working nearby. Some years later, Mr. Hetherington erected 
a bank building at the northwest corner of Fourth and Commercial streets, 
which was the home of the bank until tlie erection of the handsome Exchange 
National Bank Building, two blocks further west, in 1885. In 1882 the 
Hetherington bank was merged into a. national bank, and it was known as 
the Exchange National Bank, one of the successful banking concerns of the 
State of Kansas. Mr. Hetherington was a man of considerable ability, whose 



« 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 5II 

efforts to advance the growing city of Atchison were worth a great deal, 
and he became a leading factor in the material advancement of the city. His 
influence on public thought and movement was marked and it was the more 
powerful, for he was largely unbiased in his judgments. He died in 1890. 

Webster Wirt Hetherington, father of the subject of this review, was 
born in Pottsville, Penn., December 19, 1850. He was educated in Gambier 
College in Ohio, and came directly from his studies in that institution to 
enter the Exchange National Bank of Atchison, of which his father was 
the founder and president. He became cashier of the bank, and upon his 
father's demise, in 1890, he became the president of the bank, remaining 
in this position until his death. January 28. 1892. Wv. Hetherington, 
during his financial career, became widely known in banking circles, and had 
many valuable acquaintances among New York financial men, with whom he 
had many transactions in western securities. \\"hen the Rock Island road 
was building in Kansas and Nebraska Mr. Hetherington made arrangements 
to purchase all the municipal bonds the road received from the counties and 
townships through which it passed. The deal was successful, and won him 
the confidence of the New York brokers through whom he sold the bonds. 
In 1889 he received, as a reward from \\'. P. Rice, of New York City, $10,000 
in cash and also traveling expenses for himself and wife on a tour in Europe, 
in payment for his services in going to London and assisting Mr. Rice in 
interesting English capitalists in investing in American enterprises. Mr. 
Hetherington was married November 18, 1875, to Miss Lillie Miller, the 
oldest daughter of Dr. John G. and Anna B. (Bennett) Miller, both natives 
of Pennsylvania. This marriage was blessed with five children as follows : 
Ruthanna, wife of Dr. L. A. Todd, of St. Joseph; Mary Louise, wife of Lieut. 
J. G. Pillow, U. S. A., of Honolulu; Webster Wirt, cashier of the Exchange 
National Bank of Atchison; Gail, wife of B. R. Allen, of Atchison; Harry 
Hale, Seattle, Wash. 

Wirt Hetherington, third in hue of the bankers of this estimable family, 
was born in Atchison, February 21, 1881, and received his education in the 
public schools of the city, after which he became a student in the Military- 
School at Orchard Lake, Mich., from which institution he was graduated in 
1900. Soon after his graduation, he entered the Exchange National Bank 
in the capacity of receiving teller and bookkeeper, and since that time he 
has advanced to higher positions of trust and responsibility in this important 
banking institution, learning the banking business in a tliorough and pains- 
taking manner as he passed from one position to a higher one. In 1905 he 
became assistant cashier, a position which he held until February, 1914, when 



512 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

he became cashier of the liank, of wliich he is also a chrector. Mr. Hethering- 
ton is unmarried and makes liis home with his widowed mother. 

Pohtically, Wirt Hetlierington is a Democrat as were his father and 
grandfather before him. He is a communicant of tlie Episcopahan church, 
whicli is the church of his forefathers, who were of Enghsh origin. He is 
affihated with tlie Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and tlie Benevolent and 
Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Hetherington is destined to follow in the foot- 
steps of his able and distinguished father and grandfather, and has already 
given decided evidence that he has inherited and is developing marked finan- 
cial ability of a high order. His demeanor in the conduct of the duties of 
his important position is commendatory and his pleasant and courteous manner 
of greeting those with whom his duties bring him in daily contact betokens 
the innate gentlemanly attributes which he possesses to a considerable degree. 



HARRY L. SHARP. 



Harry L. Sharp, secretary of the Atchison Commercial Club, is one of the 
"live wires" of the city and has given evidence of great ability in his chosen 
profession. He is industrious, frugal, sincere and unpretending. His accu- 
rate knowledge as to the departmental matters is a constant surprise to those 
who have occasion to consult him with reference to any branch of public 
service. He realizes that facts, and not theories, must be the working forces 
in this organization. He is not only able, intelligent and practical in the 
discharge of his duties as secretar\- of the Commercial Club, but is thoroughly 
conscientious and always shows the courage of his convictions. 

Harrj' L. Sharp was born in Moravia, Iowa, January 14, 1883, a son 
of John Wilson and Cora Wright Sharp, who trace their ancestry to Thomas 
Brown and Col. William Crawford, of Pennsylvania. Thomas Brown was one 
of the early pioneers in western Pennsylvania and founded the town of 
Brownsville, that State, in the year 1776. Col. \A'illiam Crawford was a con- 
frere of George Washington. Colonel Crawford married a daughter of 
Thomas Brown, which closely related both sides of Mr. Sharp's family, his 
father's people being the Crawfords and his mother's the Browns. He was 
graduated from the Moravia High School, after which he entered the restau- 
rant and baker)' business for himself, conducting the same for a period of 
three years. Disposing of this business, he came to Atchison and was for a 
time associated with Sawin & Douglass in the undertaking business, qualify- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 513 

ing and ol)taiiiing- a license to do em1)alming in the State of Kansas. I'ul- 
lowing this, he was clerk at the Byram Hotel for a period of three years. 
During the following year he wrote life insurance and resided in Hiawatha, 
Kan. Returning from Hiawatha, he took a position as yard clerk in the 
Missouri Pacific railroad yards. From this position he worked up to that 
of claim clerk for that company, which position he resigned to hecome traffic 
manager for A. J. Harwi Hardware Company. Upon the death of A. J. 
Harwi, Mr. Sharp succeeded F. E. Harwi, as bu},er of the house furnishings 
goods department of this concern, continuing his traffic work. He held 
this position until he was tendered and accepted the secretaryship of the Atchi- 
son Commercial Club. While Mr. Sharp is a Democrat, he has always been 
inclined to be independent in his views of things political. He is a Royal 
Arch Mason and a member of the Elks and Eagles and other fraternal socie- 
ties. In December, 1906, Mr. Sharp was married to Mary, daughter of Ed- 
ward C. Wolters. a native of Germany, and a resident of Atchison, where 
Mr. Wolters was a contractor for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Sharp have 
one child, LeRoy Edward, born May 31, 1909. 

Mr. Sharp is one of the most capable and efficient experts in his par- 
ticular vocation that can be found in the West. He seems to be naturally 
adapted for the difficult and exacting position which he holds, and is gifted 
with rare tact and diplomacy which is so necessary in handling the various 
affairs which are placed in his hands in the interest of Atchison and the 
Commercial Club. He is possessed also of decided literary ability, evidence 
of wliich talent will lie readily seen in the perusal of the cha])ter on .\tchison 
Industries which was written and compiled iov this \dlume 1jv Mr. Sharp. 



HENRY KUEHNHOFF. 



Henry Kuehnhoff, farmer and stockman, of Lancaster township, Atchi- 
son county, was born August 3, 1869, in Lancaster township. He is a 
son of Charles and Caroline Kuehnhoff, who were the parents of nine chil- 
dren, six of whom are living. The father was born in Germany in i8.^i 
and left there when a boy of sixteen )-ears, sailing for New York. He re- 
mained there a short time and then went west, arriving at St. Joseph, Mo., 
where he enlisted in Company B of the Volunteer infantry, serving in the 
Civil war. He was discharged at Lexington, Mo., at the close of the war, 
haying made a good military record. 

33 



514 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

He returned to civil life and worked at St. Joseph, Mo., as a laborer for 
$8 a month. Shortly afterward he came to Atchison county, Kansas, and 
bought eighty acres of land in section 10, Lancaster township. Using oxen, 
he broke the ground on his newly acquired farm and began to improve it 
as far as his resources would permit. In 1894 he retired and went to the 
National Soldiers' Home at Leavenworth, where he died in 1903. The 
mother was born in Germany, in 1845, and died in 1899. Henry Kuehnhoff 
grew to manhood on his father's farm and attended the Eden district school 
No. 37, and also attended No. 3 school for one tenn. He worked on the 
farm until he was twenty-one, and, then with his brother, William, rented 
the old home place. At the death of his father he became heir to a share 
of the place, and in 1905 bought the farm where he now lives in section 9. 
Lancaster township, Atchison county. He now owns 157 acres of well im- 
proved land and has a large amount of graded stock, and is a stockholder 
in a telephone company. 

In 1901 lie was married to Caroline Kloepper, who was born July 20, 
1882, in Atchison county. She is a daughter of Crist and Caroline (Dorssom) 
Kloepper, natives of Germany and Atchison county, respectively. The mother 
is now dead, but her father resides at DeKalb, Mo. Mr. and Mrs. Kuehnhoff 
have one child, John, who lives at home. Mr. Kuehnhoff is a Republican 
and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge. He is a 
member of the school board of district No. 3, Lancaster township. 



MRS. D. N. WHEELER. 



The average woman, left penniless, destitute, and even burdened with 
debt at the hour of her greatest sorrow in life, the demise of a loved hus- 
band, is very likely to throw herself upon the more or less doubtful mercies 
of friends or relatives, and make no attempt to take up the burden of gaining 
a livelihood by her own exertions. However, this may be the case in many 
instances, but the exact opposite has been the career of Mrs. D. N. Wheeler, 
one of the wealthiest real estate proprietors in Atchison, who, during the 
thirt)'-four years that have elapsed since the demise of her husband which left 
her with a small home burdened with debt, and otherwise penniless, has 
amassed a competence which has placed her in the ranks of the largest indi- 
vidual taxpayers in the city of Atchison. 

She was born in Chautauqua county, New York, a daughter of Ezekiel 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 515 

and Alniirah (Trowbridge) Rooks, both of whom were natives of New York. 
Her father died when she was four years of age, and she was reared in Erie 
county, Pennsylvania, where lier mother removed after her father's death. 
Rooks county, Kansas, is named in honor of tlie Rooks family of New York, 
who formed one of the first settlements in Rooks county, during the pioneer 
days of the early sixties in Kansas. While a student in the academy at Erie, 
Penn., she met her future husband, who was then traveling passenger agent 
for the Chicago & Northwestern railway. After their marriage in Erie 
in 1869, they went to Omaha, Neb., where Mr. Wheeler was connected with 
the Union Pacific railway. They had the honor of being the guests of 
George Pullman of the Pullman Car Manufacturing Company, as passengers 
on the first Pullman train run over the Union Pacific tracks, en route from 
Omaha to San Francisco. Upon their arrival in San Francisco they attended 
a reception at the Occidental Hotel, after which Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler 
traveled in California visiting points of interest. They had some interesting 
experiences during their travels over the country while Mr. Wheeler was 
engaged in his duties in connection with the Union Pacific railroad. S. PI. H. 
Clark, president of the Union Pacific railroad, was a very dear and warm 
friend of the Wheelers, and after Mr. Wheeler's death, she accompanied 
the Clark family to San Francisco and was domiciled at the Palace Hotel as 
their guest. She was with the Clarks at St. Louis when the Union Pacific 
railroad was sold for $60,000,000, and she was in New York when Mr. 
Clark signed this transfer. Mrs. Wheeler still retains the friendship of 
the Clark family and frequently visits them. 

Mr. W'heeler had charge of the expedition to North Platte when Generals 
Grant and Sherman made the treaty with the Indians, and Mr. and Mrs. 
Wheeler became personally acquainted with the famous generals. A souve- 
nir of this experience is a pack of playing cards which General Sherman gave 
Mrs. Wheeler when the party was on the return trip, and which was used 
in playing Bezique by the two generals to while awa_\- the time. Mr. ^Vheeler 
was the conductor of the train which brought in the survivors of the Plum 
Creek, Neb., Indian massacre, in which many of the settlers were killed and 
scalped by Indians. Mr. Wheeler died in 1881, leaving his young wife 
practically destitute, in the little three room house which they had undertaken 
to buy in Atchison for $600. At the time of his death there was an incum- 
brance of $400 on this house, and Mrs. Wheeler was so poor that a load of 
coal which she had ordered for delivery at the home was returned because it 
was thought she would be unable to pay for it. She at once began Ui dis- 
play the spirit which has enabled her to triumph over all difficulties, and 



5l6 ^ HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

earned her living by teaching; drawing and painting in the old Monroe Insti- 
tute, supplementing her salary by giving private lessons at lier liDme im 
Saturdays. She managed by dint of the strictest economy to pay off tlie 
mortgage on her little liome, and has since remodeled it into one of the most 
attractive places in Atchison. This beautiful home is situated high up on 
the bluffs, bordering the ^Missouri river, and offers a view from the east 
windows over broad reaches of tlie Missouri wliich is unsurpassed for beauty 
and distance anywliere in the West. Mrs. Wheeler, while without business ex- 
perience of any kind whatever, at the time of her husband's demise, embarked 
upon a career of investing her savings in residence properties until she is 
now the owner of twenty fairly valuable pieces of real estate in Atchison. 
She followed the time tried plan of the cumulative metliod of buying houses, 
which she would place in good repair for rental purposes, going in debt for 
a house and then gradually paying out, and eventually buying another and 
so on, until she is now paying taxes on a property valuation of over $40,000, 
her taxes alone amounting to $2.00 per day, or over $730 yearly. At the 
same time she has gained a valuable knowledge of real estate, she lias learned 
to know and accurately judge human nature, a combination of wisdom which 
is irresistible in achieving success. She is a saleswoman of great ability, 
and has frequently been pitted against some of the shrewdest traders in Atchi- 
son, and has never been worsted in an encounter. Endowed witli a keen 
observant mind and a remarkable memory, she has made many prominent 
friends during her career, and has often been called upon to assist them in 
various capacities, an instance of whicli is found in tlie aid which she gave 
Bishop Tuttle in tlie preparation of his reminiscences of the Old Santa Fe 
Trail. To quote the words of a prominent friend of hers, who lias known 
her for many years and witnessed her struggles to attain affluence. "Mrs. 
Wheeler is a verv remarkable woman." 



NAPOLEON P.. I'lKK. 



Napoleon B. Pike, farmer and stockman, was born May 10, 1856, in 
Washington county, Iowa, and is a son of Ciiarles and Maria (Salers) Pike, 
and was one of eleven children, seven of whom are living. The father of 
Napoleon Pike was born in New York State, November 13. 1826. He came 
to Ohio with his parents and after his marriage went to Iowa. For a time 
he was engaged in a small mercantile business in Iowa, but later engaged in 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 517 

farming. He also fanned a place of his own near Atchison, Kan., wliere he 
removed in 1882, but his larger holdings were in Iowa. He died in 1903. 
The mother was born in New Jersey in 1836, and died in Atchison county, 
Kansas, in 1898. Both were members of the Methodist church. 

Napoleon Pike grew u)) nn his father's Iowa farm. He was married 
there and came to Kansas with his father in 1882. For a year he rented land 
in Doniphan county. Kansas, when he came to Atchison county, and rented 
a fann in Lancaster township. In 1907 he bought the forty-acre farm which 
he now works. When he took the place it had few improvements, but he has 
invested $8,000 since then, and made a modern farm and keeps graded stock. 

In 1878 he married Julia Utterback, who was born in Lancaster, Iowa, 
July 17, 1856. She is a daughter of Nels and Matilda Utterback, both 
natives of Indiana. To Mr. and Mrs. Pike have been born five children, 
as follows: Charles, Center township; Alta (Higley) Lancaster township; 
Walter, farmer, Lancaster township ; Willard, farmer, Center township, and 
Warren, deceased. Mr. Pike is a Republican and a member of the Christian 
church of Atchison. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America at 
Atchison. 



JOHN A. SCHOLZ. 

During the thirty-seven years in which the Scholz familj- has resided 
in Atchison county, its memliers have made a record for each and every one 
which is a credit to their parents and themselves, individually and collectively. 
John and August Scholz, farmers and live stock breeders of Lancaster town- 
ship, take high rank in the county as enterprising and successful agricultur- 
ists, and have both achieved success, and attained a reputation a.'i specialists, 
being well known breeders of Shorthorn cattle. Their father, the late 
August Scholz, was wise in his day and generation, in that when he came to 
Atchison county, a comparatix'ely poor man, he secured enough land which 
would require that his sons remain at home and become farmers. lie was 
successful in his plan, and the result is seen in the enterprising sons whom he 
trained to till the soil in the best manner possible, and who have been success- 
ful, as their father had wi,shed. John Scholz is a native son of Kansas, and 
was bom and brought u]) on the farm where he now resides. He has one 
of the attractive countr\- places in the county, nicel\- located, with a well built 
farm residence, good barns and outlniildings for housing his live stock and 
storing the harvests of the Scholz fields. He and his brother, August, have 



5l8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

long held their land in common, and worked together on a partnership basis 
in a manner satisfactoi-y to both and productive of good results. 

John A. Scholz was born November 27, 1879, '" Atchison county, and is 
a son of August and Johanna (Seidel) Scholz, who were the parents of the 
following children: Mrs. Pauline McCowin, Renton, Wash.; Herman, Doni- 
phan county, Kansas; Charles, Lancaster township; Mrs. Louise Thoren, Los 
Angeles, Cal. ; Caroline, wife of J. \V. Louthian, Lancaster township, Atchi- 
son county; George, Lancaster township; Paul, living near Lancaster, Kan; 
Mrs. Anna Stockebrand, Yates Center, Kan. ; August, farming in partnership 
with his brother, John, in Lancaster township; John A., farmer, Lancaster 
township; Robert, Lancaster township. The family was reared on the 
father's fanti and the sons were all taught fanning. The father was born in 
Schlesien, Germany, November 25, 1835. He learned the blacksmith trade 
from his father, and worked at tlie trade until he left Germany in 1870. He 
was a son of George Frederick Scholz. His mother died when lie was an 
infant. Coming to America with his family of six children, August Scholz 
resided in St. Joseph, Mo., for a time wlien he bought a farm of 160 acres 
in Doniphan countw Kansas, which he operated about si.x years. He broke 
the soil on tliis place with oxen and made all necessani- improvements himself. 
After leaving Doniphan county he rented a farm in Atchison county, and then 
bought 480 acres of prairie and timber land in Lancaster township, .Atchison 
county, in 1882. He bouglit the farm of Morgan Osborne, and paid $15,000 
for it. The place is known as the "Three Springs Farm" and is located on 
the northwest quarter of section 9. This name comes from the fact that the 
farm has a fine natural water supply coming from springs located on it. The 
springs furnisJT water enough for the stock on the farm even in the longest 
drought and supplies the neighborhood when necessary. The fatlier bought 
an unusuallv large farm for a s])ecial purpose. He wanted his boys to grow 
up witli him, and did not want to see them go out as hired hands for otlier 
farmers, so he went into debt to buy enough land .so that the boys could work 
it themselves and make a living on it. He had very little capital, but he was 
industrious and his family was also industrious. This enabled them to go 
in debt for tlie farm without fear of not being able to pay for it. The farm 
was paid for in due time and imjjrovements were made constantly. The 
father farmed until his death, in 1901. The mother of John Scholz was a 
daugiUer of Godfred and Rosanna ( Schwartzer) Seidel. She was bom in 
Schlesien, Germany, April 10, 1840. The father was a farmer in his native 
land. The mother lives with John Scholz. John Scholz attended the .\tchi- 
son Ciiunty High Scliool at Effingham, Kan.. ha\ ing jireviously gone to 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 5I9 

school in District Xo. 3, (jf Lancaster township. He remained at home after 
leaving high school, and helped his father on the farm. \Vhen the father died 
John was married and began life for himself. He and his l>rother, August, 
bought 160 acres each from the heirs, and engaged in farming. They bought 
320 acres comprising the old home. March i, 191 5, they bought eighty acres 
additional in Lancaster township, making 400 acres in all. John and his 
brother began to take a fancy to high grade stock and they are now breeding 
fine Shortliorn cattle. They have a herd of twelve head of thoroughbreds. 
They have a graded stock of horses and breed Poland China hogs also. 
John A. especially takes great interest in mules, and at one time had the 
largest span in the county. These sold for $600. They were five years old 
and weighed 3,300 pounds. 

John Scholz married Ida R. Meyer, October i, 1913. She was born 
March 3, 1882, in Center township, Atchison county, and is a daughter of 
John and Caroline (Schroeder) Meyer. John Meyer was born in Switzer- 
land, and came to Atchison county when he was four years old, with his 
parents, John and Verena (Slaughter) Meyer, natives of Switzerland. They 
were early settlers in Center township where they died. John Meyer was 
bornr May 8, 1854, and his wife, Caroline (Schroeder) Meyer, was born in 
Elgin, 111., April 2, 1859. Mrs. Meyer was the daughter of Nicholas and 
Katherine Schroeder. natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Scholz have one 
child, Ralph Edward, born August 17, 1914. Mr. Scholz is a Democrat, and 
he and his wife belong to the Evangelical church. 



WALTER E. BROWN. 



Walter E. Brown, of the law firm of Waggener, -Ciialliss & Crane, and 
the present city attorney of Atchison, is a native son of Kansas. He was 
born at Whiting, Jackson county, Kansas November 17, 1887, and is a son 
of William E. and Martha W. (Gilmore) Brown, natives of Pennsylvania. 
William E. Brown, the father, came to Kansas with his parents in 1872 at 
the age of sixteen. He is a son of Michael Brown, a native of Ireland. The 
Brown family settled in Brown count}', Kansas, where the parents spent their 
lives. 

In 1879 William E. Brown removed to Jackson county and engaged in 
the lumber business at Holton, where he is still an extensive lumber dealer 
and one of the substantial business men. To William E. and Martha W. 



520 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

(Gilmore) Brown were born three children, as follows; A\'alter E., the sub- 
ject of this sketch ; Bemice and Harold. 

Walter E. Brown was reared in Holton and educated in the public schools, 
graduating from the liigh school there. He then entered Kansas University, 
Lawrence, Kan., and was graduated in the class of 1909 with the degree of 
Bachelor of Laws. He then came to Atchison and became associated with 
the law firm of which he is now a member. Some few changes have taken 
place in the personnel of the firm of Waggener, Challiss & Crane within the 
last few years, but it substantially remains the same. 

Mr. Brown is a Republican and since coming to Atchison has taken an 
active part in political matters. He was elected city attorney in 1913 and 
reelected to succeed himself in 191 5. He is a Knights Templar and Royal 
Arch Mason and a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, 
Loyal Order of Moose, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Mr. Brown is a 
ver\- capable attorney and has a wide acquaintance in northeastern Kansas. 



E. G. BURBANK. 



E. G. Burbank, proprietor of the Burbank printshop, is a native son of 
Atchison county. In 1905 Mr. Burkank founded this printing establishment 
in a very humble way, which within ten years has developed into one of the 
leading printing plants of eastern Kansas. Tlie ]-)henomcnal success of this 
enterprise is, no doubt, due to the fact that Mr. Burbank was an expert job 
and edition printer when he embarked in the business for himself. Burbank's 
printship catered to high class printing from the start, which has been its 
specialty and in which it has made a clean record. They do a large amount of 
high class catalog printing and other high grade work of a kindred nature. 
They are also well known as liook printers and binders and printers of high 
class stationer}-. The plant has a floor space, 30x50 feet and is equipped 
with all modem machinery and methods for up-to-date printing. 

When Mr. Burkank started in business for himself he was able to do 
most of his work alone, but he now has ten people on his payroll, and the 
plant is now one of the most prosperous concerns of .\tcliison. 

E. (i. Burbank was born at Muscotali, Kan.. January 17, 1881, and is a 
son of Heni-y N. and Mina S. (Hazlett) Burbank. Henry N. Burbank. his 
father, was a native of Vermont and came to .\tchison county witli his father, 
George S. Burbank, in the pioneer days of Atchison county. He died in 1913, 



11= 




m 



S. W. AI>AMS, 
Aetna Life Innuranee Co. 




Ul.irs DKITSCH 



& 




II. C. HANSEN, 
I'enn .Miitiuil I.if*" Irisiirnni-i' fo. 



m 




K. (.. ISI KIlAMv 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 52 1 

and his wife now resides at Billings, Mont. E. G. Burbank was reared in 
Muscotah, and after receiving a high school education began his printing 
career as "devil" in the office of the Muscotah Record. Shortly afterwai'ds, 
he entered the office of the Atchison Globe and was connected with that paper 
as a printer for four years, when he organized the plant wliich now liears his 
name. 

Mr. Burbank was married in 1908 to Miss Millie Anderson, and they 
have two children: Millie Ervin, born in December, 1910, and John Max- 
well, born in July. 191 2. Mr. Burlwnk is of the type of business men who 
are making Atchison the commercial and center that it is. He is a member 
of Washington Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and the 
Bene\-olent and Prf)tective Order of Elks. 



H. C. HANSEN. 



The story of a young man who has been successful in his chosen field 
through sheer force and energy and aptitude is always interesting. Conse- 
quently, it is fitting that the biography of one of the most successful life 
insurance men of northeast Kansas have a proper place in the pages of the his- 
tory of Atchison count}-. The rise of H. C. Hansen in the insurance field has 
been rapid and substantial until his high place among the business men of his 
home city is assured. Born in the little kingdom of Denmark and reared on 
American soil, he has given evidence of possessing the sturdy qualities pecu- 
liar to the Danish people which have led them to the forefront in America 
wherever they have settled. It is probable that no people coming here from 
foreign shores and speaking an alien tongue ha\e shown greater adapta))ility 
and more acumen in being assimilated into the great American body of citi- 
zens than those who have come from Denmark. 

H. C. Hansen was born in Denmark January 17, 1867. His parents were 
Hans and Anna Hansen, who left their native land to seek their fortunes in 
America in 1869. Hans Hansen was a backsmith. and the family first located 
in Atchison. From here they went to Brown county, and a few years after- 
ward settled in Doniphan county. Mr. Hansen operated a blacksmith and 
wagon-shop at Severance, Kan., until 1890. He then removed to Graham 
county and settled on a farm where he still resides. His first wife. Anna, 
died in 1875. leaving four children, as follows : Mrs. Mar\- Kellcnberg. of 
Brown county; Mrs. Minnie Knoop. of Canton, Okla. ; Mrs. Ellen Moore, of 
Cottonwood Falls, Chase county, Kansas, and Hans Christian. 



522 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

H. C. Hansen was reared in Doniphan county and was forced by circum- 
stances to look after his own education. When still a boy he learned the 
blacksmith's trade and also worked as a farm liand. He had little opportunity 
to secure an education and received no encouragement from his parents to 
acquire knowledge. It was necessary for him to earn money to support him- 
self \v!:ile atttndin.i;- school. He studied tor twii years in the Christian Brothers 
College of St. Joseph after he became of age. Beginning with December 20, 
1892, he served twelve years as salesman for the Edward Heeney Hardware 
Company, of Severance, Kan. He then Isecame local agent for the I'enn 
Mutual TJfe Insurance Comjiaiiy at Se\ trance. So successful was Mr. 
Hansen in his new vocation that in a short period of eighteen months he was 
tendered the position of general agent of the company, with headquarters in 
Atchison. He has written as high as $200,000 in life insurance policies 
yearly and his success still continues. A strong and amiable personality com- 
bined with energy and persistence have been factors in enabling liim to advance 
with such rapid strides in a field which is full of able competitors. In addi- 
tion to his duties as general agent of the Penn Mutual Insurance Com- 
pany, he looks after his farm of 120 acres, located five and one-half miles 
east of Potter. Mr. Hansen has purchased this farm with money earned in 
selling life insurance, and he is displaying the same energy in developing his 
farm acreage that placed him to the forefront in the life insurance field. An 
old. rundown orchard of about ten acres was located on his farm. He had 
this orchard placed in shape for fruit bearing by trimming the trees and spray- 
ing with a power sprayer. The results are seen in the fine quality of fruit 
which the trees have yielded. He has been awarded three first prizes at the 
Atchison county horticultural display. 

Mr. Hansen was married August 20, 189 1. to Katie Browning, a daugh- 
ter of Frank Browning, an early pioneer settler of Doniphan county. To 
them have been horn the following children : Anna, a graduate of the public 
school and high school, and now a teacher in the schools of Sparks, Kan.; 
Bettie, a trained nurse, who graduated from the Sisters of Charity Hospital, 
at St. Joseph, in October of 1915; Crystelle, a milliner in the Ramsey store: 
and William Penn or "Pat." the youngest of the family. 

Politically, Mr. Hansen is an independent Republican, inclined to be 
progressive in his ideas of government by the people, and favoring those can- 
didates for office who seem to be capable of serving the people to the best 
advantage of all. He is a member of St. Benedict's Catholic Church, and is 
fraternallv connected with the Knights of Columbus. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 523 

JULIUS DEUTSCH. 

Julius Deutsch, retired merchant and capitalist, of Atchison, is a citizen 
who has made his own way in the world, and achieved a satisactory measure 
of success in tlie mercantile field. He was born in Lorraine, the French 
province of Germany, Noveml>er 27, 1858, a son of Mollingf and Melanie' 
Deutsch, who were born and reared in Lorraine. Moiling Deutsch was a 
wholesale gain and flour merchant in his native town. Melanie Deutsch 
was a daughter of M. Friend, a soldier in the Napoleonic wars, and who was 
awarded the Medal of St. Helena for bravery on the field of battle. Both 
parents lived their lives and died in the land of their nativity. 

When Julius Deutsch had completed his education at the age of four- 
teen years, in 1872, he immigrated to America, coming direct to Atchison, 
where he made his home for a short time with an uncle. L. Friend. Later, he 
entered the employ of another uncle, I. Friend, a merchant, doing business 
in Seneca. He worked in the store at Seneca for two years, sold goods in 
Atchison for another year, spent one year in a mercantile establishment at 
Topeka, and then embarked in business for himself. Mr. Deutsch estab- 
lished a general store at Muscotah in 1878, which was a successful \-enture. 
Prosperity attended his efforts, and it was not long until he and his brothers 
embarked in the mercantile business at Horton, Kan., and established a store 
which they still own. He was associated in his business ventures with his 
brothers, Sylvain, Maurice, Simon, and Isaac. Simon is now a resident of 
Cleveland, Ohio. Isaac is deceased. The brothers established a chain of 
stores and operated them at Beloit. Atchison, Valley Falls, Muscotah, and 
Concordia, which were generally successful, and made money on the invest- 
ments. Mr. Deutsch continued in active mercantile pursuits until his retire- 
ment to AtcJiison in 1902. He first came to Atchison from Muscotah in 
1885, turned over the business at Muscotah to his brother, and then engaged 
in business in this city. His brother, Maurice, now operates the store at 
Horton, Kan. Sylvain Deutsch makes his home principallv in Kansas City. 
During later years the Deutsch brothers have disposed of a number of their 
various stores, and now operate the Horton concern only. Their capital 
is mainly invested in real estate, consisting of city property and farm lands 
in Kansas and the West. Isaac Deutsch was the first of the family to come 
to America to seek his fortune, and his brothers followed, and a community 
of interests which held them together at all times, resulted in all becoming 
well-to-do. 

Mr. Deutsch and his brothers are interested in a number of financial 



524 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

institutions, and he has many friends among the substantial citizens of his 
home city. He took an active part in the incorporation of the town of Mus- 
cotah, serving as city councilman. He is of the Jewish faith, and is prone 
to assist all religious denominations to the extent of his ability, being tolerant 
and broad-minded in this respect. He is fraternally allied with the Odd 
Fellows and the Elks. Mr. Deutsch possesses a likable personality, which, 
coupled with a kindly and courteous demeanor at all times, makes him well 
liked by his associates and esteemed for his many excellent qualities. 



STARK WILBOR ADAMS. 



Stark W'ilbor Adams, general manager for the Aetna Life Insurance Com- 
pany, with offices in the new Masonic Temple, and secretary of the Atchison 
County High School board, is a native of the Bucke3fe State, born in May, 
1866, at Huron, Ohio, and a scion of an old American family which traces its 
lineage back to the colonial days of New England. His father, Stark Adams, 
and his mother, Mary (Chandler) Adams, were born in Milan, Ohio, and 
Birmingham, Ohio, respectively. Stark Adams was a son of Philo, a son of 
Daniel Adams, of Vermont, who was a soldier in the Continental army during 
the American war of independence, and was a brother-in-law of Ethan Allen, 
of Vermont. Daniel was second in command of the "Green Mountain Boys" 
at the capture of Crown Point and Ticonderoga. In recognition of his sei-v- 
ices in behalf of the new nation, he was given a grant of land in the Western 
Reserve. His son, Philo, rode horseback from Middlebury, Vt., to the Huron 
river valley in 1816 and took possession of the tract which had been granted 
to th(," family b)' the Government. He also traded a horse for an eighty-acre 
tract in addition to his own grant. He and three brothers settled on the land 
lying along the course of the Huron river, Philo locating at the mouth of the 
river where it flows into Lake Erie, and upon which the town of Huron was 
eventually built. The brothers became the owners of about 600 acres of land 
in the neighborhood. They cleared the land of standing timber, planted corn, 
lian-estcd and shelled it during the first season, then crossed the lake to L'uf falo 
to trade grain for supplies, which they again traded with the Indians for furs. 
They conducted a general trading business and the settlement grew from this 
beginning, in course of time to be of considerable importance. Philo Adams 
was a first cousin of John Quincy Adams, and was appointed the first collector 
of the Port of Huron. The first of the family to come to America was Henry 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 525 

Adams, who came to Plymouth on the "Mayflower," when the good ship made 
its second voyage to bring over the Puritans, and he settled at Mt. W'olaslon, 
(now Ouincv, Mass.) in 1638. Joseph Adams II was the son of Henry, 
the founder of the family in America; Joseph III, son of Joseph Adams, was 
next in line, and was the father of Daniel and President John Adams, second 
President of the United States. Daniel -\dams was the father of Philo Adams, 
and direct ancestor of the Adams family. 

Stark Adams, accompanied by his family, left the old home in Ohio in 
1878, crossed the country to Hays City, Kan., and there homesteaded on 160 
acres of land, taking up a timber claim of the same number of acres at the 
same time. Settlers were few and far between in tliat part of Kansas in those 
days, and the country was settling up slowly because of the dmugiits and other 
vicissitudes with which the farmers had to contend. Ten years after locating 
near Hays City, Mr. Adams came to Atchison and eventually bought a farm 
four miles south of the city, on which he lived until his retirement to a resi- 
dence on the corner of O and Sixth streets in Atchison. He was born October 
14, 1827, and died August 30, 1909. His children are: Augusta J., at home; 
C. B., of 714 Park street; James Otis, on a farm, eight miles southwest of 
the city: Stark Wilbor; Margaretta L., at home, associated with S. W. in the 
office located on the second floor of the new Masonic Temple; J. D., at the 
family home in .\tchison at 517 South Seventh street. 

S. W. Adams and family came to Atchison from the farm in February, 
1908, and engaged in the insurance business, the mother and father and family 
coming to the city in December of the same year. He opened his present 
office May i, 1914, when Mr. Adams was appointed manager of the Aetna 
Life Insurance Company for northeast Kansas. His career as an insurance 
solicitor and manager has Ijeen very successful. The real estate and loan 
business conducted in the same office is in charge of Ja}- D. Adams. 

Mr. Adams was married December 25, 1899, to Miss Mary Speck, who 
was born on a pioneer farm in Atchison county on Stranger creek in Mt. Pleas- 
ant township. She was a daughter of Archimides S. and Sarah E. Speck, na- 
tives of Kentucky and North Carolina, respectively, who emigrated from In- 
diana to Kansas, driving a team the entire di.stance, during the year 1855. 
(Furtiier data concerning Mr. and Mrs. Speck will be found elsewhere in this 
x'olume.) To tiiis unirjn ha\'e ])cen Ixirn, Dorotli\- M.. Sarah \'... Mildred |., 
Lorena Wilberta, Wilbor Speck. 

Mr. Adams is a Repul)lican in politics and has taken a more or less active 
part in political and civic affairs. For the past five years he has served the 
county as secretary of the Atchison County High School board. He and the 



526 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

members of his family are affiliated with the Presbyterian church. Frater- 
nally he is allied with the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and the Benevo- 
lent and Protective Order of Elks. 



GEORGE SCHOLZ. 



George Scholz, farmer and stockman of Lancaster township, Atchison 
county, Kansas, was born in Germany, April 22, 1870, and is a son of August 
and Johanna (Seidel) Scholz, who were the parents of seven children: 
Mrs. Pauline (McCowin), Renton. Wash.; Herman, Doniphan county, Kan- 
sas; Charles, Lancaster township, farmer; Louise, wife of C. Thoren, Los 
Angeles, Gal.; Caroline, wife of J. W. Louthian, Lancaster towiisliip; Paul, 
living near Lancaster, Kansas ; Mrs. Anna Stockebrand, Yates Center, Kan. ; 
August, farming with his brother, John, in Lancaster township, and John, 
farmer, Lancaster township; Robert. Lancaster township. The family was 
reared on the father's farm wliere all the sons were taught farming. The 
father was born Novemljer 25. 1835, in Schlesien, Germany, and learned the 
blacksmith trade from his father, and worked at that trade until he left Ger- 
many in 1870. He was a son of George Frederick Scholz. His mother 
died when he was an infant. Coming to America with liis family of six 
children, August Scholz, resided in St. Joseph, Mo., for a time and tlien bought 
a farm of 160 acres in Doniphan county, Kansas, which he worked about six 
years. He broke this place with o.xen and made all necessary improvements. 
himself. After leaving Doniphan county he bought 480 acres of prairie and 
timber land in Atchison county, Kansas. This was in 1882. He bought the 
farm of Morgan Osborne and paid $15,000 for it. The place is known as the 
"Three Springs Farm." It is located on the northwest quarter of section 9. 
The name comes from the fact that the farm has a fine natural water supply 
from springs located on it. The springs supply water for the stock on the 
farm even hi the longest drought. 

The father bought an unusually large farm for the reason that he 
wanted his boys to grow up on his own farm. He did not want to see them go 
out and work for strangers. His capital was limited but he and his sons were 
industrious, and they were able to go into debt to acquire more land, and 
the farm was paid for in due time and improvements were made as rapidly as 
possible. The father farmed his place until his death, in 1901. The mother of 
George Scholz was a daughter of Godfred and Rosanna ( Schwartzer) Seidel. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISOX COUNTY 527 

and was born in Schlesien, Germany, April lo, 184.0, and is now living with 
her son, John. The father was a farmer in his native land. 

George Scholz attended the Atchison count)- schools, finishing at the 
Rock district school. He remained at home until he was twenty-six years 
old, when he rented a farm which he operated in partnership with his brother, 
Charles A. In 1905, George bought the farm which he now owns, and which 
consists of 120 acres in section 24, Lancaster township. The place was com- 
paratively unimproved, having only an old house and barn. Since then he has 
built a modern eight-room house, electric lighted and modern in all respects. 
In addition, he has erected a fhie barn, 40x36 feet in size. It is electric 
lighted and equipped with up-to-date conveniences. Mr. Scholz keeps graded 
stock on his farm and is a progressive farmer and conducts his farm in an 
efficient manner. When he and his brother were farming together, ten or 
more years ago, they sold corn from the field as low as fourteen cents per 
bushel. 

Mr. Scholz was married to Anna Buttron, February 10, 1909. She was 
born October 20, 1877, and is the daughter of Henry and Rosanna Buttron. 
Mr. and Mrs. Scholz have two children: Gilbert, born December 31, 1909, 
and Karl, born January 16, 1914. Mr. Scholz is an independent voter. He 
is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge, of Lancaster, 
No. 355, and attends the Lutheran church, of which his wife is a member. 
Mr. Scholz made his first investment in 160 acres in Sheridan county, Kansas, 
for $1,100 in 1902, and sold it three years later for $2,400. 



THOMAS E. HORNER, M. D. 

Diligence in the pursuit of success is inevitably rewarded, be it in the 
marts of finance or in the ranks of the learned professions. The profession 
of medicine has from earliest times offered opportunity for honor and social 
prominence, as well as giving its members a chance for bettering the con- 
dition of mankind in general as well as physical. The physician is at once 
the friend in need who alleviates our ills and is often the family adviser. To 
him very frequently are intrusted the secret troubles which beset his patients 
many times and he thus becomes a benefactor to mankind in more ways than 
one. Thus, the needs of this noble profession require a high type of indi- 
vidual who is at once a learned and skilled practitioner and gentleman in 
whom the people can place their trust. Dr. Thomas E. Horner is of the type 



528 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of physician in whom one can have confidence and whose abihty in his hfe 
work is marked, the best evidence of w^hich is his large practice in and near 
the city of Atchison. 

He is a native born Kansan, born on a farm on Independence creek in 
Doniphan county August 8, 1875, a son of Isaac and Ehzabeth (Farrell) 
Horner, natives of Ireland. His father was born in 1836 in the tnwn of 
Coleriyne, Ireland, and his mother is a native of County Cavan, Xorth 
Ireland, born in 1842. Isaac died in Atchison county in 191 1. He immi- 
grated to America with his father, James Horner, who bought a farm near 
New- York City, returning to Ireland where he resided for twelve years, after 
which he located in western Pennsylvania. From there Isaac removed to 
Kansas in 1859 and became a freighter across the plains, operating his own 
outfit. He married in 1866 and sctted on Independence creek. Isaac left 
the farm in 1880 and removed to Atchison where he engaged in buying and 
shipping live stock until his death. He became well-to-do and was the 
owner of over 1,000 acres of land in Doniphan and Atchison counties. 
He was an excellent business man and a keen trader who w'as honest in his 
dealings and enjoyed the respect and esteem of those with whom he came in 
contact during his long life. . Coming of an excellent Irish family, he was a 
vounger son and had a brother named Samuel who was educated in Oxford 
University, and was an early settler in .\tchison county, dying in Jackson 
county. Kansas, in 1886. The children bom to Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Horner 
are as follows: Mrs. Elizalwth McGurk, Frankfort, Kan.: Airs. Ella St. 
Peters. Denver. Colo.; James, who married Xellie Deigan and resides in Par- 
nell. Kan. ; Rose, at home w ith her mother, antl Dr. Thomas E. Horner, with 
whom this review is directlv concerned; Mrs. Marie Farrell, widow of James 
Farrell, of Atchison; and Samuel, who married MoUie Butler, and resides 
at Jarbalo, Leavenworth county. 

Dr. Homer was educated in the parochial schools and Christian Brothers 
College at St. Joseph, Mo., from which academic institution he graduated in 
1893 with the highest honors of his class. He then pursued the study of 
medicine and graduated from the Kentucky College of Medicine in 1897. 
For two years he practiced medicine at \'liets, Marsh.ill county: then at Sev- 
erance, Doniphan countA'. for a period which ended in i()i 1, ])rior to his loca- 
tion in Atcliison. He has built up an excellent practice and has a beautiful 
home at 1 1 14 Santa Fe street. 

In politics Dr. Homer is a Democrat; he is a member of the Catholic 
church, and is affiliated with the Knights and Ladies of Security, the 
Fraternal Aid Societies, the Mystic Workers, and the Knights of Columbus. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 529 

He is likewise associated with the Atchison County, the Kansas State and the 
American Medical associations. He served as police surgeon of the cit}' of 
Atchison. 

Dr. Horner was married January ii, 1898, to Sadie E. Armstrong, and 
to them have been bom three children: Elizabeth, aged fifteen years; Mary, 
fourteen years of age, and Thomas, aged seven years. The mother of these 
children is a daughter of Thomas T. and Mary J. (White) Annstrong. 
Thomas T. Armstrong was born in 1846 in Canada and came to Kansas 
when a young man and entered the employ of the Missouri Pacific railroad. 
He is now living a retired life in Atchison. His wife, Mary J., died January 
9, 1902, leaving one son, Fred, a resident of Seattle, Wash. 



JOSEPH E. GIBSON. 



Joseph E. Gibson, farmer, of Center township, Atchison county, Kansas, 
and a widely known breeder of Sliorthorn cattle, has one of the attracti\-e 
and well kept farm homes in Atchison county, located directly on the White 
Way, a much traveled and fairly well kept highway, crossing Atchison county 
from east to west. Mr. Gibson was born August 22, 1861, in Union county, 
Ohio, and is a descendant of good old Virginia stock. His parents were John 
and Susannah (Westlake) Gibson, the former a native of Virginia and the 
latter of the Buckeye State. John Gibson, the father, was born in West- 
moreland county, X'^irginia, June 17, 1824, and was the son of Leven and 
Mary (McClure) Gibson, who were among the early settlers of the State 
of Ohio, migrating from their old homestead in Virginia in 1833 and settling 
in Ohio, where tliey lived on a pioneer f.irm the remainder of their days. 
John Gibson was reared to young manhood on liis father's farm, and after 
his marriage settled on a farm of his own in Union county, Ohio, where 
Joseph was born and reared. John Gibson was the father of seven children, 
namely: Arthur, a farmer living in Union county, Ohio; Joseph E. : Mattie. 
deceased; Mrs. Rosa F. Staley, of Union county, Ohio; Tiiomas, a farmer 
and .sawmill operator in Louisiana ; Mrs. Uzzie Scliuler, residing in New 
Dover, Ohio; and Asa, a farmer, of New Dover, Ohio. The father of these 
children died in 1899. The mother was liorn in Belmont county, Ohio, in 
1829 and departed this life in 1907. She was a daughter of Josiah and Chris- 
tena fKnughouf) Westlake. 

Joseph E. Gibson, of whom this review directly treats, was brought up 

34 



530 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

on his father's fami in Union county, Ohio, and there attended the district 
school. He remained with his parents until 1891 and then migrated to Kan- 
sas, to become a foreman in the fruit orchards owned by J. ^\^ Parker in 
Atchison county. Eight years later he rented a fami three miles north of 
Shannon, Kan., and in 1901 purchased the farm of eighty acres which he is 
now cultivating in Center township. This tract of eighty acres lies in sec- 
tions 10. 6 anil 19 of this township and is well improved. The improve- 
ments which j\lr. Gibson has placed on his farm since laiying it will exceed 
$1,400. For some years he has been a breeder of pure bred Shorthorn cattle 
and ships the product of his farm to all parts of the country. He has a 
herd of high grade Shorthorn cattle to the numlier of twenty-eight head. 
The cattle bring good prices at private sale, the buyers visiting the farm for 
the purpose of purchase. He also is a breeder of Big Type Poland China hogs 
of the best breed obtainable. 

Mr. Gibson was married November 8, 1888, to Miss Virginia I. Weaver, 
and to this union the following children have been born : Imogene, a grad- 
uate of the Atchison County High School; Walter S., at home, attending 
business college at Atchison ; one child died in infancy. The mother of these 
children was born on April 17, 1864, near Lockbum, Franklin county, Ohio, 
a daughter of Samuel and Isabella (Gavel) \\'eaver, the former a native of 
Ohio, and the latter a daughter of German parents. The mother of Mrs. 
Gibson is aged eighty-one years and makes her home with her daughter. 

Samuel M. Weaver was bom in Pickaway county, Ohio, May 20, 1826, 
a son of George and Isabel (McConnell) Weaver, who were the parents of 
six children. The father, George, was a native of Berks county, Pennsyl- 
vania, where he remained until 1806, when he came west and located in Pick- 
away county, Ohio, near where tiie city of Circleville is now located. He was 
a tailor by trade, and for many years held the office of deputy sheriff of that 
county. He was a soldier in the War of 18 12. He died in 1848. Samuel 
Weaver was well educated. When twenty years of age he went west and 
traveled in different states for ten years. When thirty years old. while travel- 
ing in Iowa he met Isabel Gavel, to whom he was married Decemlier 16, 1856. 
She was born in Germany and immigrated with her parents to .America when 
one year old and was reared in Franklin county, Ohio. She was born .\pril 
3, 1835. Samuel and Isabel Weaver were the parents of five children: Mrs. 
Catharine K. Cunningham. She died at Cleveland, Ohio, in 191 1 ; Mrs. \"ir- 
ginia I. Gibson: Mrs. ]\iary F. Southern died at Marysville, Ohio, in 1900: 
George H. and Samuel, deceased. Samuel, after a residence in Fr.nnklin 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 53I 

county, located in Delaware county, Ohio, in 1869 and farmed until his death, 
July 26, 1904. 

Mr. Gibson is a Democrat who has taken an active interest in political 
and civic affairs in the county, and is now serving his third term as trustee 
of Center township. It is needless to remark that he is satisfying the people 
of the township and is an efficient and capable official who looks after the 
township affairs as carefully as he does his own personal affairs. He is 
fraternally affiliated with the Odd Fellows lodge, the Modern Woodmen, and 
the Central Protective Association. 

Mrs. Gibson takes a just pride in keeping the place in spick and .span 
condition and she has a beautiful lawn fronting the White Way road which 
attracts the attention of travelers. 



BENJAMIN PATTON CURTIS. 

Benjamin Patton Curtis has been for sixty-one years a Kansan. Looking 
l)ack what wonderful changes do tliese years present to the onlooker! Tiie 
privations, vicissitudes and perils of those days in which the State was bom ; 
the beginning of her commerce when the ox team and flat-boat were the 
principal means of transportation ; the five long drawn-out years of civil strife 
in which the Union was preserved ; the era of agricultural development, when 
the wild prairies were transformed into fruitful fields of golden grain : the 
epoch in which railways were keeping pace with tlie settler, the merchant, 
the manufacturer, and steam and electricity displaced the ox team and stage 
coach. Sixty-one years in Kansas, from the days of the prairie schooner, 
flat-l)fiat and pony express, to the days of the automobile, air-ship and tele- 
phone ; to have done his share in connection with these great developments ; 
to have through his unaided efforts and with determination and energj' 
achieved success to have so lived that he is honored by his friends and neigh- 
bors, entitles the man whose name initiates this review to a prominent place 
in this publication, the history of the county in which he is passing the sunset 
years of his life. 

Benjamin Patton Curtis, pioneer, successful farmer and Civil war vet- 
eran, since 1904 a resident of the city of Atchison, was born on the twenty- 
seventh day of Marcli. 1839, while his parents were encamperl in the w ilder- 
ness of Missouri, a terrific snow storm having interrupted their journev to 
Illinois. His father, John M. Curtis, was a native of southern Tennessee. 



532 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

He had married when a young man, Mary Ann Warren, also of that State, 
and with his young wife had settled in Missouri. They were both of Scotch- 
Irish ancestr}? and came from a remarkably long-lived line of forebears, one 
of whom lived to the age of 104 years. In 1839 the family removed from 
Missouri and settled in Adams county, Illinois, where they remained until 
1854, when they came to Kansas Territory, settling just across the Missouri 
river from St. Joe. John M. Curtis became a stanch Republican after seeing 
the abuse of slaves while in Missouri, and he was one of the fearless men 
who came to Kansas for the purpose of making her a free State. He pre- 
empted a quarter section of land and then engaged in "following the river," 
as it was then termed, flat-boating, rafting and steam-boating. His three 
sons, among wdom was our subject, also followed that occupation for a time. 
Ben P. Curtis spent the first fifteen years of his life in Adams county, 
Illinois. His schooling was scant and that little was acquired in the country 
schools. In his fifteenth year he came to Kansas Territory with his parents, 
as has been previously stated, and within a short time was employed on the 
Missouri river. The free life of the plains called him, but as liis two brothers 
had run away from home, and he was the only son left, his longing to become 
a freighter was unsatisfied, as he preferred to remain with his father. He 
was one of the first in his section of the State to heed President Lincoln's 
call for volunteers, and in May. 1S61. he enlisted in Company .\. First Kansas 
Volunteer infantry, under Capt. B. P. Chenowith. He was with his regiment 
in all its engagements, and is Atchison's only survivor of the battle of Wil- 
son's Creek. After the burning of Holly Springs with $2,000,000 worth of 
supplies; the First Kansas was compelled to live off the country. During 
the march to Memphis, and while out foraging, Ben Curtis was captured and 
taken to Ripley, Miss. He was paroled, and while waiting to be exchanged 
he and a companion, Alverton Abbey, decided to exchange their uniforms for 
the rebel grey and join the Union lines as deserters and reenlist in some regi- 
ment other than their own. knowing full well they would be shot if they were 
again capturd while serving with the First Kansas. They were successful in 
securing the rebel uniforms and gained the Union lines, Curtis taking the 
name of C. F. Barker and his comrade. Abbey, that of William Payne. He 
enlisted in the Fifth Illinois cavalry, and Ben Curtis, under the name of C. F. 
Barker. At the time of his capture he was sen'ing as sergeant, and when 
enlisting under Captain Chandler he slunved him his parole as Sergeant B. P. 
Curtis. The captain assured him he would not lose his rank and he was . 
accordingly made a sergeant and served as such until mustered out in 
February, 1864. 



1 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 533 

On conclusion of his military service he returned to Doniphan county 
and resumed his old employment of "following the river," remaining in this 
field of occupation until 1867, when he bought a quarter section of land in 
Doniphan county and engaged in farming. He made a success as an agri- 
culturist, was an active and influential factor in the life of his section and 
reared a family of six daughters, all of whom are women of education, in- 
tellectuality and refinement. In 1901 Mr. Curtis' health failed and he dis- 
posed of his farming interests and became a resident of Troy, and in 1904 
came to Atchison, where he has since resided. 

On July 23, 1865, Mr. Curtis married Mary Eliza Ashcraft, a daughter 
of Jeddiah Ashcraft. She was born July 23, 1844, in Larue county, Ken- 
tucky, her marriage being on the twenty-first anniversary of her birth. The 
first eight years of her life were spent in her native State, the following three 
in Missouri, and in 1855 her father brought his family to Kansas and took 
up a claim near Mt. Pleasant, where she lived until her marriage with Mr. 
Curtis. She was for a time a teacher in the Doniphan school. They are 
the parents of the following children : Bird, the wife of Judson F. Thayer, of 
Stormsburg, Neb. ; Anna, the wife of Julian Tait, of St. Joseph, Mo. ; Mable, 
the wife of William Maynard, of Cologne, S. D. ; Maude, the wife of A. W. 
Toole, of St. Joseph, Mo. ; Jessie, the wife of C. H. Allison, of Chicago, 111. ; 
and Frances, the wife of A. E. Williamson, of Troy, Kan. 

On July 23, 1915, their children, sons-in-law, grandchildren, friends and 
acquaintances gave them signal honor in a fitting obsei-vance of their golden 
wedding anniversary. The Atchison Globe of that date says in part: "Fifty 
years ago today Miss Mary Eliza Ashcraft and Benjamin Patton Curtis 
were married in Doniphan." Of their first meeting it states: "The Ashcraft 
home was on the old Military road, and when Ben Curtis, a soldier in the 
Civil war, passed there Mary Ashcraft handed him a cup of water which he 
drew up from the well. However, that was not the beginning of the love 
affair which culminated in the marriage of Mary Ashcraft and Ben Curtis. 
They fell in love with each other in Doniphan, where Miss Mary Ashcraft 
went to teach school, and Mr. Curtis does not accuse his wife of 'chasing" him. 
He as'ked for an introduction to the pretty school teacher. After he received 
it he never took another girl." Mrs. Curtis is the type of woman evervone 
admires. Her home is her kingdom and she rules it wisely and well. She 
has never belonged to a woman's club, but when there is sickness or trouble 
at her own home, or in the neighborhood, Mrs. Curtis is on hand, capable, 
gentle and sympathetic. She rules her home with a velvet hand, and her hus- 
band says that he notices as the years glide by he gets off at the stations for 



534 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

which she has bought the tickets, not because he has to, but because he 
wants to." 

Of Mr. Curtis it states : ''If you don't know Ben Curtis there is missing 
from your acquaintance one of the most companionable of men. Friends who 
have hunted and fished with him say that he is a seventy-seven year old prince. 
A lover of wild life, he has thoroughly enjoyed his retired life, which has 
now covered a period of fourteen years. In the summer he hunts llie best 
game and fishing resorts of the North, and the winter is liable to find him 
down around Corpus Christi, Texas, or some other locality that is attractive 
when this climate isn't. At Leach Lake, Minn., a famous resort on Leach 
Lake, if you tell the people that you are from Atchison and a friend of Ben 
Curtis, the place instantly belongs to you." Without sons of his own, he has 
naturally taken a great interest in his nephews and is justly proud of the posi- 
tion attained by the following, all of whom are Doniphan county boys : Ed- 
ward Franklin, formerly of the Smithsonian Institute at Washington, now 
professor of chemistry at Leland Stanford University ; Thomas Franklin, a 
prominent insurance underwriter, of Chicago; and Professor Will Franklin, 
of Lehigh University. The latter is also tlie author of several te.\t books 
which are in general use. 

Mr. Curtis has been a life-long Republican, and during his residence in 
Doni])han county took an active part in its political affairs. Political office 
has never appealed to him, and. although often urged by his friends to accept 
nomination, he refused. He is a mcmlier of Severance Post, No. 391, Grand 
Army of the Republic, and is prominent in Masonic circles. He has attained 
the Knights Templar degree and is affiliated with Abdallah Temple, Mystic 
Shrine. 



JOHN W. ABNER, M. D. 



John W. Abner, ]\I. D., although recently locating in .\tchison, his skill 
and ability as a capable and painstaking physician has met with ready recog- 
nition and he has a large and growing practice. Dr. Abner is a native of 
Kentucky. He was torn in Clay county, in 1867, a son of John and Matilda 
{ Robinson) Abner, both natives of Kentucky. Dr. John W. .Abner was 
one of a family of three children whose parents died when tliey were very 
young and the children were reared by friends and neighljors. 

W hen Dr. Abner was fifteen years old he started out to make liis own 
way in life. He was always of a studious turn of mind and by his own ef- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 535 

forts obtained a very good education. At an early age he determined to be 
a physician and bent his every effort in that direction. He learned the car- 
penter and cabinet maker's trade, and after working at his trade for some time 
he entered the Eclectic Medical College of Kansas City, where he was grad- 
uated in the class of 1912 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of 
Philosophy. He engaged in the practice of his profession in Kansas City, Mo., 
where he remained until February, 1915, when he located in Atchison, Kan. 
He has a fine suite of offices at 712 1-2 Commercial street and is meeting 
with well merited success. Doctor Abner was married in 1902 to Ada Pearl 
Wade, of Kansas City, Mo., and they have one child, Dorothy, born January 
6, 1905. Dr. Abner is a member of tlie Christian church and take^ an active 
part in tlie work of his denomination and lias served on the board of trustees. 
He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Woodmen 
of the ^^'orld. Dr. Abner is a past noble grand and senior warden of vSubor- 
dinate Lodge, No. 577, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and past chief 
patriarch of Encampment, No. 27, of Kansas City, Mo., and is a member of 
the Patriarchs Militant, No. 14, Kansas City, Mo., 

Politically, he is an independent Republican and takes a keen interest 
in political as well as current events generally. He is a close student of the 
science of his profession and aims to keep himself thoroughlv posted in the 
rapid advances that are constantly being made in the world of medicine and 
surger)'. 



WILLIAM HENDERSON. 



V 



\\''illiam Henderson, one of the most industrious farmers of Benton 
township. Atchison county, Kansas, was born December 29, 1872, in the 
locality where he now lives. His parents, George and .\melia (Stockwell) 
Henderson, had six children, of whom the subject is the oldest. The others 
are James, Atchison, Kan., in the employ of the International Harvester Com- 
pany ; Josie married Walter Kelsey, and now dead ; Ella married Clayton 
David.son, of Effingham, Kan. ; Etta, wife of Arthur Olinger, Jefferson 
county, Kansas; Tva. married Elmer Grabiel, Garden City, Kan.; George 
Henderson was bmn in Platte county, Missouri, in 1844, and came to Leaven- 
worth county, Kansas, with his parents when eleven years of age. Seven 
years later he came to Atchison county, where he has since lived, and is now 
retired, making his home in Effingham. The mother of William Hender- 
son was born in Missouri in 1S46. 



536 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

William Henderson was reared on the farm and attended the district 
school near the farm, and the Effingham high school one year. He worked 
for his father until he was married to Nettie R. Jenkins September 5, 1900. 
His wife was born in Mitchell county, Kansas, in 1883, and is a daughter of 
James Q. Jenkins, who came to Atchison county, Kansas, in 1894, from 
Nebraska, but was born in Illinois. Mr. Henderson owns 180 acres of land 
which is all well improved, the improvements costing $5,000. Of four chil- 
dren boiTi to Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, three died in infancy. The living child, 
Floyd, was born May 28, 1904. 

Mr. Henderson is a Democrat. He belongs to the Elks lodge of Atchi- 
son, Kan., and the Masonic lodge at Effingham. Though not a church mem- 
ber, he attends regularly. Mr. Henderson has made a success by hard work 
and good management. He is always in favor of movements which benefit 
the community and is a public-spirited citizen. 



LUMAS M. JEWELL. 



Potter is one of the coming and enterprising towns of Atchison county 
and Kansas. During the past few years the town has taken wonderful strides 
in the matter of public improvements and new* buildings. A considerable 
portion of this push and enterprise is directly due to the energy and influence 
of Lumas M. Jewell, retired merchant and banker, who can well be called 
the "father of the present day Potter." ]\Ir. Jewell has been a consistent 
booster for the town ever since his advent in the town, and lias given of his 
time and money toward its development. Mr. Jewell is a self-made Kansan, 
who has had an interesting career, and whose rise from a poor boy to a posi- 
tion of comparative wealth and affluence is well W(Mth recording in the an- 
nals of Atchison county. 

L. M. Jewell was born on a farm in \\ayne county, Kentucky, Decem- 
ber 3, 1861, a son of Heman S. and Susan Mary (Weaver) Jewell. His 
father was a native of Vermont, who immigrated to Kentucky when a young 
man, and engaged in fanning operations. He followed fanning during liis 
life, until a few years before his demise, at the home of his son, G. W. Jewell, 
at Kidder, Mo., in 1913. L. M. Jewell received a meager education in the 
schools of his native State, and his later success in life has been due entirely 
to his own efforts. His gi-eatest education has been received in the stern 
school of experience, which is the best after all, and most useful, in develop- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 537 

ing the real attributes of a man. When he was seventeeh j'ears of age. he left 
home and went to the home of an uncle in Michigan, where he attended scliool 
for a time. When he had attained his majority in 1882, he went to South 
Dakota and homesteaded a tract of prairie land. He stayed in South Dakota 
for two years and developed his homestead to such an extent that he was able 
to dispose of it for a good round price, and lie then moved to Caldwell county, 
Missouri, and bought another farm, which he cultivated with a fair degree of 
success. Later, he embarked in the mercantile business in Marvel, Mo., for a 
period of three years, disposing of his business in 1892, and locating in Pot- 
ter, Kan. His first employment in Potter was with the general merchandise 
firm of Paxton & Kemper. Three years after entering the employ of this 
firm, Mr. Jewell purchased Mr. Paxton's interest for $1,500, paying $400 
cash, and borrowing the remaining $1,100 with which to complete his pur- 
chase. It is remarkabe that he could have so established a reputation for 
business ability and integrity in that time as to be alile to command that 
amount of capital to swing his first business deal in Kansas. His later suc- 
cesses date from that time on, and in the short time of three years he was 
out of debt, and the business had taken on larger proportions. W. T. Kem- 
per, his partner, then sold his interest in the store to a cousin, Madison Kem- 
per, from whom Mr. Jewell purchased the remainder of the business and 
became the sole owiner. During this time the stock of the store had been 
increased, and the business had taken on a wider and a more general scope 
through Mr. Jewell's enterprise and the exercise of his decided business ability. 
He became sole owner of the store in 1S97, and during the next three years 
the business was placed upon a permanent and staple footing, which yielded 
large profits for its owner. In 1900 Mr. Jewell conceived the idea of engag- 
ing in the real estate business, primarily for the purpose of building up the 
town of Potter and attracting more residents to the place. He acquired sev- 
eral business lots and began to erect buildings to such an extent that Potter 
soon began to take on the airs of a growing city. Where there was but one 
store building on the side of the street occupied by the Jew'ell store, he erected 
five new store buildings, which are occupied by merchants who have moved 
into the town in the past fifteen years. It is due to Mr. Jewell's enterprise in 
this regard that the business part of Potter has been developed. Whereas, 
when he first came to Potter the town boasted Init three stores — his own store, 
a small hardware shop, and a grocery. All the stores were small and the 
towin did not have a bank. At the present time Potter has two banks and 
every line of business is represented. As Mr. Jewell's business expanded his 
enterprises included a lumber yard, furniture stock and a grain elevator. See- 



538 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

ing the need of a bank, he started a plan of organizing tlie Potter State Bank 
in 1899, and after ahnost a year's effort, lie received the assistance of O. A. 
Simmons in effecting the organization, and Mr. Simmons was the first cashier 
of the hank. Mr. Jewell later served as cashier, and is now the president 
of this hank. In 1910 Air. Jewell disposed of his mercantile interests, and 
is interested mainly in real estate and farm lands in Jackson county, Mis- 
souri, and Atchison county, Kansas. He has also made a number of large 
trades in merchandise stocks. 

Mr. Jewell was married in 1897 to Sinnie M. Shaw, a daughter of Henry 
Shaw, who wias an early settler of Kansas. One child was born to them, 
Edna Fern Jewell, born in 1901. Mr. Jewell is a Democrat in politics, and 
Mrs. Jewell is a member of the Methodist church. 

Mr. Jewell's efforts to advance Potter among the Kansas municipalities 
have not been confined to commercial activities alone, but he has always had 
in mind the welfare of the people along other lines. He had not been a citi- 
zen of the town but a few years when he conceived the idea that a newspaper 
would be of great benefit to the community in more ways than one. Conse- 
quently, he used every effort to iia^e a paper established in the town, and the 
Potter Kansan, one of the best edited small weeklies, and one of the most pros- 
perous newspaper enterprises in the State, is the result of his dream. He has 
been foremost in the cause of education, and he worked unremittingly toward 
the erecting of the present modern school building and the establishment of a 
graded school system in the town. Such men as Mr. Jewtell are the kind of 
citizens every town needs, and Potter has been the gainer for his civic enter- 
prise and the fostering oi the growth of his adopted city. 



WILLIAM R. DONNELLAN. 

William R. Donnellan. hardware merchant and postmaster of Lancaster, 
Atchison county, Kansas, was born June 25, 1868, at Lancaster. He is one 
of six children of John .and Mary J. (Davidson) Donnellan. as follows: 
Anna .A. (Ostertag), of Atchison: Thomas E.. Parsons. Kan.: \\"illi;un R., 
the subject of this sketch, Lancaster, Atchi.son county, Kansas; Emma B.. 
Atchison, Krm. ; Margaret (.V. Manglesdorf), Atchison. I\;in. : juiiia (J. 
Cleary), Sliannon township farmer. John Donnellan. the father, was born 
in Ireland in 1827. \\'hen twenty years of age he left the iMncrald Isle to 
trust his fortunes in America. Landing at Ellis Island. X. A'., he set out 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 539 

for the interior of New ^'orl-: State and found employment on a dairy farm. 
After a few years of hard labor there he went to Crawfordsville, Ind.. and 
worked in a hardware store. Tn 1856 he left Crawfordsville and came to 
Kansas, where he preempted 160 acres of land in Lancaster township, Atchi- 
son county, and built a small, four room house and lived in the most prim- 
itive way. When he first broke the soil on his farm he used oxen, but later, 
as he prospered, he used improved methods of farming. He died on his farm 
in 1893. The mother of the subject of this sketch was born in Harrisburg, 
Pa., and died in 1892, a year preceding the death of her husband. 

William R. Donnellan was born and reared on his father's farm in Lan- 
caster township. He attended the public schools of Lancaster, and at the age ' 
of twenty-one went to Kansas City, Mo., and secured employment as a motor- 
man and conductor in the service of the Street Railway Company there. 
Three years later he became shipping clerk for the A. J. Harwi Hardware 
Company of Atchison, Kan., and a year later returned to his home and en- 
gaged in farming on the home place. He remained on the farm until 1903 
when he moved to Lancaster and purchased the hardware stock of H. O. 
Whittaker. This is a large store, carrying $8,000 worth of stock. Lt poli- 
tics Mr. Donnellan is a Republican. He was elected mayor of Lancaster in 
1907 and served until 191 1. In 1903 he was appointed postmaster. 

Air. Donnellan was married in 1893 to Lillian M. Sanders, who was born 
Februarv 12, 1870, at Lewisburg, Pa. She is a daughter of George L. and 
Elizabeth (Harrison) Sanders, both natives of Pennsylvania. They have one 
child. Eva M. (Carson), living in Lancaster. She is a graduate of the high 
school and business college. Mr. Donnellan is a member of the In- 
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, Modern Woodmen of America, and the 
Knights and Ladies of Security lodges. 



LAFAYETTE T. HAWK. 



The biographical annals and the history of Atchison county, Kansas, 
record three distinct periods of settlement in Kansas and Atchison county. 
The first was the real pioneer era, when an influx of settlers came, who were 
the first to break the prairie and lay the foundation for future development. 
The second was directly after the Civil war, when many people came from all 
parts of the East and European countries. The later period was in the 
eighties, when there came from Ohio and Pennsylvania many excellent Amer- 



:^40 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

ican families who have prospered and taken leading places in the civic and 
agricultural development of the county. Tlie Hawk family, of old Pennsyl- 
vania German stock, came to this county in the latter era. Lafayette T. Hawk, 
substantial and well respected, and prominent farmer of Benton township, was 
among this number, who can be reckoned among the latter-day old settlers 
of the county, and who has resided here for over thirty-four years, and has 
worked his wav upward from the station of comparatively a poor man to a 
position of affluence in the county. 

L. T. Hawk was born August 22, 1849, in Coshocton county, Ohio, a 
son of Jonathan and Margaret (Neede) Hawk, both of whom were born and 
reared in the Buckeye State. Jonathan Hawk was born in Coshocton county, 
Ohio, in 1822. and was a son of Leonard Hawk, born in Pennsylvania, of 
German parents. Leonard Hawk was an earl\ immigrant in Coshocton 
county, Ohio, and settled in that county when the whole region was a wilder- 
ness and car\red a farm from the dense woods which covered that part of the 
Buckeye State in the early part of the nineteenth centur}'. He first came 
to Ohio in 18 14. Jonathan Hawk came into possession of the old home place 
of his parents' in Coshocton county, but sold out in 1883, and came to Kansas, 
to join his son, Lafayette T., who had preceded him to Atchison county by 
one year. During the first year of his residence here, he made his home on 
his son's farm, and then purchased the Shell property in Effingham, where 
he made his home until his demise in December, 1889. He was the owner 
of eighty acres of land which he farmed. Jonathan Hawk was the father of 
eight children, namely: Sarah died in Ohio; Lafayette T., of whom this re- 
view is written; Mary Jane Roll, widow of Samuel Roll, and residing in Ef- 
fingham ; Samuel, living in Oklalioma : Mrs. Margaret Denbow, of Great 
Bend, Kan. ; George Leonard, of Oklahoma ; Edith Elzina died at the age 
of four years; John, deceased. The mother died in January, 1891, at the 
age of sixty-six. 

Lafayette T. was reared on the ancestral farm in Coshocton county, Ohio, 
and received his education in the district schools of his neighborhood. He 
learned in his youth to do the hardest kind of farm work and was taught by 
his parents the best methods of tilHng the soil. \\'hen a young man he be- 
came imbued with the desire to locate in the West where opportunities seemed 
to be greater than in his home State, and he saved his earnings toward this 
purpose. Not long after his marriage he came to Kansas, in 1882, and lo- 
cated in Benton township, Atchison county. His cash capital being limited 
to the sum of $300, he deemed it advisable to rent land for the first year, tlien 
bought his first farm of 160 acres at the purchase price of $25 per acre. This 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 541 

farm was necessarily bought on time, but with good management and in- 
dustry, Mr. Hawk was enabled to pay out and add considerably to the im- 
provements of his place, which is one of the most attractive in the county and 
one of the most fertile and productive. Mr. Hawk also added ninety acres 
to his land holdings in later years, and invested his surplus in western land 
which he traded for the Effingham Hotel property which he now owns. He 
is a stockholder and director of the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Effing- 
ham, he is also a stockholder in the Midnight Oil Company, a producing 
concern with headquarters at Morris, Okla. 

Mr. Hawk was married March 21, 1874, to Miss Harriet Pitt, of 
Coshocton county, Ohio, and who was bom in Kentucky. To this union have 
been born the following children : Charles, who served in the Twenty-second 
regiment. United States infantry, during the Spanish-American war, and is 
at present chief of police at Shawnee, Okla. ; John D., a prosperous and pro- 
gressive farmer in Benton township; Margaret, wife of Clem Higley, a farmer 
living in Center township, near Pardee ; Homer, who was killed in a railway 
accident in October, 1913; Fred, died in April, 1913, and who had held the 
position of cashier of the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Effingham prior 
to his death ; Wilbur D. Hawk, business manager of the Atchison Daily Cham- 
pion, and former deputy warden of the Federal penitentiary, Atlanta, Ga. ; 
Mrs. Mary Foster, of Trenton, Mo.; Robert, a farmer in Benton townsiiip; 
Clifford, a farmer and auctioneer in Benton township, and Vera, at home with 
her parents. The mother of these children was born, November 8, 185 1, in 
Kentucky, a daughter of William and Frances (PhilHps) Pitt, the former 
a native of New Jersey and the latter of Vermont. In 1853 Mi's. Pitt and 
their children removed to Coshocton county, Ohio, Mr. Pitt having died when 
Mrs. Hawk was an infant. Two of the three children were reared: Mrs. 
Hawk and Mrs. Lenore (Miller), who died in September, 1915, at Carlton, 
Ohio. Mrs. Pitt's second marriage was with Dr. Ephraim P. Stewart, of 
Coshocton county, Ohio, where he practiced after moving from Carroll 
county, Ohio, his birthplace. 

With the exception of a few years spent in Atlanta, Ga., with his son, 
Wilbur D., when on duty as deputy warden of the Federal Penitentiary, Mr. 
Hawk has lived continuously in Atchison county, since 1882, and has taken 
an active and influential part in the affairs of the county. He is a standi 
Republican in his political affiliations, but has never .souglit political prefer- 
ment. He and the members of his family are affiliated religiously with the 
Lutheran denomination, which was the faith of his father. He is prominent 
in lodge circles and is a memljer of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 



542 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

and the Knights and Ladies of Security. He is one of the original Central 
Protective Association members and is a charter member of Sunny Hill Lodge, 
No. 158, of Effingham, and is prominently connected in Central Protective 
Association circles throughout the State of Kansas, having organized seven 
lodges in this State. 



JAMES R. GRAGG. 



For nearly fifty-nine years James R. Gragg, wealthy farmer and stock- 
man, of Lancaster township, Atchison county. Kansas, and the present town- 
ship treasurer, has lived in Kansas, and is one of the real pioneers of the 
State. Since a lad six years of age he has been a resident of Atchison county, 
and has lived to see the once wild and barren prairie become one of the garden 
spots in America, and has seen the towns and cities grow within the lx)rders 
of the county where once was a wild, unbroken waste. When a boy he was 
taught by his father that the greatest returns from the pursuit of agriculture 
could be obtained by the raising and feeding of live stock, and he has en- 
deavored to follow his father's teachings in this respect and has met with 
success, resulting from following a definite plan of getting the best results 
from his efforts. He is a descendant of a southern pioneer family, who were 
among the original settlers of eastern Tennessee, and again were pioneers in 
Clay county, Missouri, early in the nineteenth century. It is a topic of inter- 
est to compare the comfortable residence and farm buildings of Mr. Gragg, at 
Jhis day, to the log cabin in which he was reared, and the stock shed made of 
poles and slough grass, which his father was forced by necessity to erect in 
the early days of the settlement of Kansas. Few families settled in Lancas- 
ter township as early as the Graggs. and in point of years of residence. James 
R. is probably the third oldest living settler of the township. 

James R. Gragg was bom February 5, 185 1, in Clinton county, Mis.souri. 
He is a son of Jefferson and Mary (White) Gragg. to whom fifteen children 
were born. Four children, two sons and two daughters, are still living, as 
follows : Mrs. Mahala Martin, Gower, Mo. ; James R. ; Mrs. Alice Muks. 
near Oklahoma City. Okla. : and Bisliop or Bascomb Gragg, Stafford. Kan. 
The Graggs are of Irish descent. The father of James Gragg was bom in 
18 14 in eastern Tennessee. When he was a child his parents removed to Clay 
county, Missouri, where he grew up as a farmer. In the spring of 1856 Jef- 
ferson Gragg came to Kansas and settled in Leavenworth, where he had 
taken a claim. He sold this a year later and came to Atchison county, and 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 543 

preempted i6o acres in section 24, Lancaster township, on which James R. 
is now Hving. He paid $1.25 an acre. As soon as he took charge of the land 
he built a log house, twelve feet square and also erected a hay barn with a 
slough-grass roof. He brought a covered wagon to Kansas and lived in it 
until the log house was ready for occupancy. During the border war he was 
forced to return to Missouri for three months, but at the end of., that time 
came back to Kansas and continued to improve his farm. It was slow work, as 
he did most of the plowing with oxen and this took a great deal of time, but 
he was able to accumulate a little money slowly, and in ten years erected a 
better house on his place. He had a hard fight for existence the first few 
years in the face of crop failures, droughts and grasshoppers, but when he 
retired, about 1890, he owned 640 acres of land which he divided among 
his children, and lived with them until his death, April 10, 1910. His wife, 
the mother of James R. Gragg, was born in Clinton county, Missouri, in 1816, 
and died in 1912. She was the daughter of Robert White, and her mother 
bore the maiden name of Cooley. Both parents were members of the South 
Methodist church, and helped to organize and build the Bethel church in 
Grasshopper township, which was one of the early Methodist churches in Kan- 
sas. Both parents are buried in old Huron cemetery. 

James R. Gragg. the subject of this sketch, was reared on the farm 
where he now lives, and attended school in Lancaster and Huron, Kan., 
■ although his early educational opportunities were limited. L: early days the 
father and his son were stock buyers on a large scale. The father did the 
actual buying, and the son had charge of the herds on the prairie. They did 
a large business in trading and buying and selling stock, and the son has 
continued this until the present time. James has always lived on the Gragg 
land and was with his father until the latter retired in 1890 and the land 
was divided. James later bought out the other heirs and now owns 1,040 
acres in Atchison and Wabaunsee counties, 560 acres of this land being lo- 
cated in Atchison county, with three sets of farm buildings. He gives a great 
deal of attention to the stock selling part of his business, and feeds and win- 
ters 150 head each winter. On December 25, 1872, Mr. Gragg married Mrs. 
Viola A. Norris, who was born May 26. 1855, in Buchanan county, Mis- 
souri. She is a daughter of David and Martha (Cook) Norris. The fathei''s 
family came from Kentucky and the mother's from Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. 
Gragg have two children : Jefferson K., bom Februan,' 23, 1875. in .Atchison 
county, Kansas: married in October, 1894, to Ella Walls, and has two chil- 
dren, Paul, aged twenty years, and George, aged twelve years. He is now 
engaged in the live stock commission business in Kansas City, Mo., and Arch, 



544 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

born Alay 3, 1889. who is farming on the home place, married March 11, 
1914, to Edna Wilson, of Lancaster township, a daughter of J. E. Wilson. 
Jefferson, the older son, completed a course in the Atchison Business Col- 
lege. ^Ir. Gragg is a Democrat, and has been a member of the school board, 
and is now treasurer of Lancaster township. He is a member of the Meth- 
odist church and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Modem Wood- 
men of America. 



URI SEELEY KEITH. 



Uri Seeley Keith is one of the grand old men of Atchison. His career 
has been interesting, and borders upon the romantic, when many incidents 
in which he has figured are recounted. A valiant soldier of the Union dur- 
ing the Civil war, it fell to him to perform the arrest of Vallandingham in 
Ohio when his activities in favor of the Confederacy had rendered him obnox- 
ious to the State and Federal governments. Few men in Atchison ha\e had 
a more varied or active life than Mr. Keith. He was born June 27, 1841, in 
Massillon. Ohio, the son of Fordyce M. and Parthena J. (Seeley) Keith, na- 
tives of New York and the Western Reserve of Ohio, respectively. Mrs. 
Keith was a daughter of Uri Seeley. Fordye M. Keith was born in 181 6 
and died May 14. 1906. He was a son of Ansell Keith, a native of New 
York. The Keith family is descended from two brothers who were sons of 
General Keith, at one time a field marshal in the Russian army. He was a 
Scotch-Englishman, who quarreled with Queen Elizaljeth and left England 
to take service under Peter the Great of Russia. His two sons immigrattfd to 
America in 1690, one settling in New York and the other going to the South- 
land. Two branches of the family tlius sprang from these sons of Marshal 
Keith. Brigadier General Keith served under General \\'ashington during 
the Revolution and the General lived at the Keith home in New York for a 
time, .\nscll Keith served in the \\'ar of 1812. The Seeley family originally 
settled in Connecticut. Uri Seeley was l)orn in 1791 and settled in the West- 
ern Reserve on a land grant of 100 acres where he died. Ansell, the father 
of Fordyce !\I.. and grandfather of the subject of this .sketch, settled in Lnrain 
county, Ohio, in 1832, near Elyria and was a contractor and builder. Data 
regarding the members of the family is as follows: Ansell Keith was born 
June 24, 1786, and Betsy M., his wife, was born January 2, 1794; LIri Seeley 
was born May 25, 1791, and died August 10, 1877, '^^^ '""^s wife. Abbey, was 
born October 22,, 1792. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 545 

Fordyce M. Keith was born April 27, 1816, and died May 12, igo6. His 
wife, Parthena, was born August 4, 1816, and died at Seneca, Kan.. February 
18, 1893. He received an excellent education and was admitted to the practice 
of law in Ohio, practicing for some years at Massillon. He served in the I'nii mi 
army, enlisting in the One Hundred and Seventeenth regiment, Ohio infantry, 
and later the First Ohio heavy artilleiy. His service extended throughout 
the war from August 30, 1862, to August i, 1865. He was a major in the 
One Hundred and Seventeenth regiment, Ohio infantry, and was created a 
lieutenant colonel in the heavy artillery August i, 1863. He came to Kansas 
in 1866 and practiced law in Brown county where he served as county attor- 
ney. In old age he resided with his granddaughter in Oklahoma. He was 
the father of the following" children : Uri Seeley ; Fordyce M.. Jr., who died in 
Pueblo, Colo., August i, 1900; Clarence M., and Herbert Brewster died in 
infancy; Lamar Burrett, born February 22, 1847, ^"^ lives at Seneca, Kan. 

Uri Seeley Keith was educated in the common schools of his native State. 
He enlisted April 20, 1861, when Lincoln issued his first call for troops. His 
first enlistment was in Company L Eighteenth regiment, Ohio infantry, for 
a period of three months, which was extended to five months. He again en- 
listed in Company E, Eighty-seventh regiment. Ohio infantry. June 2. 1862, 
for four months. November 4, 1862. he enlisted in Company K, One Hundred 
and Seventeenth regiment, Ohio infantry, for a period of three years, or until 
the close of the war. He was promoted to the second lieutenancy of Com- 
pany C. First Ohio hca\}- artillery. December 23. 1863. The One Hundred 
and Seventeenth regiment was transferred to the heavy artillerv organization 
May 2, 1863 with Mr. Keith as second lieutenant and later as first lieutenant 
of his company. He was regimental quartermaster sergeaiU of the One Hun- 
dred and Seventeenth regiment, Ohio infantry, and received his final discharge 
at Knoxville. Tenn., July 25, 1865, and was mustered out at Camp Deni.son, 
Ohio, August I, 1865. This valiant soldier participated in the following en- 
gagements: Chickamauga. Sejitember 19-20. 1863; Knoxville. November iC) to 
December 9, 1863; Campbell Station, October 16; Carter Station, December 
21; Lowden, October 15, 1863; Rogersville, December 19; Tavlorsville, De- 
cember 19, 1863; Seaversville, Octolier 9. 1864: Charleston, October 19, 1864; 
Cleveland, October 24; Columbus, October 27; Franklin, November 30: 
Nashville, December 12 to 16, and Duck River, December 18, 1864. He 
served as quartermaster of the Second battalion of the First Ohio heav\- artil- 
lery from April i. 1864, to the close of the war. Other engagements in which 
he fought were: Rich Mountain, July 7, 1861 ; Gainesville, July 24, 1861 ; Red 
House, July 29, 1861 (Eighteenth Ohio volunteer infantry) and Harper's 

35 



546 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Ferry, September 14 and 15, 1862; South Mountain, September 13, 1862; 
Antietam, September 17, 1862 (Eighty-seventh Ohio volunteer infantry) 
Paintville, January 11, 1863 ; Peach Orchard, January 27, 1863 (One Hundred 
and Seventeenth Ohio volunteer infantry). An interesting episode in ?\lr. 
Keith's career which has been published in various newspapers is worth record- 
ing. He was the man who arrested Vallandingham at Dayton, Ohio, Ma\- i, 
1863. Early in 1863 while he was an officer in tlie heavy artillery. General 
Burnside, then in command of the Department of the Ohio, issued general 
order Number 38, which was especially obnoxious to southern sympathizers, 
the Knights of the Golden Circle, and Associated Sons of America, and kin- 
dred organizations which had for their object the placing of every obstacle in 
the path of the Federal Government and tlie overthrow of the Union. Val- 
landingham made an incendiary speech at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, on May i. Cap- 
tain Hutton of General Burnside's staff was detailed to effect the arrest of 
Vallandingham, who was to be transported to the rebel lines. Lieutenant 
Keith was second in command of the expedition. They reached Vallanding- 
ham's home at midnight, and knocked at the door, but the woman of the house 
stated that the object of their capture was not at home. Lieutenant Keith 
did not believe her and pushed open the door and rushed up stairs to find 
Vallandingham, who was in bed. When Keith broke open the bed room door 
ris prisoner rushed to the window and called "Asa," presumably in search of 
assistance, but no one came to his aid. He was then taken to Cincinnati and 
sent through the Union lines to the Confederate general, Bragg, for safe 
keeping. 

Mr. Keith came west to Doniphan county September 8, 1865, and located 
in the town of White Cloud for a time and then came to Atchison. He bought 
a farm a few miles west of White Cloud which he cultivated until 1872, and 
then followed railroading for a time. In 1872 he was in the employ of the 
United States Government on the Great Nemaha Indian reservation. In 
1875 he again returned to White Cloud and from there went to his farm, 
remaining until 1885 when he engaged in the hotel business at Hiawatlia until 
1890. He removed to Atchison in 1890, and was employed for a number of 
years as inspector of city contract work. He has superintended practically 
all of the paving and contract work which has been done in the city except 
during the past few years since his retirement. Many miles of paving have 
been honestly done under Mr. Keith's supervision and he has had charge of 
the building of practically all of the concrete culverts erected in the city. For 
four years he served as deputy sheriff of Atchison county. 

Mr. Keith was married September 11, 1866, to Mary Frances Grossman, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 547 

who was born in Massillon, Ohio, August 24, 1842, the daughter of Daniel 
and Martha Grossman, natives of Pennsylvania, and pioneer settlers in Ohio. 
The Grossmans moved to Ohio in 1836 and both died in Massillon. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Keith have been born the following children: Minnie L. born July 
24, 1867, wife of J. R. Bailey, of Enid, Okla., and the mother of one child, 
Mildred, wife of Dr. Lee J. Render, of Falls Valley, Okla., and who also has 
one child, Bailey Adrian ; Mrs. Ruby V. Doyle, born April i, 1870, and residing 
in Lincoln, Neb., the mother of one child, Halbert K. ; Edward C., and Charles 
R.. born June 6, 1875, of whom Charles R. died May 24, 1898, and Edward 
C. married Elsie Schmitt. engaged in Lhiited States mail service. ]\Ir. Keitli's 
daughter, Mrs. Bailey, is a talented writer and has issued a volume of poems 
which has decided literary merit. She is counted among the leading authors 
of the "New State" and is fast gaining a place in the world of letters. 

Mr. Keith has always been aligned with the Republican party and has 
been active in its councils during his long and busy life. He is a Mason and 
a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Post No. 93, having been 
quartermaster of the local post for the past eight years. He served as post 
commander at White Cloud, Hiawatha, and of E. C. Johnson post, of Atchi- 
son, which was later consolidated with Post No. 93. Few men can look back 
over long years crowded witl: incidents and with such activity as has fallen 
to the lot of Uri S. Keith, one of the last of the Old Guard who offered their 
lives that the Union might be forever preserved. As the years pass and time 
rolls on the ranks of those brave men who wore the blue are becoming thinner 
and their steps more feeble. It is only the more vigorous who have survived 
thus far and Mr. Keith is one of them. 



CHARLES H. BURROWS. 



Charles H. Burrows, Union veteran and clerk in the Missouri Pacific 
railroad offices at Atchison, has had a long and varied career in the railway 
service of the countr}-. He is a native of the Buckeye State and was born at 
Cincinnati, November 19, 1843, a son of James H. and Nancy A. (Lynchard) 
Burrows, both of whom were descended from old American families. James 
H. Burrows was born in Maryland and his wife was a native of Kentucky. 
The Burrows family settled in America in about the year 1647. There were 
at first two branches of the family, one of whom settled in Maine and the 
otlier on the south shore of Maryland. The great-granilfather of C harles H. 



548 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

settled first in Maiyland and here his grandfatlier, \\'illiam Burrows, was 
born and reared. Tlie sons of the family were sea-faring men and se\eral 
of the descendants of the first Burrows have been officers in tiie United 
States nnvy. Xancy A., wife of James H.. was a daughter of ]Mr. Lynchard 
of Virginia, who became a pioneer settler of Kentucky, and married a member 
of tlie Talbot family, of \'irginia. He had two sons and four daughters and 
came from Kentucky to Hamilton county, Ohio, in 1838. In 1845 James H. 
Burrows was married in Cincinnati where he made Iiis residence. Upon the 
outl)reak (if tlie Civil war both father and son, C. H., enlisted. The family 
removed to Springfield, III, in 1858 and here James H. operated a cooperage 
shop. As before stated, father and son enlisted in the same regiment, the 
One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Illinois volunteer infantry, on September 
10, 1862, for a period of three \ears. The father died in the Union hospital 
at Cairo, III. after his honorable discharge on account of sick disability, in 
February, 1863. Charles H. fought in the battles of Champion Hills, Vicks- 
burg, Spanish Fort, Blakely, and took part in many other engagements until 
the close of the war. He was also engag-ed in the Mobile campaign. Charles 
H. was the eldest of a family of five children, namely ; Charles H., James died 
in 1856; Mrs. Alice A. Direen, of Jacksonville, III; \\illiam C. deceased; 
Emma D., wife of Judge Henry Piiillips, of Beardstown, 111. 

In 1873 he, with whom this review is directly concerned, left the old 
home in Illinois and began his railroading career which was eventually to 
end with his present berth in Atchison. Forty-two years of railroading, or 
rather fifty \ears of railwa}- service with tlie exception of two years in the 
practice of law at Mondamin, III, is the proud record of this sturdy patriot. 
During- this long period he has served as telcgra])h operator, superintendent of 
telegraph, engineer, hrakcman. conductor, etc. He was in the employ of the 
Cliicago & Alton railroad, tlie Wabash, the Ciilman. Clinton X: Sjiring- 
field railroads, while located at Springfield, 111, and was in the employ of 
the Vandalia when it was building out of St. Louis. As early as 1868 he 
was in the employ of the Missouri Pacific railroad and was with the Denver 
and Rio Grande in the earl\- days of its operation : was with the Ft. Scott 
& Memphis railroad one year; the St. Louis & St. Joseph road; was 
station agent on the old Hannibal & St. Joe mad : served on the Chicagfo, 
Burlington & Ouinc\- railroad in Missouri and Iowa; the Chicago & North- 
western; t!ie Sioux City & Pacific; the I'remont, Elkhorn & Missouri Val- 
lev roads. After a railroad experience in the states of Illinois. Iowa. Mis- 
souri, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado, he came to Atchison in September of 
1890, as a clerk in the offices of the Missouri Pacific railroad system. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY j49 

He was married August lo. 187 1, at Lawsoii. Mo., tn Susan K. Morrow, 
a native of Missouri, and daughter of Vincent Morrow. To this union has 
been born one child, Pearl, wife of Adolph Frailey. By a former marriage 
with B. F. Shumalt, Mrs. Frailey had two children, Ruth E. and Frances 
Shumalt. Mr. Burrows has been and is now an independent voter, not allied 
with any particular political party or creed. He is fraternally connected with 
the Suns and Daughters of Justice, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and the 
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and has served as commander of the Grand 
Armv Post. Xo. 93, of Atchison, for the past two years. Commander 
Burrows has the great distinction of having been one of the original organizers 
of the Grand Army of the Republic and has been prominent in the affairs of 
this great organization since 1866. In February of 1866, he assisted in the 
organization of Springfield, 111., Grand Army Post, No. 2. He served as 
officer of the day when this noted post Cthe second in America) was organized. 



JAiMES EDWARD WILSON. 

James Edward Wilson, fanner, of Lancaster township, Atchison county, 
was born December 14, 1865, on the farm which he now manages. He is a 
son of Charles and Mary K. (Brown) Wilson, who were the parents of eleven 
children, as follows : Sarah E. died in infancy ; Louise C. died when two years 
old; William M., deceased: Andrew J., Hill City, Kan. ; Martha E., deceased; 
Nancy J., deceased; James E., stibject of this sketch; Julia A. Martin, Wa- 
baunsee countv, Kansas; Charles T., Atchison county, and Samuel H., de- 
ceased. The father, Charles Wilsort, was born February 7, 1827, in Bar- 
tholomew county, Indiana, a son of Martin and Elizabeth (Mitchell) Wilson, 
who migrated to Missouri. Charles Wilson left the farm in Buchanan county, 
was married and came to Kansas. In 1855 he settled on the farm which 
his son now owns in section 14, Lancaster township, Atchison county. The 
father with his wife and infant child went through many hardships in their 
pioneering days. 

The familv came from Buchanan county, Missouri, in a covered wagon, 
driving a yoke of oxen. He preempted 160 acres, the site of his son's present 
farm. He built a small log cabin to shelter his family, and, with the aid t)f two 
other men. lie began to break the prairie. This was slow work with oxen, 
and during the first year tliey cleared but ten acres each. Fifty acres of the 
farm was in fine wooded land along the creek. This furnished them plenty 



550 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of lumber with which to build their cabin and other buildings. They planted 
the land, which was in tillable condition, in corn, and were soon able to live 
in some degree of comfort, but it was still a wild country. An old trail ran 
near the farm, now known as the "Military trail," and the Indians following 
this frequently camped along the trail near the farm. They prowled around 
the house frequently, and the father always kept close to his house to pro- 
tect his family from possible danger. Those were the true pioneer days, 
and they had to go to Atchison for their provisions. It was a lonely trip, only 
one house being between the Wilson cabin and Atchison. But in those days 
people only bought the barest necessities of life which were all that they could 
afford. They paid two dollars a bushel for com meal during the second 
spring there. Wild game was plentiful and furnished much of the food. 
Badgers and wolves were numerous and gave danger to the sheep of the 
pioneers. IMany nights were spent with loaded gun within reach in prepared- 
ness for the wolves which could be heard howling about. On the trips to 
Atchison to trade travelers and pioneers often stopped at Mormon Grove for 
a rest. The place was about seven miles west of Atchison, and took its name 
from the fact that the Mormons, on their way to Utah, frequently camped 
in this grove over night. Travelers along this road always watered their 
horses from the pond there. 

After two years the settlers began to feel the need of educational ad- 
\antages for their children, as there was no school near enough for the chil- 
dren of the pioneers to attend. For the two years they had lived here they 
had no school advantages, and the men of the neighborhood joined together 
and built a log school house. It was in the district now known as old Huron 
school district No. 24. A postoffice also was established near the school 
house, but when the railroad was Iniilt through that section of tlie county, 
the postoffice was moved to Huron, where the station was located. 

Charles Wilson died in 1897, ^t the age of seventy years. His wife, 
Mars- K. Wilson, was born October 31, 1831. in eastern Tennessee. She 
was a daughter of Joseph and Polly (McCurry) Brown. They were natives 
of Tennessee. The mother is now living with her son, James, the subject 
of this sketch. She had a great deal to do with the success of her husband. 
\\'hen she came into the wild country with her young liusband she was fac- 
ing a new life, and one which was to test her courage and strengtli, but she 
was equal to the occasion. She toiled early and late on the new farm and 
helped shear sheep and spun wool. The paternal grandparents of James 
\\'^ilson were Martin and Elizabeth (Mitchell) \Vilson. both natives of Indiana. 

James W^ilson was reared on the farm where he now resides. He was 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 551 

educated in the district school and went to work on his father's farm, and is 
now farming the place, renting it from his mother. He operates about 115 
acres of it. 

Mr. Wilson was married in 1880 to Martha Louisa Culpepper, who was 
born in Dallas county, Iowa, September 5, 1867. She is a daughter of Ben- 
jamin and Amanda (Lowery) Culpepper, natives of Alabama. Mr. and Mrs. 
Wilson are the parents of eleven children: Chariie, deceased; Anna Edwards, 
Dardanelle, Ark.; Archibald, living at home; Edna Gragg, Lancaster town- 
ship, Atchison county, Kansas ; Frank, living at home ; Marie, at home ; Eva, 
Thelma, Leslie and Vera, all living with their parents, and one child died in 
infancy. Mr. Wilson is a Republican and is now a member of the school 
board for his district. He attends church, although he is not a member of 
any denomination. Mrs. Wilson, mother of James E., is the oldest living 
pioneer settler of Lancaster township. 



FREDERICK W. KOESTER. 

Frederick W. Koester is a native of Atchison, born April 6, i860. He is 
a son of Fred and Anna (Bertha) Koester, the former a native of Germany 
and the latter of Zurich, Switzerland. The mother immigrated to America 
when she was a young girl, coming to this country with her mother. Fred 
Koester, the father, was born in Minden, Germany, January 18, 1835, and 
came to America when he was about twenty-one years of age. He landed in 
New Orleans, but remained there only a short time when he came up the 
Mississippi river by boat, and located at St. Louis. He remained there but a 
short time, however, when he went to St. Josepli, Mo. W' hile there he learned 
the barber's trade, and in 1857 came to Atchison, Kan., and established one of 
the first barber shops in the city. He was an industrious and thrifty man and 
although not highly educated, he was a man of unusual foresight and good 
judgment. Soon after coming to Atchison he began to invest his savings in 
real estate and became one of the extensive properly owners of the city in 
the early days. He built several residences which lie sold at a good profit and 
he built one of the first brick houses in Atchison. He also built the first 
pressed brick house in the city. The building is still standing and is known 
as the Koester house situated on Second street, l>etween Commercial and 
Kansas streets. This was considered one of the magnificent residences of 
Atchison in the earl\- seventies. Fred Koester owned a number of business 



552 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

places in Atchison as well as several residences. Frederick W. Koester is 
the older of a family of two. His sister, Susie Bertha, is now the wife of 
Carl Hachette. and resides in San Francisco. Cal. 

Frederick W. Koester attended the public schools of Atchison, and later 
was a student in St. Benedict's College, and also attended the Jesuits" College, 
St. Louis, Mo. His father had advanced ideas in regard to education, and 
endeavored to give his children the best that could be obtained. After com- 
pleting school F. W. Koester began life as a clerk in D. C. Newcomb's dry 
goods store at Atchison. He remained there but a short time, liowcxer. when 
he went to work in his father's barber shop and later opened a six chair shop 
of his own. He then went on the road as traveling salesman for a barber 
supply house, and was thus engaged for seven years. He went to California 
in 1886 where he was employed as timekeeper for a railroad contractor. 

Mr. Koester was married in 1883 to Miss Bertha Bracke, a daughter of 
Albert Bracke, an Atchison county pioneer, who was engaged in freighting 
across the plains in tlie early days. Later, he was engaged in a cattle and 
butchering business in Atchison and was a very extensive dealer. 

Mr. and Mrs. Koester are the parents of two children, Albert, bom on 
Januarv 21. 1885. is in tlie employ of the Seaton Foundry. Atchison, and Fred- 
erick William, Jr.. born July 25. 1895. in San Francisco, is a student in Kansas 
University, department of journalism, and during his vacations is connected 
with the Atchison Champion as a reporter. Mr. Koester was appointed by 
Governor Hodges secretary of the Kansas State Barbers' Board in April, 191 3, 
serving two years. He is a member of tiie Knights of Pythias, the Red Men, 
and secretary of the insurance department of Golden Cross. He and his 
familv are members of the Christian Science church. Mrs. Koester died 
Octoljer 13, 1904, and on Octol^er 23, 1915, Mr. Koester was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Lillie Barth Hood, a native of Kentucky, and daughter of 
J. H. Hood, of McCloud, Okla. 



CHARLES MYERS. 



Charles Mvers. farmer, stockman and contractor, of Lancaster township. 
Atchison countv, Kansas, was born May 13. 1864, in Buclianan cdunty. Mis- 
souri. He is a son of Augusta and Hulcia (Snyder) Myers, and one of nine 
children, seven of whom are living. The father was torn in Germany in 
1818 and left there with his parents when a young man, the family settling 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 553 

in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the age of twenty-two he came to St. Joseph, Mo., 
and learned the carpenter's trade. Later he engaged in farming in Missouri, 
and came to Atchison county, Kansas, and bought the old Captain Kvans 
farm in Shannon township. He improved it considerably and then sold it. and 
moved to Atchison, where he resided until his death in 1903. The mother 
was torn in Indiana. She died in 1903, at the age of seventj'-four years. 

Charles Myers, the subject of this sketch, was reared on his father's farm 
in Shannon township and attended the district school. He worked for his 
father until he was twenty years old, and then rented land in Doniphan 
county, Kansas, and farmed for himself, and later came to Atchison county, 
where he rented a farm for two years. Having accumulated some capital, 
he bought 120 acres in section 13. Lancaster township, and fanned this for 
sixteen years, meanwhile making extensive improvements. He sold this land 
and bought 160 acres in section 23, Lancaster township, in 1904. The farm 
was comparatively unimproved and he set to work building the place up. He 
erected a large, modern, nine room, brick house, superintending the work 
himself. He also built an excellent barn and a commodious ice house. These 
buildings were planned by Mr. Myers, who had learned the carpenter's trade 
at odd times. He selected the materials used in the construction and by his 
careful supervision thus insured the best of buildings. This work comes 
natural to Mr. Myers, although he has never spent much time at the work, 
but it was so easy for him that he just naturally drifted into it. Whenever 
he had any work to be done he personally took it in hand. Other important 
improvements were made by Mr. Myers. Several additions to his farm land 
were made, and he ntnv owns 240 acres of good tillable farm land. Mr. 
Myers also keeps graded stock and takes pride in keeping up his breeds. Be- 
sides these activities Mr. Myers holds stock in the Independent Harvester 
Company of Piano. 111. 

He was married to Eva Kenbal in 1897. Mrs. Myers was born August 
19, 1867, in Ohio, and is a daughter of Nelson Kenbal. Eight children have 
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Myers: Ora (Snyder), Erazer. Mo.; Edna (Tay- 
lor). Lancaster township, .\tchison county. Kansas; Merrel. .\ugusta. Glen, 
Hubert, Irene, Lafayette, all living at home. Mr. Myers is a Republican in 
politics and has served on the school board of his district. He belongs to the 
Baptist church, and is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. 
Myers, in addition to his occupation as a farmer and stockman, has found 
time for constructing several buildings in Atchison county, and has been re- 
markablv successful in his construction work. 



554 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

GEORGE H. T. SCHAEFER. 

George H. T. Schaefer. contractor and builder, has achieved such a rep- 
utation in his avocation during- his more than thirty years of residence in 
Atchison, as to place him in the front rank of artisans in his adopted city. 
History is constantly repeating itself, when we chronicle the fact that "from 
small beginnings, great things have grown." Mr. Schaefer began contract- 
ing in a small way. after quitting the first job which he held in Atchison. 
The results of his handiwork are now seen on every hand, and include the 
most stately and costly buildings of the city and structures throughout Kan- 
sas and Nebraska. Through all of his success ]\Ir._ Schaefer has remained the 
same, unassuming, plain citizen, whose motto has been, "honest work for 
honest money." There are few men in his profession who can point to a 
more successful career, and who can look back over long 3-ears spent in erect- 
ing abiding places for mankind, and realize that every contract was fulfilled 
faithfully and the work well and consistently done to the satisfaction of the 
owners. 

G. H. T. Schaefer was torn November ii, 1857. in Indianapolis, Ind., 
and is a son of Rev. J. George and Minnie Schaefer. His father was a native 
of Stuttgart, Germany, and his mother of Hamburg, Cxermany. Both came 
to this countrv in youth witli their respective parents. The father was edu- 
cated for the Lutheran ministry, and in 1863 left Indianapolis and took charge 
of a church at Lanesville, Ind., twelve miles from New Albany, on the stage 
route in Indiana. From that time on he filled various charges and died in 
the midst of his pastoral labors in New Boston, Ind. The mother now re- 
sides in Atchison. He, with whom this review directly concerns, left the 
parental roof when thirteen years of age and went to Indianapolis, where he 
learned the trade of carpenter. After serving his apprenticeship he spent two 
years in the vicinity of his father's home at New Boston, working for an old 
German contractor. This experience was invaluable, inasmuch as his em- 
plover took contracts for erecting barns, churches and bridges from the 
standing timber. The future contract(ir here learned to create buildings from 
the virgin timber of the forests. Desiring to gain a wider experience in his 
calling, in 1876 he went to Evansville, Ind., then, as now, an important river 
city. He spent one year in this city, and during that time witnessed the 
great cyclone which swept this section of the country and destroyed lives and 
many buildings. Ml. Canncl. 111., was badly wrecked, and he arrixed on the 
scene of the disaster in time to help burj- the dead and assist in the rebuild- 
ing of the city. In 1879 he went to Greenville, Miss., and during the winter 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 555 

the yellow fever, which had been epidemic in New Orleans, broke out in Green- 
ville, and he managed to catch the last 1>oat leaving the wharf for St. Louis. 
From here he went to Kansas City, but no sooner did he set foot on the streets 
of this growing metropolis than he was besieged by real estate men who 
wanted to sell him property. He became disgusted with Kansas City and 
took a train for Atchison. Here he purchased a ticket for a point 200 miles 
west on the Central Branch railroad and landed at Cawker City. Upon 
alighting from the train and making inquiries about work he was informed 
that, inasmuch as he did not belong to any lodges, and had no connections 
in the western town, he could get no work. However, he got a job and was 
kept busily employed for two years, building in the surrounding country. He 
erected dwellings and business houses in Jewell and Mitchell counties, at a 
time when the country was in the initial stage of its development. He in- 
vested his savings in property, only to see his hopes of gaining a permanent 
competence swept away, when the hot winds came and ruined the corn crop 
and scorching everything in its path. Mr. Schaefer promptly left and de- 
cided to locate in Omaha. On his way eastward he drew matches to decide 
upon his stopping place and the choice fell to Atchison. This was in 1882. 
On reaching this city he saw in the Atchison Globe an advertisement, reading: 
"Competent man wanted to take charge of building," etc. The following 
morning he applied for the job, and was given the post of foreman by Mr. 
Jones, a contractor, who had undertaken to erect the Presbyterian church, a 
stone structure. He received two dollars per day for his services as foreman, 
with the understanding that his employer was to advance his wages accord- 
ing to his worth as a foreman. As foreman he did not receive any more pay 
than the men who were working under him ; consequently, when he had super- 
vised the erection of the stone structure as far as the roof, he quit the job, 
despite the fact that his boss offered him three dollars per day to continue 
working for him. Mr. Schaefer's first contract in Atchison was the erection 
of a barn on south Third street. Since his first job he has not lacked for 
contracts, and he has been employed repeatedly by the same patrons who were 
well satisfied with the work done. His most notable building operations in- 
cluded the magnificent Ingalls high school building, erected at a cost of 
$125,000; the G. C. Wattles residence, the Bradley residence, the Blish, Mize 
Silliman building, costing $125,000: three double officers' quarters at Ft. 
Leavenworth : thirty church edifices in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska : the 
Presbyterian church in Ottawa, Kan., and the Masonic Temple in Atchison, 
built at a cost of $65,000, and completed in December of 191 5. He employs 
from ten to seventy-five skilled men, as occasion requires. He formerly op- 



55f> HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

iTated a large planing- mill on Eighth street, whieh was destroyed by fire 
in 1913. Mr. Sehaefer was married in 1884 to Lizzie Jacobs, of Atchison, 
Kan. To them have been born the following children: Clara, wife of John 
Froinnier, Oak street, Atchison; Minnie, wife of John Kiiisemark, ()I5 North 
Eleventh street; Etta, wife of AU)ert I'Vonimer. St. Paul, Minn. ; Corrine. wife 
of Paul Smith, merchant, of .Vtcliison; Julia. Edwin, Laura, and Ruth, at 
home with their parents. Edwin is a machinist in the employ of the Railway 
Specialty Company. Mrs. Sehaefer was a daughter of J. H. and Catharine 
Jacobs, who came from Gennany in i860, accompanied by their three chil- 
dren: Henry, deceased; Mrs. Sehaefer. and John E., and a son, Conrad V., 
was bom here. The Jacobs first located in Pennsylvania, and then in Ft. 
Wayne, Ind., removing from there to Illinois in 1865. and coming to .\tch- 
ison in 1867. J. H. Jacobs was employed by the Hixon Lumber Company, 
and died Februar)- 8, 1896, at the age of se\enty-two years. His wife died 
Deceml>er 26, 1895, aged seventy-three years. 

Politically, ]\Ir. Sehaefer is an independent Republican, and serxed one 
term as city councilman from the Fifth ward. He is a member of the Luth- 
eran church, belongs to no lodges, and is essentially a home man when he is 
not engaged in building. His investments are principally in .\tchison real 
estate and Te.xas farm lands. His handsome resider.ce at 911 North Eleventh 
street was remodeled after his own ideas and presents an attractive appear- 
ance. 



AMEL MARKWALT. 



Amel Markwalt. fanner, of Lancaster township, .\tchison county, Kan- 
sas, was bom in Germany July 14, 1864. He is a son of Gottlieb and Min- 
nie (Schraum) Markwalt, anil was one of five children, as follows: Gus- 
tave, Manistee, Mich.; Augiista. address unknown; .Amelia (Lidkye). widow\ 
Manistee, Mich.; William, Manistee, Mich.; and Amel, the subject of this 
sketch. The parents were both German, and died when .\mel was but five 
years of age. He knows nothing of his parents, except that his father was 
in the German war of 1866, when the Piiissians were fighting the Austrians. 

The schooling of .\mel was neglected, ow ing to the death of his parents, 
and he spent his youth working on a farm in Germany. In 1882 he sailed 
for America, and upon arri\ing in this country he went to work in the lum- 
ber mills at Manistee, Mich., remaining there three years. He then came to 
Atchison. Kan., and worked in the Central Branch railroad shops as a laborer. 



I 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 557 

He (lid various kinds of work of a mechanical nature during his six years 
of employment there. He then engaged in the retail oil business for himself, 
and finding this profital)le he enlarged his business to include the selling of ice. 
A few years later he sold his business, anfl in 1903 bought 160 acres of land 
in Lancaster township and moved there the following year, where he has 
since resided. He has built a fine residence and a barn since buying the land, 
and has a two-acre orchard. His barn is an excellent one, with a capacity of 
fifty tons of hay. 

Amel Markwalt was married in 1885 to Augusta Stolp, who was born 
in Germany August 2, 1865, and left her native land in 1883 and came to 
Atchison, Kan. She is a daughter of August and Charlotte (Weisgean) 
Stolp, both now deceased. Her father came to Atchison, Kan., in 1884. Mr. 
and Mrs. Markwalt have six children : Ida, wife of J. Ziegler, Nortonvillc, 
Kan.; William, living at home; Henry, deceased; Charlotte, Elsie, and Otto, 
living at home. Mr. Markwalt does not affiliate himself with any political 
party, believing that he can vote more conscientiously by voting independently. 
He is a member of the German Lutheran church. 



RUFUS BEXTOX PEERY. 



Dr. Rufus Benton I 'eery, jiresident of Midlanrl College, Atchison, is a 
true type of scholarly and progressive educator, one of that class of men who 
seem fitted or destined for the high places, and are adapted by profound learn- 
ing and natural endowments to be instructors and leaders of the youth of the 
land. His work as the head of Midland College is attracting favorable atten- 
tion. He has won fame as a lecturer and achieved a measure of renown as an 
author. Endowerl with inherent powers of leadership, he occupies a place 
among the educators of the nation which is unquestioned, and he is univer- 
sally recognized as a man of brilliant attainments and a strong personality. 
Although he has occu|)ied his present position but a few years, during that 
time Dr. I'eery has done much toward advancing the interests of Midland 
College and pushing this institution forward to its rightful place among the 
seats of learning in the Middle West. 

Dr. Peery is a native of Virginia, bom April 9, 1868, at Burke's Garden, 
and is a son of Thomas and Sarah Henrietta (Repass) Peery. His father 
was a farmer and stockman, who eventually Ijecame an extensive buyer and 
shipper of live stock in Virginia and Tennessee. He traveled over the region 



558 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

in quest of cattle and other live stock, buying it up and sliipping train loads to 
the New York City markets. Rufus B. early learned to do farm work and 
assisted his father as other boys have been wont to do on the farm. After he 
had entered college he became his father's assistant in the live stock business 
during his vacations, and thus earned the money to continue with his studies. 
During his boyhood on the farm he raised a fine mare named "Gypsy" which 
was the apple of his eye. He became ambitious to enter college, luit had not 
the means to make the start. His only recourse seemed to be to part with 
"Gypsy," and thus get the funds to realize his ambition. He sold his favorite 
for the sum of $125, and was enabled to matriculate in Roanoke College, 
Salem, Va., from which institution he was graduated with tlie degree of A. B. 
in 1890. He received his j\Iaster"s degree from Roanoke in 1895. 

Imbued with a desire to enter the ministiy, he continued his studies 
in tlie theological seminary at Greensburg, Pa., for the next two years, and 
was ordained in the English Lutheran ministry in 1892. Actuated by a de- 
sire to assist the Japanese people, he became a missionary and remained in 
the Orient from 1892 to 1903. For four years he was professor of theology 
in Japan, and traveled extensively in the Orient, including the Chinese Em- 
pire. Being a close student and observer of condition in the lands which he 
visited while pursuing his missionary tasks, he was enabled to write enter- 
tainingly, the results of his observations, and embody them in an interesting 
volume "Gist of Japan," in 1897, which has run through eight editions. He 
has also written and published a volume entitled "Lutherans in Japan," issued 
in 1900. His "Lectures to Young Men" (Japanese) was issued in 1902. 
Dr. Peery is a regidar contributor to religious and secular journals. His 
work has decided literary merit, and lie has attained higli rank as a writer on 
religious subjects. In the year 1895 ^^ received the degree of Ph. D. from 
the Pennsylvania College at Gettysburg. He took the non-resident course in 
theology and homiletics in Chicago University from 1898 to 1901. In 1909 
Dr. Peer}- received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Midland College. 
Upon his return from the far East he lectured in America on Oriental and 
missionary subjects from 1903 to 1905. In 1905 he received a call and 
accepted the pastorate of St. Paul's Lutheran Church at Denver. He had 
charge of the Denver churcli until 1012 when he came to Atchison and be- 
came president of Midland College. \\'hile in Denver he served as president 
of the Denver Ministerial Association from 1Q09 to 1910. inclusive. Dr. 
Peery is a trustee of- the Tabitha Home at Lincoln, Neb. ; a member of the 
Red Cross Society of Japan ; member of the Sons of the American Revolu- 
tion Society, and the Phi Gamma Delta. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 559 

He was married to Letita Rich, of Wytheville, Va., August 21, 1905. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Peery have Ijeen born six sons, namely : Harold Rich, 
Thomas Benton and Rob Roy, born in Japan ; Paul Denver, and William Wal- 
lace, bom in Denver, Colo. ; Donald Lee, born in Atchison. Dr. Peery, like 
many other college heads, began at the bottom rung of the ladder, and is essen- 
tially self-made. His first teaching experience was in the district schools of his 
native State. While a student at college he served as private tutor to the 
student son of a wealthy man and thus earned sufficient funds to continue 
his studies. His father gave him a share of the proceeds of the live stock 
business which lie earned in New York City, during his vacations. Notl)ing 
develops the individual more than the necessity of striving for himself, and 
thus developing his own powers by combining the gaining of a livelihood 
with the attaining of a higher education. Dr. Peery's aspirations have been 
noble, and he has been actuated by the high and unselfish purpose of being of 
service to his fellow men. Atchison is proud of Midland College and the great 
work being done within its walls, and the reputation of the college is growing 
under Dr. Peery's management. 



JOHN L. RATERMAN. 



From office boy to manager for one of the most widely known concerns 
in the United States, or the civilized world, is the story of the hfe of him of 
whom this review is written. The history of J. L. Raterman, manager for 
R. G. Dun & Company, Mercantile Agency, shows what can be accomplished 
by beginning at the lowest rung of the ladder, learning every detail of the 
business, and eventually fitting himself for the important and responsible 
position of manager. 

The business of R. G. Dun & Company was first established in Atchi- 
son in 1886, with G. T. Bolman as manager. Other managers succeeded Mr. 
Bolman in the course of time, but Mr. Raterman has held the position longer 
than any of his predecessors. He began as office boy in 1890, when but four- 
teen years of age, it being necessary for him to leave his school studies when 
a pupil of the sixth grade. During his idle moments around the office, young 
Raterman practiced on the typewriter, and it was not long until he was able 
to do typist's work efficiently and satisfactorily. He was soon promoted and 
became a regular typist, and mastered shorthand at the end of three years 
of study. Seven years later he was advanced to the post of chief clerk, and" 
in 1900 was promoted to the important post of manager of the Atchison 



560 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

branch of R. G. Dun & Company. As manager, Mr. Raterman travels over 
seven counties, collecting necessary data regarding the l)usiness concerns of 
his territory, including the six counties of northeast Kansas and DeKalb 
county, Missouri. He is personally acquainted with practically every business 
man in his district. 

J. L. Raterman was born in Atchison, Kan., October 25, 1876, a son of 
John and Elizabeth (Myers) Raterman, both of whom were born in Germany, 
immigrated to this country in youth and were married in Cincinnati, Ohio. 
John Raterman came to Atchison in 1857, and was one of tiie well known 
pioneer merchants of the city, operating a grocery store here in tlie early 
davs. He conducted his grocery store for twenty-five years, and died Decem- 
ber 21, igo2. Mrs. Raterman is living in Atcliison at the adxanced age of 
eighty years. Mr. and Mrs. Raterman left a family of seven children. 



ULYSSES B. SHARPLESS. 



Ulysses B. Sharpless, treasurer of Atchison county, is one of the most 
successful citizens and business men of the county. He is the son of pioneer 
parents. Reared on a pioneer farm, successful as a merchant and public offi- 
ical, he is uni\'ersally recognj^^ed as one of the most influential n;en of .\tchi- 
son county today. Mr. ShaqDless is a descendant of old American stock, his 
ancestors having been among the original ico Quaker families brought 
over from England by William Penn, and colonized near and within the city 
of Pliiladelpbia, in 1082. Joseph Sliarpless, the direct ancestor of I". R. 
Sharpless, erected a stone house on the ancestral farm of the family in 1700, 
near the city of Chester, Pa., which is still standing- in an excellent state of 
preservation. One room of this old and stanch dwelling is still in exactly 
the same condition as the original bm'lder left it. The timbers and boards 
of this house were drawn together by means of wooden pins instead of nails. 

U. B. Sharpless was born January 18, 1870, in Delaware, a son of Benja- 
min T. and Susan (Green) Sharpless, the fonner of whom was a native of 
Delaware, and the latter a native of Pennsylvania. The family resided in 
Delaware until 1878 and then migrated to the West, settling on a fami near 
Pardee in Atchison county, Kansas. Here Benjamin T. lived and reared his 
family of six children, as follows: Mrs. Cora E. (Burdick), deceased; Mrs. 
Olivia R. (Pfouts). deceased; Mrs. Susan Ella (Shifflet), of .\tchison : 
Ulysses B., with whom this narrative is directly concerned; Carrie died in 



m 




C. M. VOEI.KER. 

County Clerk. 



m 





I . 15. SIIAKri.ESS. 

('oimty Treasiir«T. 



S. S. KING, 
County ComntiNwioner 




CIIAS. T. <;iM>v. 

City 'UuIko. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 561 

infancy; Mrs. Emma M. Rulings, Center townsliij), Atchison county. Benja- 
min Sharpless died in 1894, ar.d the mother of tlie foregoing cliildren dejjarted 
this life in 1908. 

He of whom this review is written was eight years of age wlien the 
Sharpless family came to Atchison county. He was reared to young manhood 
on his father's farm and learned to cultivate the soil under the tutelage of his 
father, who was a successful farmer. He was educated in the common schools 
and early learned to apply his education to the best advantage for himself. 
When twenty-one years of age he obtained his first position as manager of a 
general store at Monrovia, Kan. This position entailed a number of duties 
which kept him busily employed for a number of years. From 1891 to 1903 
Mr. Sharpless managed the Monrovia store, served as postmaster, and per- 
fomied the duties of station agent for the railroad company. However, he 
found time to take an interest in politics and became active in the affairs of 
the Republican party when yet a young man. In 1903 he removed to Effing- 
ham, Kan., and engaged in the liardware and implement and grain business 
•with considerable success. He still retains his interest in this busmess, al- 
though now a resident of Atchison. Mr. Sharpless has also become a land 
owner in the county and has farm lands near Effingham. 

He was married in 1892 to Sadie A. Cook, born and reared in Atchison 
county, and a daughter of Thomas F. and Margaret Cook, who were pioneer 
settlers of this county, coming here from Missouri in i860. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Sharpless have been born five children: Gladys A., Margaret S.. Edith \u- 
bine died at the age of seven years; Lois A., and Alice Marie. .\11 i>f tlie 
living children are attending the Atchison public schools. 

The civic and political career of Mr. Sharpless has been an interesting 
one and he has risen from the rank and file of the Republican party to become 
one of the recognized leaders of his party in Atchison county and Kansas. 
His first civic office was as police judge of Effingham. He also served a 
term as mayor of that city. He was elected a member of the State legisla- 
ture from legislalix'e district Xo. 3, in Atchison count\- in njio and 
again elected to succeed himself in 191 2. He was also a member of the Atchi- 
son County High School board and served as treasurer of this organization. 
In the fall election of 19 14 he was elected to the office of county treasurer 
by a large and handsome majority — evidence of his great personal popularity 
among all classes of citizens. He assumed the duties of the treasurer's office 
in October of 191 5, and is bestowing the same care and application in the 
discharge of his public duties in this capacity as he lias always taken in tlie 
conduct of his personal business affairs. 

36 



562 HISTORV OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Mr. Sharpless is affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, 
Bkie Lodge, Xo. 48. and is a Kniglits Templar and R(iyai Arch Mason. He is 
past noble granfl of Spartan Lodge, No. 250, Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows, of Effingham, Kan., and is a member of the Modern Woodmen of 
America, of the latter city. He is also fraternally allied with the Benevolent 
and Protecti\e Order of Elks, the Fraternal Order of I'lagies, and the l-'ra- 
ternal Aid L'nion of Atchison. 



COXRAD M. VOELKER. 



It is certainly a distinction to be known as the youngest county clerk. 
and in all probability the youngest county official ever elected in the State of 
Kansas. Such is C. M. Voelker, the efficient and justly popular county clerk 
of Atchison county. Political honors and preferment rarely come to a really 
young man, unless he is especially qualified for the work, and has a host of 
friends who are willing and able to support him and his candidacy. Although 
young in years, Mr. Voelker is performing his duties in a manner which 
would reflect distinct credit upon an older individual. 

Conrad M. Voelker is a native of Atchison county, liaving been born 
May 20, 1889, on a farm, four miles north of Atchison, in Shannon town- 
ship. His father is Conrad Walker,- who was born in Germany November 
20, 1856, a son of Karl and Christiana Voelker, who immigrated to America 
in 1861, and settled on a farm, two miles north of the city, where he operated 
a dairy and truck farm until his demise. To Karl and Christiana Voelker 
were bom the following children : Conrad; Mrs. Joseph Biddle, of Atchison; 
Henry, residing in New Orleans; Karl Voelker was twice married, Mrs. S. L. 
Loyd, of Shannon township, being a daughter of the second marriage. 
Conrad, father of C. M. Voelker, was reared to manhood in Atchison county, 
and when he became of age, settled on a 160 acre farm, four miles north of 
Atchison, which is now one of the best improved farms in tlie State of Kan- 
sas. For a number of years he specialized in the cultivation of cabbage, 
making a success of the venture, and accumulated considerable money. He 
became known far and wide as the "Cabbage King" of Kansas, always hav- 
ing the first cabliage on the market, and shipped the product of his fields to 
points in Kansas and Nebraska in carload lots. The Voelkers have a beauti- 
ful, well appointed home, with excellent out buildings. Conrad Voelker mar- 
ried Jennie Mueller, who was born in Cooper county, Missouri, November 



HISTORY OF ATCHISOX COUNTY 563 

15, 1862, a daughter of German parents. To Conrad \'oelker and wife were 
born tlie following children: Fred C. W., a farmer, living north of Atchison; 
Conrad ]\1. Tlie \'oelkers are members of the Lutheran church. 

Conrad AI., with whom this narrative is directly concerned, was edu- 
cated primarily in the district schools, his education being supplemented with 
one year's studv in the German school in Atchison, and a course in Midland 
College, where he w-as graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science in 
1909. He then completed a course in commerce and bookkeeping in the Atch- 
ison Business College. W'hile a sophomore of Midland College he won first 
lionors in the oratorical contest, and represented his alma mater at the State 
oratorical contest, held in Salina. Kan. W'hile yet a student he received the 
appointment of deputy county clerk under Edward Iverson, March 13. 1910. 
He was elected to the office on the Republican ticket in November. 19 12. and 
again elected without any opposition in the fall of 1914. 

A more intimate personal view of this rising young man \\as published 
in the Atchison Champion just previous to assuming the duties of his office 
after his election : 

"Conrad M. Voelker, county clerk elect, wdien he takes office January i, 
1913, will have the distinction of being the youngest man ever elected to the 
office of countv clerk in Kansas. Mr. A^oelker. while he appears to be much 
older, is but twenty-three years old. He is popular; this was pri)\-en In- the 
fact that he was elected by a majority of 955 votes. 

"Mr. \^oelker is the son of Conrad Voelker. He was born four miles 
north of Atchison. He ne\'er passes up an opportunity to learn something. 
When four years old ]\Ir. \^oelker started to school. He was graduated from 
the eighth grade at ten years of age, and in 1909 he was graduated from 
Midland College. When be finished the common schools he studied in a 
German school for one year; so he both reads and writes German. He com- 
pleted a double course at the Atchison Business College in five months, grad- 
uating in March, 1910, and a few days later he was appointed deput}- county 
clerk. When Mr. Voelker was eighteen years of age he took part in the Kan- 
sas intercollegiate oratorical contest, which was held at Salina. There were 
nineteen other contestants, several of them being men twice the age of Voel- 
ker, wdio were going through college for the second time. Voelker won 
fourth place in the contest, which in addition to being quite an honor, dem- 
onstrated that he has great ability as a public speaker. 

"There is no doubt that he will be re-elected two years hence. He un- 
doubtedly will prove to be one of the most efficient county clerks in the his- 
tory of the count}'." 



564 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

The last paragraph was prophetic, as Mr. \''oelker's second election to the 
office in 1914 will testify. His re-election was the best evidence of his suc- 
cess and strong personal popularity. Mr. Voelker is affiliated with several 
fraternal societies, an active part}- worker, what is known as a good mixer, 
and a rising young citizen of the county, whose future career will be well 
worth watcliing, inasmuch as lie is bound to gain greater honors in the 
years to come, and to climb to a still higher place in the civic life of his home 
county and State. 



SAMUEL S. KING. 



Samuel S. King, a member of the board of county commissioners of Atch- 
ison countv. was born in Moorcstown. N. J.. May 16. 1856. One year later, 
in 1857, he came to Atchison with his parents, John and Violet King, on a 
boat owned bv Dr. Challiss. The King family arrived at Atchison in April 
of 1857. John King soon afterward settled on a farm six miles southwest of 
Atchison, where Samuel S. lived until he was fifteen years of age. He then 
came to Atchison for the purpose of attending the city schools. During vaca- 
tions lie worked for McPike & Allen (later McPike & Fox). After finish- 
ing his public school education Mr. King was employed as bookkeeper for 
some time by WTiite. Waslier & King, now the S. R. Washer Grain Company. 
He was also employed as tookkeeper by McPike & Fox, W. F. Dolan and 
others until 1881. In that year he was appointed by Senator John J. Ingalls 
to a position in the United States railway mail service and was sent to New 
Mexico and .Arizona as railway mail agent. Here he remained in the United 
States Government service for about two years and then resigned to enter the 
employ of P. E. Brannen & Company as bookkeeper and manager at Flagstaff, 
Ariz. This firm conducted a jobbing hou.se at Flagstaff which was then the 
largest town on the raih-oad between .\lbu(|ucr(|uc, X. M.. and Los .\ngeles, 
Cal. In June, 1886. he and his family returned to Atchison and Mr. King 
became the confidential bookkeeper of McPike & Fox. wliolesale druggists, 
and remained with this concern until the fall of 1807. when he' resigned to 
take up his duties as county clerk. 

Mr. King had always been more or less interested in politics and he was 
elected to the office of county clerk on the Republican ticket in the fall of 
1897. K^ ^^'35 subsequentlv reelected and held the office for nine years, or 
until January. 1907. He then engaged in the real estate and insurance 
business which he still follows with offices at 106 North Fifth street. Mr. 



HISTOKY Ol' ATCHISON COUNTY 565 

King was elected mayor of the city of Atchison in April, 1907, and served as 
the city executive for two years, and later was appointed city clerk to fill 
out the unexpired term of C. A. Hawk, who resigned. In the fall of 1914 
he was elected county commissioner, an office which he is at present filling 
in a capable and efficient manner. 

Mr. King was married April 14, 18S5, at Flagstaff, Ariz., to Miss Sarah 
Hawks, of Newton, Kan. Two children have been born of this marriage, 
namely, Grace and Victor. Mr. King is affiliated with the Ancient Free and 
Acce])iC(l Masons. tlie P>ene\olent and Protective (Jrder of Elks, the l-'raternal 
Order of Eagles, of which lodge he is a trustee, the Modern Woodmen of 
America, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Mystic Workers, and 
the Central Protective Association. There are few citizens who are more 
highly esteemed, and Atchison county has not a more popular pubic official 
than S. S. King. 



CHARLES T. GUNDY. 



This iiistory of Atchist^n county is issued not only for the purpose of 
inscribing a record of those who have built up the county and were here dur- 
ing the pioneer days and endured the hardships of the pioneer life, but for 
recording as well the life stories of those who came later and have won places 
of merit and distinction in the affairs of the city and county of Atchison. It 
is probable that few men have attained such eminence as Judge Charles T. 
Gundy of the city court of Atchison during his brief residence here. The 
esteem in which he is held and the successful manner in which he has per- 
formed tlie duties of his judicial position are decided evidences of his ahilit\'. 
His standing among the members of the legal fraternity is high and he well 
merits the confidence of his fellow citizens. The conduct of his court is 
marked for the fairness of his decisions in suits of equity and the settlement 
of such cases as come under his jurisdiction have been accomplisiied to the 
satisfaction of the parties concerned. 

Judge Charles T. Gundy is a native of Scotland county, Missouri, and 
he was born and reared on his father's farm, eight miles northwest of the 
thriving and progressive city of Memphis. He evinces much of the character- 
istics of the good people of Scotland county, wlio are noted for their liosj)iial- 
ity anfl kindliness. He was born lHl)ru;iry ro, 187X. and is a son of George 
M. and Margaret M. fNecdham) Gundy, natives of Illinois and Missouri, 
respectively. George M. Ckindy was l)orn in 1843 rmd is a son of Jacob 
Gundv, a nati\e of I loll;ind. wlio settled in Sc<itland C'ountv, Missouri, as earlv 



566 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

as 1846. George M. still resides on the nld home place of the (iundy famil\'. 
This farm consists of 160 acres of well tilled land on which have been reared 
six children out of a family of seven, as follows: Charles T.. with whom this 
review is directly concerned: Louis W. and Jacob R., farmers of Scotland 
county, Missouri ; Mrs. Corda Crawford, of Scotland county ; Gladys, de- 
ceased : Pearl and Merl at home with their parents. The mother of these 
children is a native of Scotland county, and was born in 1858. a daughter of 
David Xeedham. a veteran of the Civil war and a scion of an old Kentucky 
family. He served three years as a soldier in the late rebellion, and after 
returning home met an accidental death by a falling tree. The ancestral home 
of 'lie Needhams is near Frankfort, Ky. The Gundy family is held in high 
esteem in their home county and the members of the family are well respected 
by their friends and acquaintances. 

Charles T. Gundy was educated in the rural schools and attended the 
Memphis Academy for one year. Circumstances were such that he found it 
necessary to do considerable studying at home and "burned tlie midnight oil" 
in the pursuit of an education. He fitted himself for teaching and taught 
for four years in the schools of his native county. In the meantime he read 
law and was successful in being admitted to the bar in 1902. For three years 
thereafter he jiracticed his profession in Memphis. He then secured a Gov- 
ernment ])osition in the postoffice department at AX'ashingtim. D. C. and 
pursued his law studies in the National University at Washington. He grad- 
uated from that institution May 30, 1908. Having small desire to liecome a 
mere cog in a great machine, as seemed to be the U it of thousands of Gdvern- 
ment em]ilo\es. he resigned his position in October of the same year and lo- 
cated in Keokuk, Iowa, and had charge of the farm loan department of the 
State Central Savings Bank. He resigned this position in Marcli of kjio and 
came to Atchison, opening an office in the .\uld building on Commercial street. 
Since this time he has built up an e.xcellent practice. He was appointed city 
judge in December of 1910 to fill a vacancv caused bv the resignation of 
Judge J. P. -Xdams. He was elected to the office in 1912 and again elected 
in i()i4. 

Judge Gundy was united in marriage with Eleanor M. McCormick on 
.\ugust 12. iqcA). Mrs. Gun(I\- was a resident of Washington, D. C. and is 
a daughter of John McCormick, who died in 1905. Judge Gundy is a mem- 
ber of the Baptist church and he and Mrs. Gundy have a wide circle of friends 
who esteem them for their many likable qualities. 

The Repuljlican party has always claimed the allegiance of Judge Gundy 
and he takes an active and influential interest in political affairs. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 567 

LOUIS R. KUEHNHOFF. 

Louis R. Kiiehnhoff, farmer and stockman, of Lancaster town- 
ship, Atchisdn Cdunt}-, Kansas, was Ijorn January i, 1880. on the 
farm where he now resides. He is a son of Charles and Caroline Kuehnhoff, 
and is one of nine children, six of whom are living. The father was horn 
in Germany in 1841, and left there when a boy of sixteen years and sailed for 
Xew York. He remained there a short time when he went west, arriving at 
St. Joseph, Mo. He had not been there very long when the Civil war broke 
out and he enlisted at St. Joseph in Company B of the Volunteer infantry. 
After the war w-as over he was mustered out at Lexington, Mo., having won 
a praiseworthy military record in his country's service. He then returned to 
civil life in St. Joseph, Mo., where he worked for a time as a laborer, receiv- 
ing eight dollars a month. Shortly afterward he came to .\tchison county, 
Kansas, and bought eighty acres of land in section 10, Lancaster township. 
Losing oxen, he broke the ground on his newly acquired farm and began to 
improve it as rapidly as his resources would permit. In 1894 he retired and 
went to live at the National Soldiers' Home at Leavenworth, Kan., where he 
died in 1903. The mother was born in Germany in 1845, and died in 1899. 

Louis R. Kuehnhoff grew up on his father's farm, and attended Eden 
district school, and also District No. 3, Lancaster township. He remained at 
home until he was nineteen years of age, and the next five years worked as 
a farm hand, and then he bought the old home place of 200 acres. Louis 
Kuehnhoff is an industrious worker. He keeps graded stock of all kinds and 
takes a special interest in fine mules. He always attends the county fairs in 
Vtchison county and occasionally makes entries. On April 26, 1905, he was 
married to Lena Werner, who was horn in Germany November 2, 1881. Her 
parents were John and Marie (Earhart) Werner. The father was born in 
Germany in 1815. He lielonged to the Masonic lodge in Germany. In 1889, 
when he was quite an old man, he came to America and settled at Leaven- 
worth, where he died in 1891. The mother was born in fiermany January 
17. 1843, and is ncjw living with her children, of whom there are si.x, as 
follows: Adam, teamster, Leavenworth, Kan.; Martha Nolan, deceased; Liz- 
zie hnrSin. Bowling, Kan. ; Katherine Weimer, Wallula, W'yandotte county, 
Kansas; Lena, wife of Mr. Kuehnhoff, of this review. Mrs. Kuehnhoff 
attended the Pleasant Ridge school and the German school, north of Potter, 
Kan. She is a good, loyal, hard-working mother, and has three children : 
^larie, Edna and Edwin. The last two are twins and are three years old. 
In ])iilitics .Mr. Knehnlidff is independent. He is a member of the Independent 



568 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Order of Odd Fellows. He is a progressive farmer and is constantly on the 
lookout for improvements in agricultural methods. He has a fine eight-room 
house and a large barn equipped with modern conveniences. He also has a 
stone milk-house which was built by his father years ago. He has a small but 
thriving orchard and has twelve head of fine cattle. Besides these, he has 
four horses and a span of excellent mules. Mr. Kuehnhoff takes a lively 
interest in his stock and in his farm generally. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SANDERS. 

All honor to the pioneer settlers of Kansas. It was they who broke the 
way in the unpeopled wilderness and endured the hardships and privations 
on the frontier of advancing civilization in order that the path of empire 
might be pushed steadily westward, ever onward toward the setting sun. 
Their work is done ; the halcyon pioneer days when this broad land was but 
a vast unbroken wilderness of waving prairie grass, dotted here and there 
with belts of timber along the streams, is no more; towns and cities have 
sprung up; the locomotive shrieks its way over the ribbon-like rails, hauling 
the products of the land to the millions in need of sustenance, where once 
the hardy freighters drove their mule teams and guarded the precious freight 
overland to the homes of the settlers in the West. Benjamin Franklin San- 
ders is one of the few remaining members of the "old guard," who sixty 
years ago began the task of reclaiming a wilderness. He is one of the ranking 
old pioneer settlers of Atchison count}' and has lived a record which is thrill- 
ing and interesting to a high degree. He is the only living "ye old time 
fiddler" in Atchison county, who with his comrade was wont to play at the 
old-time dances and "hoe downs" in northeast Kansas fifty years and more 
ago. 

Benjamin Franklin Sanders is now living retired in Center township, 
.\tchison county. He was born August 8, 1833. in Franklin county, Mis- 
souri, and is a son of George and Elizabeth (Graham) Sanders, who were 
the parents of the following children : Nancy married William McQuillan, 
and by her second marriage became Mrs. William Burns, and died in Benton 
county, Missouri ; Robert, deceased ; Oliver died in Jewell county, Kansas ; 
Lydia married Fred Wilming, and died in Shannon township, Atchison 
county; William died in Franklin county, Missouri, and Benjamin, the sub- 
ject of this sketch. Benjamin F. Sanders was sent to the country school in 




B. P. Sanders and His Gieat-Granddau,!':liter, Gail .Maxine Keirns, 
Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Art Keirns. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 569 

Franklin county, Missouri, but the school was poor and the roads were bad 
in the winter time, and, altogether, he had little opportunity to learn. His 
whole time in school, he estimates, did not amount to more than three months. 
His father was a Kentuckian and followed farming all of his life, and died in 
1856, at the age of fifty-five years. The mother was a native of Missouri and 
of Scotch descent. She died in Kansas, in 1872, at the age of seventy-six 
years. 

At the age of twelve Benjamin F. Sanders was apprenticed to a carriage 
and wagon-maker in St. Louis, Mo. He remained there twelve years, com- 
ing to Kansas in 1856. He returned to Missouri for a short time and 
then came back to Kansas the following year. He opened a wagon-maker's 
shop at Monrovia, Atchison county, which he operated for two years. He 
then engaged in farming, taking up a claim near where Effingham now stands. 
This was ten miles from any settlement then and Mr. Sanders fearing that 
the district would not be settled, gave up his claim and preempted eighty acres 
one and one-half miles north of where he now lives, in Center township, and 
began his life as a real farmer. He hired a man from Iowa who had six 
yoke of oxen to break up his land. He lived in the most promitive way dur- 
ing the first years on this place. Coffee, for one thing, was very high in 
price at that time, and there also was very little money in the territory, so a 
substitute for coffee was used. They mixed wheat and rye, calling it essence 
of coffee, and used this as a beverage in place of the regular coffee. It was 
the same way with flour. When he needed flour he would take a quantity of 
wheat to the grist-mill where it would be ground into coarse flour, nearest mills 
being at Valley Falls and Kickapoo. His nearest postoffice was at Oceana, 
just north of Pardee, where the postoffice was located later. In i860 Mr. 
Sanders bought more land. At one time he owned as high as 400 acres of 
land in Center township, Atchison county, Kansas. He went through the 
whole evolution of civilization, beginning in a little log house on his first 
eighty acres of land and passed through the wild days of the liorder war. 
In 1863 he was a member of Captain Whittaker's company of Colonel Mc- 
Ouigg"s regiment of the Kan.sas State militia. He participated in several 
skirmishes and was honorably discharged at Ft. Leavenworth in 1864. 

In 1859 Mr. Sanders married Margaret Ramsey in Putnam county, Ohio, 
who was born in 1840. She was a daughter of John and Elizabeth ("Dorothy) 
Ramsey, natives of Ohio. She died in 1868, leaving the following children: 
Ira, farmer, Whiting, Kan.; Bertha (Mrs. C. G. Moore), deceased; William 
and Little Joy, both deceased. Mr. Sanders was married a second time in 
1870 to Mrs. Elizabeth (Ramsey) Keirns, a sister of his first wife. She died 



570 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

in May, 1904. She was the \vido\v of Rufus Keirns. and by lier last mar- 
riage three children were born: Henry R., farmer, Pardee, Kan.; Mrs. Etta 
C. Browne, Pardee, Kan. : Benjamin. Jr., died when seventeen years of age. 
^Ir. Sanders is a Republican and a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
cliurch. He is now living with .Arthur Keirns. a son of his step-son. In 
these days his life is rather quiet compared with the early-day existence 
which he passed through. Indians camped near his farm when he first came 
to Kansas. The trail to the Kickapoo reservation passed near his farm and 
the Indians were constantly traveling back and fortli along it. He has a 
hobby of "fiddling." He calls himself a "fiddler" in distinction from a 
violinist. He played at the first corn carnival held in Atchison and won a 
prize. He used to play with Samuel King, a well known "fiddler." and they 
player for all the old "hoe down" or "break down" dances. Although he 
is eighty-three years old, he still plays his "fiddle" with as much vim as ever 
and his ear is just as ready as it was when he was a young num. In addition 
to being a farmer, Mr. Sander has done a large amount of carpenter work 
in Kansas. He has built a number of bams and other buildings. ^Ir. San- 
ders was elected to the office of township trustee and held the office two 
terms, having been reelected at the close of his first term. 



KARL AUGUST KAMMER. 

Karl August Kammcr. farmer .ind stockman, Lancaster township, .\tchi- 
son county, Kansas, was born on the farm where he now li\es, October 12, 
1869. and is a son of Karl and Joehanna (Hida) Kammer. He is one of 
six children: Joehanna (Gutzman). deceased; Emma (Fuhrman). Lancaster 
township; Karl, subject of this sketch: Julius. Lancaster township; Bertha H. 
(Buttron). Lancaster township; one child who died in infancy. The father 
was born in Germany in 1840. Leaving there in 1862. he came to .\tchison 
county, i\ansas, where he worked in a vineyard for two \ears. The follow- 
ing four years he was employed in a brewery at .Vtchison, and then farmed 
two years in Lancaster township. .\t that time he had a chance to buy 160 
acres in section 16 of Lancaster township, and with the aid of a partner, the 
land was Ixiught. He built a onc-ror)m shanty and a thatched b.un. and broke 
prairie with the oxen and jilanted the first crop. Later a better house and 
barn were built, and gradually, other im])ro\ements were added and a fine 
orchard planted. .\t the time of his death, in October. 19 10, Mr. Kainmer 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



?/' 



owned 240 acres of land. The mother was hmn in Germany, h'ebruary 20. 
1840. and married in lier native land jnst before coming to America. She 
died in 1904. 

Karl Kammer, the subject of this sketch, was reared on his father's farm 
in Lancaster township. He attended High Prairie district school, No. 3, and 
remained on the home farm until he was twenty-six years old, when he rented 
some land from his father, and si.x years later he was able to buy the land 
he had been renting. He improved the farm cnnsiderabl}- and stocked it with 
graded cattle, and now has an excellent farm, modern in every respect, con- 
sisting of 160 acres of land, and also has a fine orchard of two acres. 

Mr. Kammer was inarried October 23, 1895, to Einma Buttron, a native 
of Lancaster township, Atchison county, born, August 14, 1870. She is a 
daughter of Henry and Rosa (Scheu) Buttron, the father a native of (ier- 
many, born in 1833. When a young man he left his native land and came to 
America, locating in Pennsylvania where he worked as a blacksmith. From 
there he went to Elgin, 111., and continued at his trade, and in 1857, he moved 
to Atchison, Kan., following blacksmithing for a short time. He then pre- 
empted 160 acres of land in Lancaster township, where he built a house. The 
first crop was destroyed by grasshoppers, and he was forced to return to 
his trade during tlie following winter. \\'hen spring came, he went back to 
his farm and that year was successful and his start was assured. Mr. Buttron 
bought more land and continued to make improvements, and after a long 
and prosperous career he died in 1914. Mr. and Mrs. Kammer are the par- 
ents of three children : Katherine, Rosa and Henrietta, all living at home with 
their parents. Mr. Kammer is a Republican, and is a member of the Independ- 
ent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. and Mrs. Kammer and family are members 
of the Evangelical Lutheran church of High Prairie neighborhood. 



MARSHALL J. CLOYES. 

The demise of Mar.shall J. Cloyes May 5, 191 5, marked the passing of 
one of the sturdy figures who assisted in developing .Atchison county, and 
was one of the grand old men of the city. At the time of his death he was 
probably the oldest li\ing pioneer settler of Atchison county, in ]-)oint of age 
and years of residence in the county. For over half a century he had been one 
of the well known and distinguished characters whom people trusted and re- 
spected. In the days when strong men were required to redeem a wilderness 



572 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

and make it habitable for men and their progeny, Marshall Cloyes was one of 
those who never gave up the fight. During the terrible drought of i860, when 
scores of families deserted their homes and left the State he and his family 
were among those who decided to remain and win out over the vagaries of 
nature. His faith in the future of Kansas was amply justified as the years 
rolled on and ever increasing prosperity came to him and his, as a just and 
equitable reward for a faith and confidence bestowed upon the new country 
during a time which tried men's souls and caused weaker mortals to give 
up the fight. 

He was born at Salisbuiy, Vt.. October 24. 1826, and descended from 
sturdy New England ancestry. His parents were Elijah and Mary (Beach) 
Cloyes. On his father's side his ancestry can be traced back in the centuries 
to two brothers who settled in New England in the seventeenth century. His 
grandfather was William Cloyes, who fought for his country in the War of 
1812. The boyhood days of Marshall were spent in the town of Salisbury, 
where he attended the public schools and later pursued his education in a pri- 
vate school. He learned the trade of shoemaker but did not follow it to 
any great extent. In 1847 he engaged in the lumber business at Ripton, Vt., 
and was there for twelve years prior to coming to Kansas. From the town in 
which he was born he came to Kansas, arriving here in Atchison June 2, 1859. 
The following autumn his wife and sons followed him and during the ensu- 
ing winter the family lived in a two room hut, on the rear of the lots where 
Mrs. Jacob Leu's residence now stands. On February 21. i860, they loaded 
all their goods in a wagon, and with an ox team moved to a farm north of 
Lancaster. During the night an old-time Kansas blizzard gave them a cold 
reception in their new home. W'hen Mr. Cloyes had agreed to pay $650 for 
his first quarter section of land he was still shy $2.50 of the necessary amount, 
and was forced to borrow this small sum from a kind neighbor. During the 
following summer he worked in Oliver Davis' sawmill and got enough lumber 
to build a shanty on his farm. While this was building the family lived in 
two rooms in the home of John S. Rust. In the fall of the bad year of i860, 
Mr. Cloyes decided to try to cash in on the reputation he had left behind him 
in Vermont, and applied to an uncle for a loan of $400. The uncle readily 
responded with the statement in his letter, "If you are ever able, I know you 
will pay it back ; if you are never able to pay it back I can get along without 
it." During tlie summer Mr. Cloyes put in his spare time cutting prairie hay 
and stacking it. Wlien fall and winter came on the returning freighters from 
Pike's Peak were willing to sell their oxen and wagons for almost any price. 
Mr. Cloyes invested a part of his $400 capital in these outfits, wintered the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 573 

cattle on the hav, and in the spring was able to dispose of the oxen for more 
than double the purchase prices. During the next two years he was enabled 
to pay off all of his debts, and prosperity attended his efforts from that time 
on. By the hard work and good management of himself and his two sons 
he increased his holdings to an entire section of land. He remained on the 
farm until 1872, then gave the fann to his sons and removed to a home at 
417 North Seventh street in Atchison. 

On July 5, 1848, Mr. Cloves was married to Miss Betsy Henderson, of 
Middleburv, Vt., wlio died in Atchison in 1893, leaving two sons, Frank E. 
and Mark S. On September 15, 1909, he took a second wife, the bride being 
this time Mrs. Matilda Franke, of Atchison. She was born at Thuringen, 
Germany, November 16, 1855, a daughter of John and Christiana (Temme) 
Franke, who immigrated to America in 1858, making the long sea voyage in 
a sailing vessel which took six long weeks to make a trip, w^hich is now 
made in six days. From New York City the Frankes came directly to St. 
Louis, and there made their home until their removal to Atchison. At the 
outl)reak of the Civil war, John Franke volunteered his services in defense of 
the Union which had given him a home. He served in a Missouri regiment of 
volunteers for one year, and was then discharged on account of serious dis- 
ability, caused by the hardships which he had undergone. He was never 
the same man afterwards, and died in 1865 as a direct result of his disabilities 
incurred in behalf of his adopted country. The mother and family lived in 
St. Louis until 1883 when they removed to Atchison. Mrs. Franke died some 
years later at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Clones. Matilda Franke was 
first married to Theo A. Franke, a native of Saxony, Germany, in 1879, and 
who came to America when a youth of eighteen years of age, and settled in 
Pittsburgh, Penn. Theo A. Franke was also a veteran uf the Ci\il war, hav- 
ing enlisted in 1861 in Company D, Seventy-fourth regiment, Pennsylvania 
infantry. He served throughout the great conflict and was wounded several 
times while participating in tlie battles fought by the Army of the Potomac. 
He enlisted again, after being discharged on account of a serious wound, and 
was a brave and valiant soldier who fought for sheer love of liis adopted 
country. Mr. Franke's first trip to Atchison was made in 1859, but he re- 
turned to Pittsburg upon the outbreak of the Civil war and there proffered 
his services as stated above. Fie returned to Atchison after the close of the 
war and here met. in the course of years, Matilda, wlio was visiting friends in 
Atcliison. Tiieir accjuaintance ripened into a warm friendsliip which gave 
place to love and they were married March 10, 1879. A happy w-edded life 
endured until Mr. Franke's death in 1882. Children blessed lliis union as 



574 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

lows: Rose M.. wife of Bert Gilmore, an electrician of Atchison: Elsa, 
wife of Fred Moore, a railway engineer of Falls City, Neb. ; Theo Franke. of 
Pierce. Ariz. During Mr. Frankes first year of residence in Atchison he 
was a freighter across the pains. Upon his return in 1865 he entered the 
grocery- business and prospered, accumulating considerable property interests. 
He was well known in Atchison and was considered to be one of the city's 
most substantial men. 

Mr. Cloves was prominently identified with the political affairs of the 
county and was an intluential leader of the Republican party for many years. 
Even before coming to .\tchison from the farm he had taken an active in- 
terest in politics in his home township and county. He was elected to repre- 
sent his district in the State legislature in 1867. leaving the impress of his 
individuality upon laws passed in the following session. For eight years he 
sened in the Atchison city council and in 1S91 was elected mayor. Two 
years later he was reelected. Honorable and thoroughly upright in all his 
dealings, his administrations were characterized by integrity, sound judg- 
ment and an unusual amount of good sense. He was a member of \\'ashing- 
ton Lodge, Xo. 5. Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and all who knew 
him respected him for his sterling worth. 



MARK D. SXYDER. 



Mark D. Snyder, retired fanner, living in Monrovia. Atdiison county, 
Kansas, is a native son of Kansas, having been born in .\tchison county 
November 2, 1858. He is a son of Hon. Solomon J. H. Snyder, one of the 
influential figures of the early pioneer days of Kansas, and who was a 
stanch and uncompromising adherent of the Free State principles. The father 
of Mark D. was bom in Washington county. Maryland. Februar}- 7. 18 12. 
and died at Monrovia, Atchison county. November 28. 1873. ^^ hen eiglit 
vears of age he accompanied his father to TuscaraAvas county, Ohio, where 
he was educated in the district schools and a graded school at Canton. Ohio. 
Between 1830 and 1833 he cleared a farm of 160 acres of heavily timbered 
land. In 1838 he married Susan Winklepleck and then cleared and cultivated 
a tract of timber land which he purchased until 1848. His wife died in that 
year, leaving him with three small cliildren. He sold all of his holdings. 
placed his children with neighborhood families and then traveled 4,000 
miles in an endeavor to forget his great loss and overcome his grief over 



1 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



0/J 



tlie death of his wife. Later, he married Eliza Fisher, and in 1852 removed 
to Indiana, and then came west to Ft. Leavenworth in 1854. On the morn- 
ing of May 4, 1854. he made the first legal homestead claim ever entered 
in the State of Kansas, comprising the land upon which the southern part of 
the city of Leavenworth now stands, and then returned to Indiana for his 
family. On his return to his homestead he found his claim "jumped" and the 
country in the hands of Ixjrder ruffians. He was driven from the polls at 
the first election held in the Territory on account of his Free Soil principles. 
Two other claims wliich he bought were wrested from him by a pro-slavery 
"squatter court," his life threatened, and he sought refuge in an unsettled part 
of the State where Monrovia now stands. Here he made his home and be- 
came prominently identified with the politics of the new State of Kansas. 
In 1862 Mr. Snyder was elected to the State legislature and served for two 
terms in the house of representatives, and one in the senate, where he did 
faitliful and conscientious work in behalf of the people of Kansas. 

Solomon J. H. Snyder w-as a devoted Christian, and was one of the or- 
ganizers of the first Lutheran church organization in the State, at Monrovia, 
of which he remained a member until his demise. He was a great Sunday 
school worker and wrote two very interesting and valuable Sunday school 
books, "The Lost Children" and "Scenes in the Far West," and at the time of 
his death was engaged in the preparation of a work entitled, "The Evidences 
of Christianity." His influence was ever in behalf of the betterment of man- 
kind and his Christianity was of the practical kind which introduces helpful- 
ness, kindness and forbearance into our daily lives. The children of S. J. H. 
and Eliza (Fisher) Snyder were as follows: Angeline (Conley), deceased; 
^Irs. Sarali Dunn, of Anadarko. Okla. : Mrs. Cora Shifflet, deceased, and 
Mark D. The three children by his first wife were : Mrs. Susan Reck, de- 
ceased ; Mrs. Anna Berndt, of Mexico City, and J. H.. San Diego, Cal. The 
mother of these children was born in Ohio in 1838, and died at her home near 
Monrovia, in 1896. 

Mark D. Snyder, with whom this review is directly concerned, was born, 
reared, and reared his own family in Atchison county. He is one of the real 
native bom citizens of the county. Upon the death of his father he took 
charge of the old home place, and when his mother died he purchased the 
family estate. By the exercise of industry and economy, aided by good 
financial judgment, he has become the owner of 240 acres of excellent land 
which is well improved and one of the most productive tracts of land in north- 
east Kansas. He cultivated his broad acres assiduously until 1909, when he 



5/6 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

turned over the management of his farm to his son, and retired to Monrovia, 
where he now resides. 

Mr. Snyder was married November 30, 1881, to Helen M. Maxfield, and 
this union has been blessed with eight children, namely : Elsie and Minnie, 
deceased ; John, who is farming the home place; Mark, living in Omaha, Neb.; 
Mildred, deceased; Margaret and Marguerette, twins, deceased; James, a boy 
twelve years old, living with John on the home farm. The mother of these 
children was born in Henry county, Illinois, a daughter of David and Anna 
(Freeze) Maxfield, who first emigrated from Illinois to Sedgwick county, 
Kansas, and in 1873 came to Atchison county. Mrs. Sn\der died in 1909. 
Mr. Snyder has always been a loyal supporter of the Republican party, is an 
attendant of the Lutheran church, and is a member of the Ancient Order of 
United Workmen, of Effingham, Kan. 



EDWARD PERDUE. 



Edward Perdue, president of the First National Bank of Atchison, and 
extensive farmer, of Huron, Kan., has been a resident of Atchison county 
for the past forty-five years. Like other successful men who were pioneers 
in Kansas, he arrived here from Canada when a young man of twenty years 
of age without money, but possessed of strength, a willingness to work at 
honest labor and an ambition to succeed. How well he has succeeded is seen 
in the substantial fortune which he has accumulated and the honors which 
have been conferred upon him by his fellow citizens. 

Mr. Perdue was born on a farm in Peterboro county, Ontario, Canada. 
June 27, 1850, a son of Thomas and Catharine Perdue, natives of Ireland, 
who left the Emerald Isle in their youth and settled in Canada. Edward 
Perdue was reared to sturdy young manhood on the parental farm and at- 
tended the country school in the vicinity of his home as opportunity afforded. 
In March of 1870 he arrived in Atchison, and during his first year worked 
at any odd jobs which were presented, including labor on the streets and har- 
vesting on the nearby farms. During the following five years he was em- 
ployed as a construction foreman on the grading and building of the Santa 
Fe railroad from Atchison to the Colorado-Kansas State line. He saved his 
money and by the exercise of strict economy, which meant the denial to him- 
self of all but the actual necessities of life, he was enabled to accumulate suf- 
ficient funds to invest in a farm near the town of Huron, on which he resided 




^^)^iiuj-t4^>^*C~ /eA.A<,c^ 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 577 

for the next five years. He then sold this farm and bought another one about 
one and one-half miles east from Huron, which remains his home to the 
present time. Mr. Perdue has given his attention mostly to the raising and 
feeding of live stock in his farming operations and has succeeded in amassing 
a comfortable fortune during the forty years he has been an agriculturist. He 
has increased his land holdings until at the present time he is the owner of 
1,040 acres of splendid farm lands in Lancaster township. His home fann 
is one of the Ijest improved tracts of farm land in the county and all of his 
farms show the results obtained from soil conservation and advanced methods 
of farming. 

\\'hile Mr. Perdue has been primarily a farmer, he has given his atten- 
tion to other matters as betokens a man of influence and substance. In the 
year 1891 he assisted in the organization of the Huron State Bank and is 
president of this thriving concern. In 1906 he took part in the organization 
of the Commercial State Bank of Atchison, which was succeeded later by the 
First National Bank, of which banking institution he has served as president 
since 1900. He is also a stockholder of the State Savings Bank of Leaven- 
worth, Kansas. 

Mr. Perdue was married in 1878 to Mary Viola Davey, of Brown county, 
Kansas, a daughter of Charles Davey, which marriage has resulted in the 
birth of seven children, as follows : Mrs. Maria Walters, living on a farm 
near Huron; Edna, wife of J. M. Delaney, merchant, of Huron, Kan.; Mrs. 
Mabel Schmidt, wife of the assistant cashier of the Huron State Bank; Charles, 
who is cultivating the home farm; Thomas Hendricks, at home; George, a 
farmer in North Dakota ; and Edward, Jr. 

Mr. Perdue has been a life-long Democrat, who has ahva\s taken a 
more or less active part in the ])olitical affairs of the county. He was elected 
county commissioner in 1897 and served one term. In 1904 he served one 
term as a member of the State legislature, representing this district, declin- 
ing reelection when his term of office expired. While he was reared in the 
Catholic belief, Mr. Perdue is tolerant of all creeds and takes a broad-minded 
view of religious matters. He belongs to the Ancient Order of United Work- 
men and the Modern Woodmen. 



DR. CHARLES L. HIXON. 



Dr. Charles L. Hixon. a leading denial practitioner of Atchison, is a 
native son of Kan.sas and comes of a pioneer family of the State. He was 
bom on a farm in Jackson county, Kansas, January 14, 1872, and is a 

17 



5/8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

son of John S. and Alice (Clark) Hixon. His father, John S. Hixon, was 
born in Ohio in 1850, a son of Jacob and Cassandra (Stonebraker) Hixon, 
who resided in Ashland county, Ohio, until their removal to Putnam county, 
Indiana, in the early pioneer days when that part of the Hoosier State was 
being settled by large numbers of Ohio people. Alice Clark Hixon, mother of 
Dr. Hixon, was likewise bom in 1850 in Putnam county, Indiana, a daugh- 
ter of Andrew Jackson and Harriet (Mann)' Clark, natives of New York 
State, and also pioneer settlers of Putnam county, Indiana. While John S. 
Hixon and Alice Clark were attending the district school in the neighborhood 
of their respective homes, they became great friends, and the warm friendship 
ripening into love which culminated in their marriage several years later in 
Jackson county, Kansas. 

The Hixons and Clarks were essentially pioneers, and the history of the 
family for generations shows that some member of the family, or several of 
them, have lieen continually pushing westward and settling in the newer 
countries. Jacob Plixon w'as one of the first men in his neighborhood to 
hearken to the call of the West, and. after disposing of his land holdings in 
Putnam county, Indiana, he with all of his family migrated to Kansas, set- 
tling in Jackson county. They arrived in Atchison during the stormy days 
of the Civil war, and at a time when the local vigilance committee was in 
control of community affairs and were naturally very suspicious of all 
strangers. There had been considerable lawlessness in Atchison and neigh- 
boring towns and many outrages had been perpetrated by border ruffians and 
outlaws. The \<igilance committee had taken charge of the affairs and had 
summarily lynched three men on the banks of White Clay creek just previous 
to the arrival of the Hixon family. Mr. Hixon was interrogated as to his 
loyalty to the Union and asked his intentions. His replies being satisfactory 
to the memlicrs of the committee, he was allowed to proceed on his way to 
Jackson county and arrived at Holton, Kansas, without further delay. Jacob 
Hi.xon settled on a fine farm near Holton, developed it and prospered as the 
years rolled on and the country l>ecame more and more settled. He died in 
1905, at the advanced age of eighty-four years, his wife, Cassandra, depart- 
ing this life in 1885. 

The Clark family came to Kansas from Indiana in 1868, and Andrew 
Jackson Clark naturally settled in that part of Jackson county where his old 
friend and neighbor had chosen his place of residence. The intimacy which 
had existed between the two families in Putnam county, Indiana, was re- 
newed, and as time went on. John S. Hixon and Alice Clark grew to ma- 
turity and were united in marriage. Their married life has been a happy 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 579 

and prosperous one, and five children have blessed this union : Dr. Charles 
L. Hixon, with whom this review is directly concerned ; Mrs. J. C. Neeley, 
of Weiser, Idaho ; Ernest H. Hixon, of Kansas City, Mo. ; one child died in 
infancy. John S. Hixon became prominently identified with the civic life of 
Jackson county and is serving his county well and faithfully as treasurer 
for two terms, having been elected on the Republican ticket in 19 12 and again 
in 1914. Mr. and Mrs. John S. Hixon reside in Holton, in Jackson county, 
and are prosperous and well respected in the neighborhood. 

Dr. C. L. Hixon spent his boyhood days on the farm and early learned 
to assist in the farm work. He received his elementary education in the dis- 
trict schools, and was ambitious to secure a higher education. He has prac- 
tically educated himself, and after learning all that was possible for him to 
learn in the country school, he attended Campbell College, at Holton, Kan., 
for two years. His ambition was to become a dentist, and with this end in 
view he matriculated in the University of Iowa in 1895. After spending two 
profitable years in this institution in the study of dentistry he returned home, 
and a short time later opened an office in Atchison, where he has practiced 
continuously for the past eighteen years. After seven years of practice in 
his first location, he opened well equipped offices at 519 Commercial street, 
and remained there until his removal to his present location at 613 Com- 
mercial street, where he has offices equipped with all the latest appliances for 
facilitating his work. Dr. Hixon is kept ver\' busy attending to the calls 
made upon him in the practice of his profession, and during the many years 
he has been located in Atchison, he has built up an extensive and lucrative 
practice. He finds time, however, to keep abreast of the latest developments 
made in his profession, and is ever seeking to better his skill and knowledge 
of dentistry. He has been distinctly honored by the members of his profes- 
sion, having served as president of the Northeast Kansas Dental Association, 
and is at present an active member of this association. He is a leading meiii- 
I)er of the Atchison Dental As.sociation, and ranks high in his profession, 
not only as a successful practitioner, but as a citizen who has the best inter- 
ests of his home city at heart. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Ac- 
cepted Masons. Washington Lodge, No. 3, and is fraternally affiliated with 
the Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Rebekah and Eastern 
Star lodges. 

Dr. Hixon was united in marriage with Miss Inez B. Horn in 1902, and 
one child has been born to this union, Charles Horn Hixon, born May 25, 
1907. Mrs. Inez B. Hixon was born in Atchison county, a daughter of J. H. 



580 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

and Catharine (Wallick) Horn, who reside at 1126 North Third street, Atch- 
ison. Mrs. Horn is a daughter of Benjamin Walhck, who served as sheriff 
of the county during the time of the Civil war. 



LOUIS KLOEPPER. 



Louis Kloepper, farmer and stockman of Lancaster township, Atchison 
county, was born Januar}- 18, 1888, on the farm where he now hves. He is a 
son of ^^'i^iam and Fredericka (Von Derahe) Kloepper, who were the par- 
ents of four children as follows: Louis, subject of this sketch; Emma, de- 
ceased ; William, deceased ; Pauline, living at home. The fatlier was bom 
in Germany, December 14, 1853. He left there in 1883 and came directly 
to Atchison county, Kansas, where he bought eighty acres of land in section 
27, Lancaster township. He farmed this one year, and in 1885 returned to 
Germany to be married. In 1886 he returned to his farm and began to 
improve it, building a large eight-room liouse in 1899 in place of the little 
three-room affair which stood on the place. In 1903 he built a fine 32x40 
feet granary, and in 1904 he erected a large barn, 40x48 feet. The follow- 
ing year he bought more land and put up additional buildings, building in 
1908 another barn, 32x40 feet. At the time of his death, February 7. 1913, 
he owned 240 acres of well improved land under cultivation, and thirteen 
acres of fine timber land. This achievement is the more remarkable in view 
of the fact that he landed with only $1,200. But he was industrious, and 
worked faithfully to improve his fami. He was a member, trustee and 
steward of the German Lutheran church. His wife was born in Germany, 
February 15, 1858, and is a daughter of Henry and Fredericka (Von Behren") 
Von Derahe, natives of Germany. The mother is now living with her son, 
Louis. 

Louis Kloepper attended the old Huron school of Lancaster township, 
and grew to manhood on the fann which he now operates. Since the death 
of his father he has had charge of the farm and has worked to the extent of 
his ability in installing modern improvements on his place. He owns 160 
acres in section 27, Lancaster township, in addition to the home place, and 
has three acres of orchard and grove. He also has a vineyard which was 
the feature of the place which Louis, and his father before him, always loved 
most. Sjjecial attention has been given to the vineyard when other things 
had to be neglected, perhaps. It is the pride of Mr. Kloepper's place. He 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 58 1 

keeps graded stock and is a practical farmer. He now is operating 400 acres 
of land, 114 acres of which are in corn, and ninety-three acres are in clover, 
the latter ha\'ing been unusually successful. He owns a threshing outfit and 
two clover hullers, a corn shredder, and three gas engines. He utilizes these 
engines in numerous ways, including pumping and threshing and plowing. 
Mr. Kloepper has a modern farm in every way and has all up-to-date improve- 
ments of a labor and time saving kind, as well as an automoljile. He is a 
stockholder in the Farmers' Mercantile Association of Effingham. Kan. He 
is a practical farmer, of the progressive type. 

In igii he married Marie Meier, a native of Germany, born July 3, 1888. 
She is a daughter of Henry and Fredericka (Finke) Meier, and was educated 
in Germany and left her native land at the age of seventeen. Mr. and Mrs. 
Kloepper have two children, Fredia, born November 13, 191 1, and Emma, 
born x^pril 21, 1913. Mr. Kloepper is an independent voter. He belongs to 
the German Lutheran church. 



CHARLES \y. FERGUSON. 



Charles W. Ferguson, vice-president of the Atchison Savings Bank, is 
one of the best known men in financial circles of northeastern Kansas, and 
he is equally as well known over a large section of western Missouri. Mr. 
Ferguson was born at Plattsburg, Mo., December 29. 1862, and is a son of 
William L. and Fannie A. (Carpenter) Ferguson, both natives of Kentucky, 
whose parents were Virginians and very early settlers of the Blue Grass State. 
The Ferguson family removed from Kentucky to Missouri about 1831. They 
came up the Missouri river by boat as far as Liberty Landing, and later located 
in Clinton county, Missouri. The father was a merchant and also engaged 
in the grain business, and was an all around progressive business man. He 
was a Republican, and in 1862 A\as elected sheriff of Clinton county, being 
the first Republican elected to office in that county within a period of twenty- 
five years. During the Civil war he was captain of the Home Guards. He 
died in 1893, age 64 years. Charles W. Ferguson is one of a family of six 
children, as follows : John L., assistant general passenger agent of the Chicago 
& Northwestern railroad, Chicago, 111.; Mary F., widow of M. B. Riley, and 
resides in St. Joseph, Mo. ; Adelia M., Plattsburg, Mo. ; Katherine, Plattsburg, 
Mo. ; Charles W., the subject of this sketch, and Louis, a conductor on the 
Chicago & Northwestern railroad, resides at Highland Park. 111. Charles 



583 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

W. Ferguson attended the public schools in Plattsburg until he was thirteen 
years old, and at that early age went to work in the express office at Platts- 
burg, where he remained about five years. He then entered the employ of 
Stonum Brothers, remaining with that company two years. He then accepted 
a position in the Plattsburg Bank, as bookkeeper and assistant cashier, remain- 
ing with that institution for seven years. He then went with the Schuster- 
Hax National Bank, St. Joseph, Mo., as receiving teller, and served in that 
capacity for four years. He resigned that position in June, 1894. to become 
bookkeeper of the Exchange National Bank of Atchison. He served with 
that institution in the capacity of paying teller, assistant cashier and cashier, 
resigning the latter position February i. 1914. In November, 1914, he ac- 
cepted a position with the Federal Reserve Bank, of Kansas City, Mo., and 
was with that institution for eight months, and in July. 191 5, became vice- 
president of the Atchison Savings Bank. Mr. Ferguson has had a vast ex- 
perience in the field of banking, and is well posted on the intricate problems 
of finance, and possesses the keen discriminating qualities of the successful 
banker. Mr. Ferguson was married April 28, 1892, to Miss Sallie Clay, of 
Plattsburg. Mo. She is a daughter of James M. Clay, a member of the Ken- 
tucky branch of the Clay fam'ily. Mr. Ferguson is a member of the Masonic 
lodge, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Modern Wood- 
men of America. 



EARL V. TONES. 



Signal success in any one field of endeavor is worthy of recognition 
bv the public, whether it be professional, inventive, mercantile or of an in- 
dustrial nature. Some men are naturally gifted with the ability to become 
successful in the industrial and manufacturing field, and are mentally equipped 
with a certain amount of mechanical genius, along with decided business 
ability to take hold of a proposition, and makes it succeed, despite difficulties. 
E. V. Jones, treasurer and manager of the Bailor Plow Company, of .Atchi- 
son, is one of the latter type who is fast cliniliing to a place of eminence in 
his chosen field of endeavor, and holds a high place among the manufactur- 
ing and mercantile interests of Atchison and the Middle West. 

Mr. Jones was born in Lixingston county, Missouri, January 21, 1878. a 
son of Charles Jones, a Iniilding contractor, who was a native of Kentucky and 
a son of William Jones, owner of a large plantation in Kentuck\-. which was 
lost as one of the misfortunes which befell the family as a result of the Civil 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 583 

war's ravages in Kentucky. Desirous of making a new start in a land further 
removed from internecine strife, and where opportunities for success seemed 
greater, William Jones removed to Missouri, and here Charles, the fatlier of 
E. v.. was reared and became successful in agricultural pursuits, the son, 
Earl v., being reared on the family estate in Livingston county, Missouri. 
The Jones family is originally of Scotch-Irish stock, the founder of the family 
emigrating from the north of Ireland to this country several generations ago. 
Charles Jones married Miss Jennie Wills, a daughter of John Wills, native 
of the east coast of England, and who immigrated to this country with his 
brother, George, and followed his trade of wagon maker successfully. John 
Wills owned and operated an extensive blacksmith and wagon maker's shop 
at Chillicothe. Mo., which did a large business and made moderate wealth 
for its proprietor. 

Earl V. Jones, with whom tins review is directly concerned, was edu- 
cated in the common and high schools of his native county, and attended the 
military school at Paylmra, Mo., supplementing his academic education with 
one year's study in business college at Atchison, Kan. For some years be- 
fore the outbreak of the Spanish-American war. he had been a member of 
the Missouri State militia. Company H, Fourth infantry regiment. When 
the war broke out and troops were called for to fight the Spaniards in Cuba 
and the Philippines, he responded with his company and regiment, and went 
to the front immediately, serving at Camp Alger, near Washington, D. C, 
on the Potomac river, and Camp Meade, at Harrisburg, Pa., and at Green- 
ville, S. C. After the close of the war, and receiving his honorable discharge 
at Greenville, S. C, and being mustered out of the service, he returned to his 
home city, Chillicothe, and entered the employ of the Jackson Woodenware 
Companv as a workman in i8f)g. His capacity for work and an inherent 
genius for detail and management here asserted itself and his rise in this 
concern was rapid and substantial. It was not long until his faithfulness and 
decided ability was recognized by his employers and he was promoted to the 
post of superintendent of the factory. When the Jackson \\'oodenware Com- 
pany was removed to Atchi.son in 1902, Mr. Jones came along in the capacity 
of shipping clerk, and later served as superintendent of tlie company until its 
dissolution in 19TO. During this time Mr. Jones had made a reputation as 
a manufacturer and organizer, which had become generally recognized 
throughout this section of the country, and, although many flattering offers 
came to him to accept executive positions of importance, he decided to cast 
his lot with tlie Bailor Plow Company as treasurer and manager in 1910, 
when a company was organized for the purpose of locating the factory in 



584 HISTORY Of ATCHISON COUNTY 

Atchison. His judgment in this respect was essentially sound, inasmuch as 
the Bailor Plow Company, under his management, is one of the flourishing 
manufacturing concerns of the city. The company and Mr. Jones, the man- 
ager, have made good, the large pay-roll, and the constantly increasing output 
of the plant having fully justified the decision of the A,tchison men who were 
instrumental in locating the plant in this city. A great future is decidedly in 
store for the Bailor Plow Company and its manager. 

Mr. Jones was united in marriage with Katherine Barton, of Livingston 
county, in 1901. To this union have been born two sons: Raymond and Earl. 
Mrs. Jones is a daughter of Prof. John ^^^ Barton, widely known educator 
of Missouri, who formerlv served as city superintendent of various schools, and 
was fomierly a member of the faculty of the University of Missouri. 

Mr. Jones finds time, aside from his duties as manager of the factor}', 
to take an active part in the social and civic life of Atchison, and has identi- 
fied himself with the city's institutions in a substantial manner, as befitting a 
man of his position and attainments. He is a member of the Masonic lodge, 
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of the Maccabees, 
and is affiliated with the United Commercial Travelers. 



MRS. JULIA E. ADAMS BOYINGTON. 

Mrs. Julia E. Adams Boyington comes of. parents wiio were important 
factors in the early history of Atchison county. Her father. William Adams, 
came to Kansas in the fifties for the purpose of lielping make Kansas a free 
State. He was a leader of tlie Cayuga settlement and he was intimately con- 
nected with tlie making of Kansas history f(ir many years. Mrs. Boyington 
was born May 15, 1849, in Skaneateles, Onondaga county. New York. Hei 
parents, William and Mary Ann (Elisbury) Adams, were Ijoth born in Eng- 
land. The father was born October 6, 1820, in Summersetshire, England, 
and was a son of George Adams, wlio married Miss Thayer, also a native of 
England. 

At the age of seventeen, William Adams left his native country and came 
to New York. He farmed there until 1856, when he came to Kansas and set- 
tled in Atchison count\- lor the express purpose of helping J.olm Brown in his 
fight along the border, and assisting tlie Free State party. He passed througli 
many thrilling experiences during these trouI>le(l years and though lie was 
often subjected to great bodily danger, he never wavered in liis convictions 





■/fr. 



i 






Hxtreme Left-SAMUEL ADAMS 

Right-MRS, clULIA E. BOYINGTON 
FRANK W. BO^INGTON 




W II I I \M -\I)\MS. 



II \| \R>- \\\ \|i\M- 



ITISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 585 

and was always ready t" fif^l'l f"i' his cunvictions. lli- ])rft'iii])lc(l ci^hly 
acres of land which he increased to 800 acres during his life lime. When he 
took his first land tlie country was wild and undeveloped, and lie Imilt a log 
cabin on his place and used a yoke of oxen in breaking the land. 1 le was a 
great stockman and kept a large number of animals and I'arnu'd nnlil his 
death in 1889, remaining in active life until within a short lime of his death. 
Mr. Adams was a Republican and was loyally devoted to the welfare of his 
party. He always took a great deal of interest in the activities (jf his party 
and helped it at every opportunity, though he never desired rm nffice as a re- 
ward for his work, and never held a political job. 

On July 4, 1848, Mr. Adams was married to Mary A. Ell.sbury, als(j a 
native of Summersetshire, England. She was born October 10. 1825, and 
died December 15, 1895. Mrs. Boyington, though a small girl when she 
came to Kansas, reinembers many incidents of that early life with remarkable 
vividness. She still keeps a rifle and an old .shot gun which her father 
brought from New York, and ])rizcs them very highly. They were the means 
of protecting her and her mother many times from the depredations of ibe 
Indians, who were numerous in that section then, and livcrl on a reservation 
only four miles from the Adams home. They passed the little Adams cabin 
when they went after whiskey. As the)- would return completely intoxicated, 
they would quarrel and disturb the neighborhood, often frightening the 
women whose husbands were working out in the fields. The Cayuga settle- 
ment numbered about forty people during the early days. The township 
elections in Grasshop])er township were always held in tlie Adams hou.se. and 
Mr. Adams was always generous in helping public affairs along. 

Mr. and Mrs. Adams were parents of five children: Julia, the subject of 
this .sketch; Georgia Anna, deceased; Samuel, of Grasshopper township; .Milli- 
rent, who died in infancy; Julia, born a twin, but the other child died in in- 
.(■ancv. Samuel, married Mrs. Ida Hitchcock, a native of Scranton, i'enn., in 
California, May 31, 1887. By her marriage to Mr. Aflams she w.is the 
mother of tw(j children : William J., who was born March K), iS(;(). and l''.;irl, 
who was horn October ic, 1891. These two children were ]nrtly reared bv 
their aunt, Mrs. Boyington, and she is very fond of them. Though she has 
no children of her own, she has made these two nephews her favorites and has 
treated them as though they were her own children. iMank W. Boyington, 
the husband of Julia E. Adams Boyington, was born hebruary 15, [845, in 
Pennsylvania, and was a .son oi Edwin C. and Susan (Smith) Boyington, the 
former a native of Litchfield, Comi., and the latter a native of Pennsylvania. 
In their old age they came to Kansas and lived w ith tlieir son. lM;nik W.. ;nid 



586 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

died here. The father died 1872, and tlie mother died in 1875. He left 
there in 1867 and settled in Grasshopper township, Atchison county, wlicre 
Samuel Adams was reared to manhood in Grasshopper township ; lived for 
ten years in California and returned to his farm in Grasshopper township in 
19 1 3. He was married to Mrs. Julia Bartlet before his marriag-e to Miss 
Adams. His first wife was a school teacher in Grasshopper township before 
her marriage. Three children were born to them, Edward, of Atchison, 
United States mail clerk, Alice Spangler, Marion county, Kansas, and one 
deceased. After her death in 1899, he was married to Miss Julia E. Adams, 
tlie subject of this sketch. 

Mr. Boyington was an early settler in Kansas and has been a successful 
farmer. His wife owns 480 acres of land whicli once was a part of the old 
home place. Mr. Boyington owns 160 acres in Marion county, Kansas. He 
has lived in Kansas since 1867 and has seen muci: histor}- made during tliat 
time. Mr. Royington is a Republican and is a member of the Ancient Free 
and Accepted Masons. Although he is not a church member, he attends 
services. Mr. Boyington is one of the most successful farmers of Atchison 
county, and with his wife, who is also a good manager, has made a financial 
success of farming. 



JOHN L. BLAIR. 



The historian must e\'er take cognizance of the facts C(inceriiing tiie lives 
of those wlio have contrilnited most to the upbuilding and tlie welfare of their 
communit}". In looking backward over the Iialf century, and more, whicli has 
elapsed since the Kansas Territory was thrown open to settlement, it is found 
that there arc quite a numlier of men and women who are deserving of more 
tlian mere casual mention in the history of .Vtchison count)-. Among these 
are John L. and Amanda (Meeker) Blair, whose names will go down in his- 
tory as having taken a very prominent part in the social, political and intel- 
lectual development of Doniphan and .\tcliison counties. Mrs. Blair has the 
honored distinction of having been the first public .school teacher in Atchison 
and she and her husband were prominently identified with the historical 
course of events in northeast Kansas for a long period of years.- 

John 1.. Blair, deceased, was torn in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, April 
25, 1833, a son of .Mexander and Rachel fLynch) Blair. The family is of 
Irish origin. Alexander Blair was a minister of tlie ^letliodist Episcopal 
church in I'ennsxlvania. He died in I'ennsvl\'ania, antl in 1860 the widow 



tf 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 587 

joined Jolm L., whn had come to Kansas in 1838. They settled in Doniphan 
county, near tlie Atchison-Doniphan line. Mr. Blair developed a fine farm 
and made quite a reputation as a breeder of fine live stock, being; one of the 
pioneer stock breeders of Kansas. In 1863 he was united in marriage with 
Amanda Meeker. This was after he had sei'ved some time in the Civil war 
as a member of Company D, Seventh regiment, Kansas cavalry, as a sergeant, 
enlisting at the beginning of the war and serving for two years. After being 
mustered out, he returned home and was married in June of 1863. Mr. and 
Mrs. Blair immediately moved to a farm in Doniphan county, Kansas, and 
were successful from the start. Both being endowed with more than ordinary 
intelligence and thrift, they foresaw the inevitable rise in land values and in- 
vested all of their earnings in land, accumulating over 600 acres of land which 
was located in Doniphan count}- and since Mr. Blair's demise Mrs. Blair lias 
purchased 320 acres in Lyon county, Kansas. Mr. Blair was an active and 
influential figure in the civic and political life of Doniphan county, and fre- 
quently stumped the county in the interest of the Republican party candidates. 
He was a public speaker of power and ability, and was a warm adherent of 
the cause of women suffrage, stumping Atchison and Doniphan counties in 
1884 in the interest of the suffrage movement in Kansas. He filled the office 
of count}' commissioner of Doniphan county for two terms, and was at one 
time a candidate for State senator. During the years 1873 and 1874, when 
the Grange movement was spreading over Kansas, Mr. Blair was the official 
organizer for Atchison and Doniphan counties. He had a good knowledge 
of parliamentary law and this came in very useful in his work among the 
different granges. It was in the Grange meetings that tlie movement for 
woman suffrage first gained headway in Kansas, and the women learned how 
to vote. ]Mr. Blair died in iSqi, February 4. To Mr. and Mrs. Blair were 
born the following children : Mamie, widow of James Hunter, of Doniphan 
county, and mother of two children; Alexander, a farmer in Doni]ihan county, 
and father of seven children; Kate, wife of Thomas Evans, a breeder of fine 
Hereford cattle, hackney horses and pure bred hogs, in Lyon county, and who 
is the owner of the famous hackney mare formerly owned by Jay Gould. 
Mrs. Evans was educated in the schools of Doniphan county, and the old 
Monroe Institute of Atchison, and is a graduate of Holton University, at Hoi- 
ton, Kan., and graduated from the Kansas State University at Lawrence in 
1893. Mr. and Mrs. Evans have one daughter, Mary Frances. Mrs. Blair 
has ten grandcliildren and seven great-grandchildren. Mr. and Mrs. Blair 
belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church and he was an Odd Fellow. 
Mrs. Amanda (Meeker) Blair was born in Franklin county, Ohio, near 



588 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the city of Columbus, June 24, 1837. She was a daughter of Caleb and Mary 
(Grant) Meeker, her mother being a relative of Gen. U. S. Grant, and her 
father being a member of the famous Meeker family of America. Ezra 
Meeker, who crossed the continent en route to Oregon with an ox team, was 
a second cousin of Caleb Sleeker. Caleb Meeker was born in X'ew Jersey, a 
son of Aaron, who was born in New Jersey, of German origin. Caleb Meeker 
was bom in Essex county, New Jersey, August 9, 1807, a son of Aaron 
Meeker, also of New Jersey, who had eight sons and four son-in-laws in the 
Meeker, also of New Jersey. Aaron was a brother of Timothy Meeker, 
who had eight sons and four sons-in-law in the American army dur- 
ing the Revolutionary war. Mary Grant Meeker was born in Penn- 
sylvania. In 1808 the Meeker family migrated from New Jersey to Ohio 
and resided there until 1857, when they went to Fulton county, Illi- 
nois, stopping for one year. In November of 1858 Amanda Meeker came to 
Atchison to take a position as teacher ifl the first public school in Atchison. 
Caleb came in Januarv' of 1859 to visit his daughter and invested in a tract 
of land near Huron, Kan., moving his family in March. 1859. He lived on 
his farm all the rest of his life, dying in September, 1886. Amanda was 
educated in the district schools of her native county in Ohio and received a 
certificate to teach school when but fifteen years of age. She taught three 
months in 1852 for $9.00 per month and then attended school for the re- 
mainder of the season. The following year she taught six months for $20 
per month, after which she studied for two years in the Ohio Wesleyan Uni- 
versity, at Delaware, Oliio. Her teaching experience embraced si.x years 
in Ohio, five months in Illinois and three years in Atchison and six months in 
Hiawatha, Kan. Mrs. Blair was a ver\- successful teacher, and had the 
faculty of exercising great control over her pupils. 

A brother, Jeptha Meeker, served in the Union army during the Civil war. 
Mrs. Blair kept the postoffice at Huron, Atchison county, wiien the \illage 
was one of the stations on the old Military road, from Ft. Leavenworth to 
Denver and Pike'.s Peak, Colo. 

Mrs. Blair is distinguished among the pioneer women of Atchison county 
as having been the first pul)lic school teacher in tlie county appointed by a 
board of education, duly organized and elected. During the summer of 1858, 
this board was organized in the office of l-". G. Adams in Atclu'son, and the 
members of the board were Dr. William Grimes, treasurer; F. G. Adams, 
clerk ; James A. Coulter, director ; Philip D. Plattenburg, principal of the 
schools at Lewistown, 111., had been engaged as superintendent of the Atchison 
schools and this board elected Amanda Meeker as liis assistant. This was the 



1 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 589 

first public schiuil in the city of Atchison, and was located over a grocery 
store in a frame building, where the Y. M. C. A. edifice now stands at the 
comer of Fourth and Commercial streets. The school term began on No- 
vember I, 1858, and lasted for seven month, ending July i, 1859. The fol- 
lowing vear the school term was extended to nine months. Miss Meeker 
taught for three years without a certificate. The first teacher's certificate 
in Atchison county was issued to W. D. Rippey, a young man who came from 
Valparaiso, Ind. Mrs. Blair recalls that Mr. Rippey had no intention of 
teaching when he came to Atchison, and remained here for about five months 
and then went to Doniphan county, where he became quite wealthy in the 
course of years. Applicants for teacher's certificates had little or no trouble 
in passing, the whole procedure of examining being conducted verbally and 
the chief requisite apparently being the one dollar fee which was required from 
the applicant. 

Few Kansas pioneer women at this day occupy the honored position in 
history which is held by Mrs. Blair. To have taught the first public school 
in Atchison is a great honor, and to have been one of the pioneers of a great 
State in such a capacity is a great honor which is claimed by very few people. 
Mrs. Blair, despite her age, is possessed of a keen mentality and is remarkably 
well preserved, her long life being best attributed to her mental vigor and 
student pow^ers which she has kept nourished these many years. 



ALFRED SHORTRIDGE. 



Alfred Shortridge, deceased pioneer of Atchison, was born in Milton, 
Ind., February 27, 1834. When twenty-three years of age he listened to the 
admonition of his elders to come to the great West, where opportunities for 
amassing a competence were much better for a young man than in his home 
community. He came b\- train to St. Louis and after stopping a few days 
at the Planter's Hotel, he boarded a Missouri river steamer which brought 
him to Atchison. His intention was to get a farm from the Government, 
and he accordingly took up a claim one-half mile south of Monrovia. He de- 
veloped his homestead, sold it and later bought a farm, ten miles south of 
Atchison, in Walnut township, near Potter. He added to this first farm of 
120 acres until he became the owner of a finely developed farm of 200 acres, 
which he still owned at the time of his demise. 

Mr. Shortridge was one of the early da)- freighters and during llie years 



590 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of 1862 and 1863 he freighted from Atchison to Denver, and in 1863 made 
two trips overland to Denver and return with I'arilee Butler, with wliom he 
was on intimate terms. He enlisted in the company of soldiers which was 
formed in his neighborhood for the purpose of repelling Price's invasion of 
Kansas in 1864 and was present at Westport when Price's army of invasion 
was driven southward. After lie iiad made his last trip to Denver in 1863, he 
sold liis wagon and four mules for $1,500, and then engaged in farming. He 
resided on his farm near Potter until the year 191 2, and (hen removed to a 
home in Atchison. 

He was married February 23, 1867, to Miss Catherine Elizabeth Clasby, 
of DeKalb, Buchanan county, Missouri, and to this union five cliildren were 
born as follow s : Mrs. J- A. Edwards, Fairmount. Kan. ; J. T. Shortridge, W. 
O. Shortridge, and Mrs. C. N. Faulkner, of Potter, Kan., and Miss Florence 
Shortridge, at home. The mother of these children was born March 20, 
1843, a daughter of John D. and Sarah Ann (Elli.son) Clasby. John D. 
Clasby was a native of Virginia, whose mother was a member of the Dunlap 
family of Virginia, one of the old colonial families of America. One of the 
Dunlaps, a direct ancestor of Mrs. Shortridge, ser\-cd in the Continental army 
in the Revolutionary war. He was a pioneer settler of Buchanan county, 
Missouri, and is buried on a hill within sight of Atchison. 

Mrs. Shortridge's mother, Sarah Ann (Ellison) Clasby, was born in Mis- 
souri, a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Dunlap) Ellison, who were resi- 
dents of Kentucky, and who were among the pioneer settlers in Buchanan 
county, Missouri. There were nine children in the Clasby faniil\-, as follows: 
Tames T., Robert, Orlando, Joseph, Franklin, Julian, deceased; Mrs. Ann 
Eliza (Stewart), and Mrs. Alfred Shortridge, 

Alfred Shortridge departed this life on July 17, 1015, and was sin- 
cerel}' mourned bv a liost of friends and ac(|uaintances wlm IkkI kn^wn him 
for many years in Atchison county. During his life, ;ifter attaining his 
majority, he was affiliated with the Republican parly, and was always active 
in the affairs of his party, although he was never a seeker after political pre- 
ferment. He was a member of the Christian cburcii, and li\-ed according to 
the precepts of his religious belief, as nearly as mortal man could. He car- 
ried iiis religion into his daiy life and believed implicitly in the golden rule, 
which admonishes mankind to treat his neighbor as he would have his neigh- 
bor do unto him. 

On Feiiruary 23, 191 1, Mr. and Mrs. Shortridge celebrated their forty- 
fourth wedding anniversarv at the od Shortridge homestead, and it was a fit- 
ting culmination of one of the happiest life nninns on record. Mr. Siiort- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 59 1 

ridge was deeply devoted to his noble wife and family and was always kind 
and considerate, not only with the members of his immediate family, but with 
his many friends and acquaintances. He was never known to complain or find 
fault but took things as he found them and made the best of every occasion. 
One of the last of the old guard of Atchison pioneers, he was a fitting example 
of the type which did so much to develop the Sunflower State and make Atchi- 
son county one of the garden spots of the country. One by one the old 
pioneers are passing to the great beyond from which no man returneth; it 
is fitting that we record in imperishable print the record of their lives and 
their deeds and accomplishments while on earth in order that it all may live 
after them forever and their memories be kept continually green and fresh 
in the minds of succeeding generations which will know them not except 
through the pages of these Atchison county historical annals. 



O. M. BABCOCK. 



O. M. Babcock, of the Babcock-Avensberg Shoe Company, is one of 
the most progressive merchants of Atchison. He is a native of the Empire 
State, and was born at Adams Center, Jefferson county. New York, in 
November, 1872, and is a son of M. S. and Amy (Green) Babcock, both 
natives of New York and of English descent. 

The Babcock family was founded in America by Capt. James Babcock, 
who settled in Rhode Island during the seventeenth century. M. S. Bab- 
cock came to Kansas with his family in 1883 and settled on a farm in Benton 
township, one mile north of Nortonville in Atchison county. Here he bought 
160 acres of unimproved land, which he developed to a higii state of cultiva- 
tion and followed farming there successfully until he and his wife removed 
to Battle Creek, Mich., where they now reside. O. M. Babcock, the subject 
of this sketch, was eleven years old when he came to Atchison county with 
his parents. He was educated in the district schools and the Atchison County 
High School at Effingham. After completing school he taught in Atchison 
county about two years when he accepted a position in a general merchandise 
store at Nortonville and later at Effingham. He remained at Effingham one 
year and then came to Atchison and entered the shoe department of D. C. 
Newcomb's general store, where he remained about three years. He then 
accepted a position as traveling salesman for a wholesale shoe house, and for 
three years was a successful knight of the grip with St. Joseph, Mo., as his 



592 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

headquarters. He then came to Atchison as general sales manager for a 
retail shoe establishment, and four years later, in 1902, organized the Babcock 
Shoe Company, which he still conducts. This is Atchison's leading shoe store. 
]\Ir. Babcock was united in marriage in 1903 to Miss Edith L. Hooper, a 
daughter of George R. Hooper, of Atchison, a personal sketch of whom ap- 
pears in this volume. Mr. Babcock takes a keen interest and an active part 
in the welfare and development of Atchison and is one of its tooster citizens. 
He is a member of the Masonic lodge and active in the work of ttiat organiza- 
tion. He is also a member of the Elks and belongs to the Commercial Club. 
He is president of the Kansas Retail Shoe Dealers' Association, and politically, 
is a supporter of the policies and principles of the Republican party. 



JULIUS KUHN. 



Julius Kuhn, deceased pioneer merchant of Atchison, was a man of 
sterling worth, industry and purpose who achieved a success in the commer- 
cial life of his adopted city which ranked with the greatest accomplishments 
of those who figinxd most prominently in the early civic life of Atchison. He 
was born in Bavaria, Germany, May 10, 183 1, and received an excellent edu- 
cation in the famous university at Munich, where he fitted himself to become 
an arcliitect. He was gifted with more than ordinary talent as a draughts- 
man and architect and to this day many of his best drawings and designs are 
hanging on the walls of the art room in St. Benedict's College. \\'hen twenty 
years of age he took passage on a sailing vessel for America, then as now, the 
land of promise for the poor and ambitious youth of the old world. After a 
stay of a few years in New York City and points in Connecticut, he journeyed 
to St. Louis where he was married, his wife, Lucetta, dying in Atchison in 
the spring of 1881. To this union one .son was born, Gustave, who died July 
15, 1883. Wliile in St. Louis Mr. Kuhn heard tales of the opportunities 
V. <iiting for industrious young men in the new State of Kansas and came 
hither to seek his fortune in the year 1859. He had some means which he 
had saved and at once invested in a lot on the corner of Eighth and Commer- 
cial streets, upon which he Iniilt a story and a half frame building, which for 
many years was a well known landmark in Atchison. He installed a stock 
of groceries in his new building, and from the start met with success. His 
store soon became the outfitting point for the freighters who were crossing 
the plains to the far western points and he prospered in excess even of his 




" 'S 



ru/iu:i ^ii/ifi 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 593 

expectations. Mr. Kuhn's store was rarely closed iii^those early days and it 
was his wont to retire at i o'clock a. m. and was often called out of bed at 3 
o'clock in the morning to assist some freighter just arriving from the trail 
half frozen, or, perchance, to trade with some farmer who had traveled a long 
distance to transact business with him and exchange his produce for groceries 
and necessities. 

During the Civil war he served in the commissary department of the 
Union army, called out to repel the invasion of Kansas, threatened by General 
Price. He established himself in the wholesale business in 1870 as he fore- 
saw that Atchison was to become an important distributing point for the 
northeastern part of the State as the country grew more and more settled 
with ;he influx of immigrants from all parts of the compass. In time the lit- 
tle frame store, which he had erected when he first came to Atchison, was 
replaced by the pretentious brick structure which bears his name. He in- 
vested his surplus profits in real estate in Atchison and Kansas points and 
left a substantial fortune on Iiis demise. In the early sixties he purchased 
for his family residence the old Judge Gilham house, at that time the only 
house on the hill, from his store northwestward. For a number of years the 
Kubn store was the only business house west of Third street, but in time the 
business center gradually moved westward from the river, and encompassed 
his business place. Speaking reminiscently of those early days a few inci- 
dents showing conditions at that time are worth recording. When Air. Bartli- 
olow first came to Atchison, at the outbreak of the Civil war when business 
was in a state of paralysis, he had on liand over $2,000 worth of tobacco, for 
which he could not find storage. He approached ]\Ir. Kuhn and asked iii>v 
to either buy the stock or store it until such a time as it would be markcta!)lt. 
Mr. Kuhn took a chance and when tobacco soared to an extremely higli pi ice 
towaid the last ('.:iys of tlie war, he disposed of it at a profit of $1.00 per [j.iund. 
Flour rose to the high price of $7.00 per sack during those troublous days, 
while beef was very cheap, a "half of beef" often selling for ten cents. 

llr. Kuhn was married the second time, September 30, 1883, to .A.r,n.-i 
Glattfelter, and to this union were born two sons, Julius Otto, at home with his 
mother, and Gustave Adolphus, living in Kansas Citv, married Irene King, 
and is the father of one cliild, Rutli Kuhn. Airs. Anna Glattfelter Kulm was 
born in Glattfelter, Switzerland, a daughter of Henry and Margaret Glatt- 
felter, who immigrated to America in 1864, and located on a farm in Atchison 
county. Henry Glattfelter died in 1867, and his wife died in Atchison in 
1903. They were the parents of Mrs. W. A. Dilgert, living on a farm in Wal- 
nut township; Mrs. Martin Dilgert, residing on Ninth street; Margaret, wife 

38 



594 HISTORY OF ATCHISOX COUNTY 

of Mrs. John Meyer, living on Seventh street; Fannie, wife of Dr. Sievers, of 
Manning, Iowa ; Henr}-. on the old home farm, near Cummings. Mrs. Kuhn 
resides in the family residence at 1029 Atchison street, and looks after the 
interest of the Kuhn estate. She is a keen, intelligent lady, who has shown 
marked business abilit}' in caring for the property interests left in her charge. 
Mr. Kuhn retired from active mercantile pursuits in 1889, and died October 
30, 1902, universally respected and loved by all who knew him. He was a 
Republican in politics and took an active part in the civic and p<ilitical affairs 
of Atchison, sen-ing as a member of the city council, and filling several im- 
portant city offices of trust during his long residence here. He was always 
a consistent and unremitting booster for Atchison, and had a deep love for 
the citA' and his home life. He was a member of the Elks and a social member 
of the Turner Society. Mr. Kuhn was not a member of any religious denom- 
ination but was a friend and liberal supporter of all denominations which 
sought his aid. While not a professed Christian he lived a blameless and 
upright life, and was ever ready to assist a needy acquaintance when his aid 
would do the most good. 



PETER WEBER. 



Peter Weber, retired farmer, residing at 921 Xorth Sixth street, Atchi- 
son. Kan., is one of the real pioneer residents of the county. He has lived 
in the county for over fifty-six years, and recalls many of the incidents of tlie 
old days when the settlement of the county was in the embnio stage. Like 
most of the prosperous and successful men in the county he has worked his 
way upward from a small beginning to a state of aftluence, which reflects 
credit upon his industry and his capabilities. Times, fifty years ago, and the 
present, give opportunitj- for making contrasts which are striking and very 
interesting. When Mr. \\"eber was a boy it was the family custom 
to go to church on Sundays via the ox wagon route, father, mother and all 
of the children seating themselves in a big farm wagon, and going to church 
at the rate of two miles per hour, the trip requiring almost the entire day 
to go and return. Xow. Mr. \\"eber cranks the cngfine of his fine automobile, 
and in an incredibly short space of time he travels from his city home to his 
countrv- estate, can spend hours in looking over the farming operations, and 
return to his own home in time for the next meal. 

Peter Weber was bom in Kenosha. Wis., March 8. 1859, and came to 
Atchison county with his parents a few weeks later. His father. John Weber, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 395 

was a native of Liixemliurg, Germany, and his mother was Mary (Penning) 
Weber, also a native of Luxemburg, and a daughter of Nicholas Penning, 
who emigrated from bis native country to Wisconsin. John Weber was mar- 
ried in Wisconsin, after coming to this country. He migrated to Atchison 
county, Kansas, from \\'isconsin in 1859, and was equipped with a cash capital 
of nearly $300. He attended a lot sale in-the boom days of Old Sumner, and 
invested nearly all of his savings in lots, purchasing 275 lots in all, at prices 
varying from $5 for the first one bought, to a price as low as twenty-five 
cents. This was more or less a speculation on his part, and the price of lots 
in Sumner fell rapidly after the county seat election which selected Atchison as 
the seat of government for the county. Real estate values naturally deterior- 
ated in Sumner, and John Weber later sold seventy-five of his lots for $15, 
and allowed the greater part of his initial Kansas investment to be sold for 
taxes, inasmuch as the property had no real value. His next investment was 
a much better one, however, and he purchased 160 acres of land in ^\'alnut 
townsliip for $360, on which he erected a home and proceeded to develop it 
into a fine farm. He became well to do, and was highly respected throughout 
the neighborhood in which he resided. Originally John \^'eber had been a 
wheelwright by trade, and his skill as a wood worker and wagon maker stood 
him in good stead when he took up agricultural pursuits in Atchison county. 
During the Civil war Jolm Weber was enrolled in the State militia and was 
called awav to .serve his country at Independence. Mo., leaving his wife and 
young children at home in mortal fear of their lives while the father and his 
comrades were in battle array to repel the Price invasion of Kansas. The 
movable property of the family was kept hidden in the drawers. Mr. Weber 
had over $800 in gold Ijuried in the cellar in an empty peach can. He reared 
a fine family of sons and daughters as follows : Peter, the eldest of the family 
and with whom this review is directly concerned ; Mathias, who is cultivating 
the old home place in Mt. Pleasant township, and Mrs. Katherine Keefer, a 
widow residing near Norton ville. Kan., are the surviving children of a family 
of six born, three of whom died in infanc}-. John Weber died in 1905, his 
wife preceding him tn the great beyond in 1901. 

Peter ^^'eber, when a boy, attended tlie district school of his neighborhood 
in Mt. Pleasant township, and was reared to become an agriculturist. He was 
married in 1881 and then began doing for himself, renting land in Mt. Pleas- 
ant township for a lime and carefully husbanding his resources and saving his 
money with a view to eventually owning a farm of his own. He was enaliled 
to purchase his first farm of 160 acres in 1895 in Walnut township. He still 
owns this fine farm, which is one of the best in Atchison county, and is now 



596 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

being cultivated by his son. Mr. Weber retired from active agricultural pur- 
suits in May, 19 12, and removed to Atchison, where he owns real estate 
and lives comfortably, as befitting a man who has earned the right to enjoy 
home comforts. He was married in 1881 to Mary W'einmann, and to this 
union have been torn the following children : Mary, wife of Theo Vander- 
weide, of Atchison county ; Katherine, wife of John Wagner, residing in 
Walnut township, Atchison county ; Jacob, living on the home farm ; Ida, wife 
of Charles Harrison, a foreman in the A. J. Harwi Hardware Store, in Atchi- 
son ; Annie, wife of Gustave Boehme, Rulo, Neb., where Mr. Boehme con- 
ducts a bakery. The mother of these children was born .\ugust 9, i860, in 
Salt Creek Valley. Leavenworth county, Kansas, a daughter of Jacob and 
Katherine W'einmann. natives of Germany, who came to Leavenworth county, 
Kansas, as early as 1858. She was one of sixteen children born to these 
parents, thirteen of whom were reared, and five came to America and died 
here. 

Mr. W'eber has always been a Democrat, but is more or less independent 
in his political views and believes in voting for the candidate who seems best 
fitted to perform the duties of the office, regardless of his political affiliations. 
\Vhile a resident of Mt. Pleasant township he took an active part in the civic 
affairs of the township and served nine years as treasurer and then served 
as trustee in 1895. Later when he took up a permanent residence in Walnut 
township, in 1896, he was selected as township treasurer by the people in 
1906 and filled the office to the satisfaction of everybody for six years. He 
and the memljers of his family are members of the St. Benedict's Catholic 
Church, and have always been liberal contributors to the support of this insti- 
tution. He is also affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, and takes a keen 
interest in city and county affairs as befitting a man of broad general attain- 
ments, who has lived in Atchison county for over half a century and watched 
its evolution from a wilderness to become one of the fairest divisions of the 
great State of Kansas. 



ROBERT F. BISHOP. 



Robert F. Bishop, farmer, residing in Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison 
county, Kansas, and whose farm is located two and one-half miles west of 
Potter, is one of the most substantial and progressive .tgriculturists of liis 
neighborhood. He was bom August 16, 1861, in the town of Watkins, in 
Schuyler county, New York, at the foot of Watkins Glen, which is now a noted 



i 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 597 

summer resort, and one of tlie most beautiful spots in all New York. He is a 
son of Freeman and Annie (Sims) Bishop, both of whom were born and 
reared in New York State and descendants of old eastern families. The 
Bishop family is of Eno'lish orig;in and is descended from old colonial stock, 
mem.bers of which figured in the early wars in which America has been 
engaged. The Sims family is of Scotch and Irish e.xtraction. The Bishops 
were early settlers in the section of New York where Robert F. Bishop was 
born. Freeman was a ship carpenter by trade who followed his trade in New 
York, and in 1S72 came to Kansas, settling in Jefferson county on a farm, 
where he prospered and reared his family of foiu" children, Robert F. being 
the eldest. 

He of whom this review is written was a boy ten years of age when the 
family came to Kansas to make a permanent home. He lived i>n the home 
place and assisted his father in the cultivatiim of his farm until he was twenty- 
four years of age, then married, and two years later, in 1885, came to Mt. 
Pleasant township, Atchison county, and purchased the old Miller farm con- 
sisting of 180 acres of good, tillable land. Mr. Bishop has added to his 
original farm as he was able and now owns 261 1-2 acres all in one body and 
well improved. Besides his home farm he is also the owner of another tract 
of 208 acres, which makes his total acreag'e 469 1-2 acres in all. The accumu- 
lation of this amount of land in about thirty years is a considerable undertak- 
ing, in Kansas especially, when the possessor had verj' little of this world's 
goods at the start of his career. Mr. Bishop began with very little capital 
but imbued with a determination to succeed and the willingness to work hard 
and deny himself the lu.xuries of life until he was well able to afford them. 
When he purchased his first farm his cash capital was so limited that he was 
forced to go in debt for two-thirds of the purchase price of the land. Since 
then he has risen to bcc(_>me one of the \\callh\- farmers. nf Atchison county, 
and has one of the finest and best improved places in Kansas, equii)ped with 
excellent buildings and a modern silo. His farm is considered a model one 
in the county and was one of the first to be visited by the county farm \-isitors 
for the purpose of ascertaining the progress made and using it as a model for 
others in the county. Mr. Bishop is a natural born agriculturist who has 
kept pace with the advancement made in the science of agriculture, and is 
blessed with an intuitive knowledge of the best methods of tilling the soil. 

Mr. Bishop was married in 1883 to Elizabeth Shaw, a daughter of Heniy 
Shaw, well-to-do farmer of Leavenworth county. To this union have been 
born seven children, namely: Caude, a faiTner, in Atchison county; Curtis, a 
farmer: Robert, living at home and assisting his father in the farm operaliims: 



598 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Myrtle S.. Mable, Maude, and Irene, at home witli their parents. The father 
of Mrs. Bishop is the owner of the old Penseneau farm, which is the first 
piece of land ever tilled in Atchison county. 

The Republican party has generally had the allegiance of Mr. Bishop, 
and while he has not taken an active part in political matters, he was one of 
the stanch supporters of the movement which resulted in the estabishment 
of the high school at Potter. It is only natural to learn that he, like others who 
have succeeded in Kansas, has always been a live stock man and believes in 
feeding the grains and grasses raised on his land to the live stock on his place, 
in order to preser\-e the fertility of the land and make marketing the output 
much more convenient. He maintains a dairy herd of thirty well bred Hol- 
stein milch cows and is a well known breeder of Duroc Jersey hogs, having 200 
head or more on his farm. 



HARRISOX W. RUDOLPH. 

Harrison W". Rudolph is not only a leading photographer of Atchison, 
but ranks among the best in his profession of the entire country. Mr. Rudolph 
is a native of the Keystone State, bom at AUentown, Pa., May 30, 1866. He 
is a son of John and Levina (Messer) Rudolph. The Rudolphs are of old 
American stock of German descent. Sometime during the seventeenth cen- 
tury-, two Rudolph brothers immigrated to America. One settled in Pennsyl- 
vania, and the other went farther West, locating in Ohio, and Harrison W. 
Rudolph, whose name introduces tliis review, is a descendant of the one who 
settled in Pennsylvania. ISlrs. James A. Garfiekl bore the maiden name of 
Rudolph, and was a member of the Ohio brancii of the Rudolph family, and 
James Rudolph Garfield, son of the former President, retains his mother's 
maiden name as his middle name. John Rudolph, the father of H. \\ ., is 
now living and has reached the ripe old age of eighty. He resides in .Mien- 
town, Pa. 

Harrison W. Rudolph was reared in Allenlowu. and after receiving a 
good common school education sened an apprenticeship at photography in 
his native city, and later completed a course in the Atchison Business College. 
About the time he was twenty years old he obtained a position from an Atch- 
ison photograjiher through correspondence. He came here and worked at his 
profession for M. A. Kleckner about nine years, when he opened a studio of 
his own at 509 1-2 Commercial street, where he has been located for twenty 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 599 

years. Mr. Rudolph is recognized as an artist and has a large patronage from 
all over northeastern Kansas, and be even gets work from Kansas City. The 
excellency of his work is readily recognized by particular people who know 
and appreciate art. Mr. Rudolph has been awarded five prizes and medals for 
his work bv the Kansas State Photographers' Association, and his work is 
alwavs in great demand. He is a member of the Kansas Photographers' 
Association, the National Photographers' Association of America, the Mis- 
souri Valley Photographers' Association, the Modern Woodmen of America, 
and the Methodist Episcopal church. 

Mr. Rudolph was married in Denver April 9, 1889, to Miss Martha 
Hausser, of Xew York City, and two children have been born to this union, 
as follows: Rodney, born January 21, 1892, is a traveling representative for 
the Standard Oil Company, and Fred, born June 2, 1894, a clerk in the Atch- 
ison office of the Standard Oil Company. Mr. Rudolph is not only a success- 
ful artist, hut has made good in a financial way and is one of the substantial 
business men of Atchison county. He is a member of the Atchison Com- 
mercial Club and the Young Men's Christian Association. 



EDWARD B. McCULLOUGH. 

Edward B. McCullough, deputy sheriff of Atchison county, was born 
on a farm in Atchison county in 1880, and is a son of Hugh Elden and 
Sarah J. (Rankin) McCullough, lioth of whom were born and reared to ma- 
turity in Pennsylvania, married there and shortly afterward set out for the 
West, settling in Atchison county. Mr. McCullough bDugiit a farm in Lan- 
caster township, and improved it, but did not live long after settling here. He 
died at the age of twenty-eight years, leaving one son, Edward B. At the 
time of his father's death, Edward B. was but fifteen months old, and soon 
afterward his mother inoved to the village of Lancaster where she has since 
made her home, witli the exception of some years spent on her cousin's farm 
near Lancaster. Edward B. was reared to young manhood in Lancaster and 
attended the public school, ^^'hen still a youth he learned to hustle for him- 
self and became self-reliant and self-supporting at a time when most boys are 
still in the coddling stage. When but sixteen years of age he bought a team 
and outfit and engaged in Inisiness for himself. He continued as a teamster 
and in draying until 1914 when he removed to Atchison to enter upon his 
duties as deputy sheriff under Sheriff Roy Trimble. During the course of 
his teaming experience he became the proprietor of a livery barn in Lancaster. 



600 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

On October 28, 1903, he married Mildred May Lowe, a daughter of Aus- 
tin and Anna Lowe, of Atchison county. They have one child, Gayle Mateel, 
born September 23, 1904. Mr. McCiilloug;!! is a member of the Modern 
Woodmen, and is a Republican. Since early young manhood he has taken 
an active part in political affairs, and loves the game for its own sake, as well 
as he loves baseball and kindred sports, for lie is and has been quite an athlete, 
being a proficient baseball player. 

For the past eight years he has been one of the wheel horses of the 
Republican party in Atchison county and has naturally attained a wide ac- 
quaintance among the voters of both parties. He assiduously campaigned 
for his favorite candidates during the campaigns of igi2 and 1914. but has 
never been a candidate for office. He was appointed to the post of deputy 
sheriff in November, 1914. and took up the duties of his office January 11, of 
the following year. It is needless to state that he is faithfully performing the 
duties of his position and is gaining more friends as liis general worth is be- 
coming more widely known. 



THOMAS E. BALLL\GER. 



Thomas E. Ballinger is one of the substantial and well respected resi- 
dents of Atchison who has accomplished much in a material and civic way 
since first coming to the county in 1869. He has acquired and improved one 
of the finest farms of the county, served the people well and faithfully in an 
official capacity, and, best of all, has reared a fine family, every member of 
whom is a useful addition to society, and a credit to their parents and the 
communities in which they reside. What more could any man expect to ac- 
complish during a long and busy life? A man who accomplishes so much 
with the assistance of an intelligent and faithful wife can well be content to 
retire to a pleasant home, imbued with the satisfaction of knowing that the 
future of himself and his is well provided for during the declining years which 
can be likened to a beautiful sunset at the end of a long and glorious day spent 
in gleaning from mother earth her treasures. 

Mr. Ballinger is a native of New Jersey and comes of good, old English 
stock. He was born in Salem county, that State, November 21, 1845. His 
parents were John G. and Sarah Ann ( Reeves) Ballinger. also natives of 
New Jersey. His paternal grandfather was John G. Ballinger, wb.o married 





^ 

^ 



N) 




HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 6oi 

a" Quaker woman and died when Tin mias E. was but a boy. His mother was 
a daugliter of Stephen Reeves, a scion of an old eastern family and a leading 
shipbuilder of New Jersey. The Reeves family settled in Alloway township, 
Salem county, New Jersey. John G. Ballinger, the father, was born in 1827, 
and died in 1906. He was a miller, and operated a mill during the actix^c 
years of his long life. His wife, Sarah Ann, died in 1850, leaving three chil- 
dren: Stephen R., a miller, who resided in New Jersey, and died October 15, 
1915; Samuel E., a retired farmer, living in the suburbs of Atchison, and 
Thomas E., with whose career this review is directly concerned. John G. 
Ballinger married a second time, to Sarah Austin, who bore him the follow- 
ing children : John, Charles, Walter. Ellen, Sadie, Emma and Minnie. 

The elder Balhnger had both the means and the incentive to give his 
children an education. Accordingly, Thomas E. had the advantages of 
thorough schooling and, after attending the district school of his home neigh- 
borhood, he studied in the Cumberland County Academy at Bridgetown, N. J., 
the Crittendon School in Philadelphia and the Eastman Business College at 
Poughkeepsie, New York, completing his course in the latter institution in 
1865. He then became a clerk in a grocery store at Glouster, N. J., and was 
later employed in a drug store. All the while, however, he was hearkening 
to the call of the West, which had reached the ears of thousands of young- 
men in the East. The call proved so strong that in 1869 he made the long 
journey to Kansas to become one of the pioneers of the new State. For the 
first two years he worked out as a farm hand in Shannon township, Atchison 
county, saving his funds in order that he might begin farming for himself. 
In 1871 he made his first purchase of eighty acres of unimproved land in 
Lancaster township. Atchison county, at a cost of $15 per acre. On this tract 
he built a two room house in which he lived for two years, and was there 
joined by his brother, Samuel E. He then married, and the first five years 
of a happy wedded life were spent on this farm. He traded this farm for 
eighty acres of land in Shannon township, which served as the family home 
until 1888. He then exchanged the Shannon township farm for 240 acres, 
near Fluron. Atchison county, which he retained for two years, and then made 
his last trade for 160 acres in the east central part of Lancaster township. 
For seventeen years, until his retirement to Atchison in 1907. this fine farm 
was the family home. Air. Ballinger greatly improved this farm, added to 
it another forty acres, and with its two sets of buildings and well ke])t fields, 
is one of the finest and most productive a.gricultural plants in the cnunty. 

He was married on Saturday, March 21, 1874. U> Julia II. Holland, and 
to this union have been burn the following children: Ralph, a talented ])hysi- 



602 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

cian of Chicago, married Flora Groom, of Indiana ; Mrs. Marie Shuffleberger, 
Doniphan county, Kansas, mother of tliree children, Dorothy. Reeves and 
\\'ayne; Adel, at home; Grace, wife of J. W. Coleman, of Atchison, liaving 
two children, John Ballinger, born June 14. iQii. and James Henry, born 
November 3. 1915; Thomas Edward, Jr.. on the home farm, married Xellie 
Colgan and is the father of one child, John Edward : Julia Gladys resides at 
home with her parents. Father, mother and daughters reside in a handsome 
brick residence, erected by Mr. Ballinger at 210 North Eleventh street. Mrs. 
Ballinger was born Decemljer 29, 1853. in England, and is a daughter of 
Joshua and Maria (Relph) Holland, who immigrated to America in 1856, 
and first settled on an Illinois farm. The family came to Kansas in i860, 
settling in Nemaha county, going from there to Ft. Leavenworth, where 
Joshua Holland followed his trade of stone mason. During the Civil war 
'Sir. Holland served in the commissary department at Ft. Leavenworth. In 
1870 he came to Atchison coimty and cultivated a farm of 120 acres near 
Lane until his death. Mr. Holland was born in April, 1822, and died in 
September, 1884. Mrs. Holland was Ijorn in November, 1824. and died in 
April, 1894. They were the parents of the following children : Emma, de- 
ceased: Misses Mar)- and Harriet Holland on a fami near Lancaster: Mrs. 
Julia Ballinger, and William, a retired fanner in I^ncester. 

Thomas E. Ballinger has always been a Republican in politics and took 
an active part in political and civic affairs in his home township, sening as 
township clerk for a number of years. He was elected to the office of county 
commissioner in 1910, and served from January. 191 1. to January. 1915. 
While a member of the board of county commissioners the best interests of 
the countv were paramount with him. and he was an honest and capable 
public official. He and liis family are members of the Presbyterian church. 



ROGER PATRICK SULLIVAN. 

The accounts of many of the pros]ierous and substantial families who are 
the backbone and substance of the rural population in Atchison county are 
very similar, beginning far away, across tlie ocean, in one of the older coun- 
tries from whence tlie parents came to seek fortune in .\merica. The Sulli- 
van family had its origin in Ireland and it was from the Emerald Isle that the 
father of the family came when twelve years of age, struggleil from poverty 
to comparative wealth and left his sons well provided for. as a reward for 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 603 

their filial devolidn to the parents when (jld age came u])(jn tliem. Roger 
Sullivan, a progressive farmer of Benton township, is one of the best known 
men in his section of the CDunty. The Sullivan home is an attractive one, 
and the home farm of Mr. Sullivan is one of the most fertile and best kept 
in Atchison county. 

Roger Patrick Sullivan was born December 4, 1862, in Atchison, a son 
of Michael and Bridget (Tobin) Sullivan, natives of Ireland. IMichael Sul- 
livan was born in 1S26 and lived in his native land until he was twelve vears 
of age when he made his way to America. His travels while seeking- fortune 
in the new country took him ever westward and he was married in Keokuk, 
Iowa, to Bridget Tobiii, who was his faithful helpmate during the years when 
he was rising from poverty to affluence. In i860 they came to Atchison, 
Kan., where Mr. Sullivrm engaged in railroad contract work and assisted in 
the grading of the Central Branch railroad. He made money in his railroad 
contract work and was enabled to purchase a farm in Grasshopper township, 
or rather traded for it. While living in Atchison, with true Irish thrift, he 
and his wife managed to become owners of a home which the)- exchanged for 
eighty acres of land in Grasshopper township, upon which they moved and de- 
veloped it into a fine farm. Mr. Sullivan in the course of time bought an 
additional quarter section and with the help of bis sturdv sons he increased 
his acreage to 320 acres of well in-|proved farm land. When old age crept 
upon Michael and his wife they turned over the farms to their two sons, who 
cared for them in their declining years, which were spent in ]3eace and com- 
fort. Mr. Sullivan died at the home of his son, John Edward, December 
24, 1906, and his wife followed him tn the great beyond two years later, Feb- 
ruary, 1908. Three children were born to this worth}- cou])le, namely: John 
Edward, a farmer residing in (irasshopjx^r township: Roger Patrick, the 
subject of this re\'iew, and Mary, deceased. 

Roger P. learned when a vouth the art of cultivating the soil, and dili- 
gently applied himself tn the task of helping to build up the family estate, 
and received as his share of the farm lands owned by his father a fine quarter 
section of land upon which he resided until his removal to his present location 
in the spring of 1908. Prosperity has smiled upon his efforts, and he is now 
the owner of 360 acres of land, 160 acres of which are comprised in his home 
farm, eighty acres is located five miles w^est of his home in Kapioma tcnvn- 
ship, and he still retains 120 acres of the original Sullivan farm, which is en- 
tirely devoted to |)asture. If one should ask Mr. Sullivan how- he had man- 
aged to attain the considerable acreage w'hich he now possesses, his answer 
would probably be, "By hard work," which would be true, but the reviewer 



604 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

is also of the opinion that the "hard word" was also supplemented by intelli- 
gent effort, self-denial at times, sobriety, and good financial judgment. 

Mr. Sullivan was married January ii, 1892, to Miss Mary Linehan, who 
was born in Atchison county. Kansas, in 1865. a daughter of James and 
Kathryn Linehan. natives of Ireland, and who were pioneer settlers in Atchi- 
son county. To this union four children have been born, namely : Catharine, 
aged seventeen years, and a student in the Atchison Count}- High Scliool. 
class of '17; Daniel, fifteen years old, a freshman in the county high school; 
Mary, aged twelve years, and Helen, aged nine, pupils in the parochial school 
at Effingham. 

The Democratic party has always claimed the allegiance of Mr. Sullivan 
and his father before him was a Democrat. He and his family are members 
of the Catholic church which was the faith of their fathers. He finds time to 
ffive attention to the social side of life, and is fratemallv affiliated with the 
Knights of Columbus and the Bene^•olent and Protective Order of Elks, of 
Atchison. Mr. Sullivan is a thorough Kansan, and is proud to be numbered 
among the real pioneers of Atchison county, and in his opinion there is no 
better spot than the county which has always been his home. 



JOHN FLEMING. 



John Fleming, a successful merchant of Atchison, was born October 29, 
1864, in Holland. When four years old his parents left tlie land of their liirth 
and came to America in 1868. He was one of twins, the other twin Ijrother 
dying during the ocean voyage to America. His parents were Lambert and 
Rosena (Johnson) Fleming, who set out from their native land imbued v^-ith 
the desire to better their condition in America and finally located in Atchison. 
The elder Fleming had been a skilled wooden-shoe maker in his native land, 
and he plied his trade in Atchison, being able to market the product of his 
skilled workmanship through the kindly assistance of John Ratterman. who 
exchanged groceries and the necessities of life for the shoes which Mr. Flem- 
ing made. The familv finally located on a farm south of .\tchison, and re- 
sided there until the death of the father in 1882. at which time John, his 
mother and two sisters, Bertha, now widow of Henry Nass, deceased : Ida 
Van Benthen, residing at Seventeentli and Atchison streets, removed to 
Atchison. 

John Fleming was four years old when his parents took up their resi- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 605 

dence in Atchison county, and he was reared on the farm, south of the city, 
attending the district schools, and was able to secure a limited education in 
this manner. Upon coming to the city to reside he worked in various gro- 
cery stores for several years. With true thrift, for which those of Holland 
birth are noted tlie world over, he carefully saved his money over and above 
actual living expenses, and in 1898, equipped with a capital of $500, he started 
in business with this amount and some borrowed money. For over seventeen 
years he has been conducting a grocei-y business at 321 North Seventh 
street and his business has been constantly on the increase. The de- 
mands of his growing trade and the expansion of his business became 
such that in 1907 it became necessary for him to erect the modern 
brick buildings which now houses his excellent stock of goods at 321 North 
Seventh street. It is one of the most attractive and best kept establishments 
of the kind in the city, and is noted for the tasteful manner in which the 
goods of the very best quality are displayed and the unvarying courtesy with 
which the patrons are treated. Prosperity has come to Mr. Fleming, and in 
igo8 he in\ested his surplus in the erection of a four-suite apartment house, 
each apartment of which contains six rooms. He is also the owner of other 
real estate in north Atchison, and is rated as one of the city's enterprising and 
progressive business men. 

Mr. Fleming was married in 1889 to Emma C. Hilligoss, a daughter of 
Alfred and Anna Eliza (McLain) Hilligoss, who located in Atchison when 
she was twelve years of age. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Fleming, four living: W^illiam J., associated with his father in the grocery 
business; Henry A., also his father's assistant; Agnes R., John Edwin; Bertha 
died at the age of four years; Ruth died in infancy, and Theodore died at 
the age of four months. 

Mr. Fleming is a member of St. Benedict's Catholic Church, and is fra- 
ternally connected with the Modern Woodmen of America. 



MARK H. HULINGS. 



For an .Xtchison countv man to start out in life with a capital of fifteen 
dollars, which was given to him by a loving mother, with the injunction that 
he purchase an article for personal adornment, and then to invest said fifteen 
dollars in a span of mules, which became the nucleus to a fortune, and for 
this citizen to rise to the position of being one of the large landed proprietors 



6o6 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of Kansas, sounds like a tale from modern fiction. But the '.ale is true, and 
the incident which marked the starting point of the career of Mark H. Rul- 
ings, of Center township, is the keystone of the man's character, and shows 
wherein lies the material from wliicli he was created. Mr. Hulings decided 
that a pair of mules would do him more material good than adorning his per- 
son, and thereui used rare and capable judgment. Mr. Hulings is a Kansas 
man, who during a career in agricultural pursuits embracing but little more 
than thirty years, has achieved a success which is truly remarkable. Not con- 
tent with just common everj^day fanning, as has been practiced with indiffer- 
ent success by others, Mr. Hulings became a specialist and has taken his right- 
ful place among the many skilled cattle breeders of this county, who in time 
to come will receive the credit and honors which are theirs by right. By in- 
dustry, persistence, intelligence, and keen financial judgment he has risen to 
become one of the leading farmers of Atchison county and Kansas. Born 
in the old Buckeye State, of Virginia parents, he is a loyal and steadfast Kan- 
san, and takes pride in the fact that he is one of the real pioneers of this sec- 
tion of a great State. 

Mark H. Hulings, fanner and stockman, of Center town.ship, was born 
T'eliruarv 14, 1862. at Walnut Hill, a suburb of Cincinnati. Ohui. IK- is a son 
of Samuel and Louise (Brown) Hulings. They had four children, as follows: 
Mrs. Lillie High, widow, Atchison, Kan.; Cincinnatus, deceased; Mark, the 
subject of this sketch, and Ruth J., twins, the latter deceased. The father was 
born in what is now West Virginia in 1832. He was a baker by trade, and 
his early days were spent on a steamlx)at. where he was employed as a cook 
and baker. When a young man lie came to Cincinnati, where he worked for 
.some time, and then he began farming. Tn 1867 he came to Atchison county, 
Kansas, where he bought 160 acres of land, and built a seven-room house of 
brick, which was considered a fine residence in that day. He was a success- 
ful farmer and his crops were always good, w ith the exception of one year 
when they were destroyed liy the grasshoppers. The father conducted his farm 
until his death in 1898. The mother was born in New" York and died about 
[905, aged about seventy years. An accident in an Atchison hardware store 
elevator which injured her leg led to her death. 

Mark Hulings attended the school in District No. 28. Center township, 
and later the Pardee Seminary. When he started out in life for himself he 
had only fifteen dollars which his mother gave him to buy a ring for himself. 
But caring little for personal jewelry, bought a span of mules instead, for 
which he paid the fifteen dollars as the first payment. This was his first 
investment, but it was a profitable one, and he has continued to invest until 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 607 

he is now an extensive land owner. He and his brother, Cincinnatns, bought 
land of their own after their parents died, and farmed together about eight 
3^ears when each bougiit a farm of his own. Mark I)ought land in Center 
township and now owns Sio acres, a large part of which is well improved. He 
was a breeder of registered Hereford cattle for a time, but now devotes his 
attention to Shorthorns. He has worked his way to the first rank of Atchi- 
son county farmers, and now holds land that makes him one of the largest 
land owners of the county. On April 27, 1890, he married Emma Sharpless, 
who was born September 22, 187 1, in Delaware. (See sketch of U. B. Sharp- 
less for a sketch of the Sharpless family history.) To Mr. and Mrs. Hulings 
have been born two children: Mark S. and Susie E., living at home. Mr. 
Hulings is a Republican. He and his wife and children are members of the 
Christian church at Farmington. 



FRANK SUTTER. 



Frank Sutter, owner of "Highlington," a splendid farm of 245 acres, in 
Benton township, Atchison county, located one-half mile west of Effingham, 
is a native of Atchison countv, and is one of its most successful and pro- 
gressive farmers. A beautiful, modern farm home of eight rooms occupies a 
rise of land fronting the main highway, running east and west from Effing- 
ham, and is fully equipped with a water system and private gas plant installed 
by Mr. Sutter. A large red barn stands in the rear of the home. This farm 
is operated as a dairying plant, and Mr. Sutter maintains a herd of fifteen 
milch cows of the Jersey and Shorthorn breeds. 

Frank Sutter was born Januar}' 8. 1871, on a pioneer farm in Walnut 
township, Atchison county, and is a son of Frederick Sutter, deceased, of 
whom a complete biography is written in this volume. Frank Sut- 
ter came with the familv to Benton township in 1880 and lived on the home 
place, two miles west of Effingham, and after his father's death he and his 
brothers, Fred and William, became the owners of the section of land which 
has since been divided, Frank taking a quarter section as his share when the 
division of land was made. The sons of Frederick Sutter farmed the family 
estate in common until 1902, and, after various changes following the division 
of the estate Frank became the proprietor of 245 acres in one tract, which he 
is now cultivating. 

Mr. Sutter was married in 1909 to Mrs. Kate (Cook) Pitman, a widow, 



6o8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

who is the mother of eight children by her first marriage, as follows : George, 
now in Montana ; Ralph, living in Iowa ; Mrs. Elsie Mann, of Nebraska ; Mrs. 
Vera Blair, a resident of Effingham ; Margaret, at home ; Mrs. Geneva Per- 
due, of Huron. Kan. ; Helen and Thomas reside at home. Mrs. Sutter was a 
daughter of E. F. Cook. 

While Mr. Sutter is a Republican in politics, he votes independentlj' in 
county and local matters, and supports the candidate who seems best fitted 
for the office, in his judgment. He is a member of the Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons, and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Mr. Sutter 
is of a high type of the successful farmer who has made good in his inherited 
vocation. The success of each individual member of the Sutter family is 
due. to a great extent, to their cooperatinn and ability to wurk together for 
the common good of the whole family, collectively and individually, while 
the family fortunes were in process of building. 



BISHOP K. HAM. 



Bishop K. Ham, one of the younger successful farmers and stockmen of 
Grasshopper township, Atchison county, is the last surviving representative of 
one of the oldest pioneer families of the western part of the county. He 
resides on the old liomestead of the Ham family, consisting of 170 acres of 
land, upon wliich his father homesteaded in 1861. P>. K. Ham was born on 
this farm July 23, 1882, a son of Martin W.. and Ma'rgarette (Black) Ham, 
natives of Fleming county, Kentucky. 

Martin W. Ham was born near the town of Flemingsburg, Ky.. April 
13, 1834, and was a son of George and Ruth Ham. also reared in Kentucky. 
The grandfather of Martin W. was John or "Jackie." a native of Greenbrier 
county, Virginia, and was of Scotch-Irish lineage. The Ham family is a 
very old one in this country, and the great-grandfather of B. K. Ham was 
John, better known as "Jackie" Ham, who was one among the earliest pioneer 
settlers of Kentucky. Martin W. was reared to young manhood in Fleming 
county. Kentucky, and there married Jane Humphreys. In t86i the Ham 
family left Kentucky in search of a home in the West, making the long trip 
overland to Missouri by wagon. After a short stay in Missouri they came to 
.Atchison county, Kansas, and settled on the farm now owned by Mrs. Mar- 
garette Ham. All of 'Martin W. Ham's worldly possessions when he landed 
in Kansas was his team and wagon and a few household necessities. The land 






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HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 609 

was wild and there were few settlers on the prairies in Grasshopper township,, 
where he made his settlement and eventually developed a fine farm. He be- 
came an extensive cattle and hog raiser and made considerable money in this 
manner. 

Martin \Y. Ham was twice married, his first wife, Jane Humphreys Ham, 
dying May i8, 1879. He married his second wife, Margarette Black. June 
28, 1880. One son was born of this second marriage, Bishop K. Mrs. Mar- 
garette (Black) Ham was born March 29, 1854, a daughter of M. M. and 
Rebecca (Simms) Black, the former a native of Virginia, and of Irish lineage. 
He was one of the early pioneer settlers of Kansas. Martin W. Ham died 
in 1908. From the start of his career in Kansas M. W. Ham took an active 
and influential part in civic and political affairs of his county and State. 
During the border ruffian days he was active in affairs and was a Free State 
man. He was captain of Company G, Kansas Home Guards, during the 
Civil war. He held various township offices and was elected a member of 
the Kansas State legislature in 1869, serving one term. He was a member 
of the Methodist Episcopal church, and was affiliated with the Masonic and 
Odd Fellows lodges. 

Bishop K. Ham, with whom this review is directly concerned, received 
his education in the district school of his neighborhood and also studied in 
the college at Hiawatha, Kan., for one year. He then took up farming, and 
after his marriage lived on a neighboring farm until his father's demise. He 
then came to the home farm which he has since been cultivating with consider- 
able success. Mr. Ham has made a record as a breeder of horses and mules 
second to none in Atchison county. He is the owner of a magnificent, im- 
ported black stallion, "Illico," six years old, which he purchased from the 
well known importer, Charles Kirk, of St. Joseph, Mo. He is the owner of- 
a high class jack and is a successful breeder of mules. The \nidc of his farm 
is his fine herd of thirty thoroughbred Jerseys, headed by the pedigreed bull. 
"Loren's Lad," both the sire and dam of which were imported. Bv means 
of holding annual sales Mr. Ham will dispose of the surplus stock of his herds 
of cattle and horses. The Ham farm is well improved in every way with 
good commodious buildings, silo, etc., a fine modern home, all grou])ed to- 
gether on a beautiful location. 

Mr. Ham was married October 19. 1905, to Miss Carrie B. McCuhbins, 
and to this union has been bom: Marguerite Ham, born .\])v\\ 17. 
1907. Mrs. Carrie B. Ham is a daughter of Robert D. and Elizabeth (Tenry) 
McCubbins, who were early settlers in Atchison county. The McCubbins 

39 



6lO HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

family first settled near tlie city of Atchison, and later came to Grasshopper 
township. 

Mr. Ham is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the Ancient Free 
and Accepted Masons of Muscotah, the Modern Woodmen of America 
and the Fraternal Aid societies. He is one of the best known and rising 
young agriculturists of the county and will undoubtedly make a name for him- 
self among the breeders of the State of Kansas and middle West. 



CHARLES H. LINLEY. 



Charles H. Linley, a prominent physician and surgeon, of Atchison. ma\ 
very appropriately be called the dean of the Atchison county medical pro- 
fession. Dr. Linley is a Kentuckian. He was born, in Livingston county, 
Kentucky, June 19, 1847, and is a son of Dr. Thomas and Maria (Barker) 
Linley, natives of Lewis county, Kentucky. Maria Barker, the mother, was a 
daughter of .Vdmiral Barker of the LTnited States navy. Dr. Thomas Linley. 
the father, was born in 1806. He was a son of Thomas Linley, a native of 
England, who settled in Virginia at an early date and later removed to Ken- 
tucky, and was a pioneer of this State. Thomas Linley, the father of Dr. 
Charles H. Linley, was a large plantation owner and owned many slaves in 
Kentnck)' prior to the Civil war. but was a strong Union man and believed 
that slavery was wrong, and when the Civil war came on he was pronounced 
in his anti-slavery views, and notwithstanding the position of many of his 
neighbors and friends and lifelong associates, he stood firmly by the L'nion. 
He was a graduate of the old Transylvania Medical College, at Lexington. Ky. 
He began the practice of his profession at the early age of nineteen years, and 
for forty-five years practiced most of the time in the vicinity of Salem, Ky. 
He came to .\tchison, Kan., in 1866. but remained a short time, when he re- 
turned to Kentucky, where he died IMarch 31. 1880. Dr. Thomas and Maria 
(Barker) Linley were the parents of thirteen children, three of whom died 
in infancy, and four are now living, as follows: Dr. Charles H., the subject 
of this sketch : Isaac resides on the old homestead in Salem, Ky. ; Mrs. Laura 
Hill resides at Liberty, Mo., and Joseph W., now living retired in Atchison, 
Kan. After receiving a good academic and classical education. Dr. Charles H. 
Linley entered Miami Medical College, now known as the Ohio Medical Col- 
lege, at Cincinnati, and was graduated from that institution in 1877 with the 
degree of Doctor of Medicine. In 1880 he located in the city of Atchison 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 6ll 

where he has practiced his profession with uniform success for the past thirty- 
five years. He is one of tlie oldest ])hysicians in the number of years in 
practice in Atchison. 

Dr. Linley was married in 1879 to Miss Fannie W. Gregory, a native of 
Kentucky. She was born in 1854 and is a daughter of James Gregory and a 
member of a prominent Kentucky fainily. Her father died wiien Mrs. Lin- 
ley was fourteen years of age. Dr. and Mrs. Linley are the parents of the 
following children: Maria, bom in 1880, and died in igoQ; Corinne, a teacher 
in the Atchison high school, and a graduate of Alidland College and the State 
Normal school at Emporia; Ray G., traveling salesman for Blish, Mize & 
Silliman; Nora B., a graduate of Midland College, now a teacher in Colo- 
rado : Alice, a graduate of Midland College, now a teacher in the grades at 
Atchison, and Louis D., traveling salesman for Blish, Mize & Silliman. 

Dr. I^inley is a Democrat and has taken an active part in the welfare of 
his city and county. He has served as city health officer for several terms 
and was police commissioner for Atchison for one year. He served on the 
board of LInited States pension examiners for eight years during Cleveland's 
administrations. He is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees, the Fra- 
ternal Aid, and tlie Foresters of America. The Linley family are memlaers 
of the Christian chiuxh. 



L. C. ARENSBERG. 



L. C. Arensberg, one of the younger business men nf Atchison, and mem- 
ber of the enterprising and successful firm of Babcock & Arensberg, shoe 
merchants, is a Hollander bv l)irlh, and a hustling American in every sense 
the word implies. It has long been a matter of note that the natives of 
Holland who became American citizens are more apt and take more kindly 
and quickly to the ways of this nation than the people of any other European 
countr)'. Tliis countr\- seems to become their natural habitat, and they be- 
come citizens in both deed and word after a few years' residence here. Mr. 
Arensberg was born in Holland, Scpteiuber 17, 1880, and is a son of William 
and Alegunde (Muskens) Arensberg, who immigrated to this country in 1885, 
actuated bv a desire to locate in a land where their children would have more 
and better ojiportunities for success than their own little, crowded, native 
country aff<jrded. They believed riglilly and were successful in establishing 
a home in Atchison where the\- had relatives who had preceded them to the 
newer countrv. The Arensberg family established themselves in reasonably 



6l2 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

comfortable circumstances in Atchison in a short time. 1 here were nine 
children in the family of \\'illiam and Aleg^unde "Arensberg. 

L. C. Arensberg was educated in the parochial and high schools of 
Atchison. Then he obtained a position as all round man in Bradley &• Oster- 
tag's shoe store. Here he was employed for ten years and thoroughly learned 
the ins and outs of the shoe business, becoming a very proficient salesman. 
In the meantime he carefull}- saved his money, with a view to eventually en- 
gaging in business for himself. His ambition was at last realized, and in 
1906 he purchased an interest in the Babcock & Stallons shoe store, buying 
out the interest of Mr. Stallons. He is a full partner in the business and 
has won a place of merit and honor among the leading merchants of Atchison. 

Politically, Mr. Arensberg is a Democrat, and is inclined to be liberal in 
his views and independent in his voting. He is a member of tlie Knights of 
Columbus and the Loyal Order of Moose, and is a member of St. Benedict's 
Catholic Church. He is active in the affairs of the Atchison Commercial 
Club, and is recognized as one of the real "live wires" of the business and civic 
life of his home city. 



W. B. COLLETT. 



W. B. Collett, district agent for the Xorthwestern Mutual Life Insurance 
Company of Milwaukee, Wis., is one of llie progressive business men of Atchi- 
son. He was born in Liverpool, England, in i860, and is a son of John and 
Marv (Heuston) Collett. the former a native of \\'olverhampton, Stafford- 
shire, England, and the latter of Tipperary, Ireland. John Collett was a 
prosperous importing provision merchant when the Civil war broke out in 
this country. The importing business fell off to such an extent in European 
ports that business was injured to such an extfent that the failed, and came to 
the United States, and in 1862 sent for his family, consisting of his wife and 
three children. During his youth he served a seven-year apprenticeship in 
the provision trade. In 1879 he came to Atchison as head salesman for the 
Fowler Brothers Packing Company, and remained with that company until 
1883. He tiien went with the Armour Packing Company, of Kansas City, 
in the same capacity, and was with that company for fourteen years, when he 
was made manager of their branch at St. Paul. Minn., and later he was the 
European representative for Jacob Dold Packing Company, of Buffalo. N. Y. 
In 1908 lie retired from active business and took up his residence on a farm 
near Richards, Mo., where he died, in 191 1, at the age of seventy-nine years. 
His wife survives him and resides on the farm where he died. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 613 

Jolm Collett was a man of unusual ahilit)', and had few equals as a 
salesman. He was a capable executive and thoroughly understood handling 
large commercial enterprises. He was a master salesman and always com- 
manded a large salary. He was a money maker, although he died possessed 
of but a small amount of this world's goods; he was a money maker rather 
than a border of dimes. 

W. B. Collett, whose name introduces this sketch, was educated in the 
public schools, and when a young man went to work in the Elgin watch 
.works, at Elgin, 111., and in 1879, when the family came to Kansas, he went 
to work for the Fowler Brothers Packing Company, where he remained about 
a year. He then entered the employ of Bowman & Kellogg, millers, as book- 
keeper, and later became a Ixner and salesman for that company. In 188S he 
engaged in the general insurance business, and three years later entered the 
employ of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, and has been 
wath that company ever since with headcjuarters at Atchison. Mr. Collett 
was married in December, 1886, to Miss Annie Heermance, who came to 
Atchison with her mother in 1883 from Hudson, X. Y. She was one of the 
old Holland families of New York and taught in the Atchison High School 
prior to her marriage. 

Mr. and Mrs. Collett have two children as follows : Mary E., educated at 
Wellesley College, took her master degree at the University of Pennsylvania, 
then one year of post-graduate work at Brown University, at Providence, R. I., 
when she became instructor of biology at the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 
Pa., and W. B.. Jr., who was educated in the Atchison public schools, Culver 
Military Academy, Culver, Ind., and the State .\griculturc College at Man- 
hattan, Kan. 

Mr. Collett is an Episcopalian, a York Rite Mason and a member of the 
Young Men's Christian Association, and has been active in the work of these 
organizations for years. 



JAMES DOOLEY. 



The late James Dooley, of Shannon township, left behind him 
a life's record that is well worth recounting, and deserved an hon- 
ored ])lace in the memoirs of the county, in which he was for over forty vears 
a prominent and well known figure. .'\s a pioneer he did his part well in 
building up Atchison county. The story of his life is romantic in many ways, 



6l4 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

and he was always imbued with the idea of providing well tor Ins beloved 
family, and leaving his affairs in such a stable condition that his descendants 
could earn,- on the great work which the father and founder of the family 
had so well begun and brought to such a substantial culmination. 

James Dooley, deceased, was born Januarv 6. 1835. in Ireland, a son of 
Irish parents, James and Catharine Dooley, who left their native land in 1847, 
and located in Canada, where the father. James Dooley. the elder, became ill 
and died in the city of Hamilton. Although the young Irish lad was but 
twelve years of age and immature, it was necessan,- for him to go to work 
and gain a livelihood the best way he could. He managed to get a job which 
paid him one dollar and a half per month with his board. He was knocked 
about from pillar to post while a youth, and managed to make his way. His 
adventures in making a struggle for an honest livelihood were similar to those 
of other poor orphah boys left in a strange land without friends or relatives, 
other than those who were as poor as himself. One bright rift in the lonely 
life of this orphan boy is to be noticed when he became a boarder in the Hur- 
ley home at Harrisburg. Canada. It was here that he met with a genuine 
kindness and formed an attachment for the noble-hearted girl who later be- 
came his inspiration, and was his faithful wife during the years in Kansas 
when he was working his way upward to wealth and affluence, aided and 
abetted by her wise counsel and assistance. Imbued with a desire to secure 
capital so that he could come to this new country and realize an inherent am- 
bition to own a fami. he set out for the gold fields of Colorado during the 
Civil war years, and there amassed a small fortune of $500 in gold, saved 
during the months of his hard and unremitting labor in the gold mines of 
the western State. With this capital he felt able to make the venture \\hich 
he and his sweetheart had planned, and, accordingly, after his marriage at 
Paris, Canada, with Catharine Hurley, he and his wife set out for Atchison 
in March of 1866. During the first few months of their residence in Atchison 
county they lived with a sister of Mr. Dooley, Mrs. Slattery, in Shannon town- 
ship, and James worked in the city at any honest labor he could get. Their 
first investment was for eighty acres of school land in Shannon township, 
for which they paid cash, and it then became necessar\- for Mr. Dooley to 
borrow forty dollars in order to get the deed for the land. During the whole 
course of Mr. Dooleys career in .\tcliison county, while the modest eighty 
acres were growing to the large total of 600 acres of some of the 
best agricultural land in the county, they never undertook a debt, but each 
time an additional tract of farm land was purchased, the savings were drawn 
upon and cash paid for the land. Each of three sons now has a fine farm of 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 615 

200 acres. The home place upon \\hich Mrs. Dooley now resides, 
which consists of 200 acres, cost an even $10,000. This farm is one 
of the oldest in the county and was originally preempted by a Mr. Collins, 
who set out a large grove of forty acres or more in walnut and Cottonwood 
trees which have become verv valuable, having grown to considerable size. 

Catharine (Hurley) Dooley. widow of James Dooley, was born April 
28. 1847. i" Ireland, a daughter of James and Bridget Hurley, who left their 
native land in 1847 while Katharme was but an infant, and located in Ham- 
ilton, Canada, later residing in Harrisburg, Canada. A brother of ]\Irs. Doo- 
lev. James Hurlev, served three vears and three months in the Union army. 
He was a member of a Pennsylvania reserve regiment of sharpshooters and 
was wounded during the battle of Richmond, Va. For six months, while the 
wound in his wrist was healing, he served as sergeant in the quartermaster's 
department. Some j^ears after the war he became an inmate of the National 
Soldiers' Home at Dayton, Ohio, and lost his life while aboard an excursion 
boat which sank in Lake Michigan, near Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Dooley were 
the parents of fourteen children : Mrs. James Baker, Huron, Kan., and mother 
of eight children, Celia Baker, a trained nurse in Chicago. Mary, wife of 
George Perdue. Joseph, William, Bertha, Ruth, Rita and James ; Cath- 
arine, James and Mary, deceased : Sister Lucy, of Mt. St. Scholastica Acad- 
emy: Lucy, wife of David Lawless, and mother of two sons, Harold and 
Clevett : Mrs. Celia Finnegan, wife of Thomas Finnegan, of Houston, Texas, 
who had two children, Thomas Lillis and Mary ; Bertha, Sister Dorothy, of 
the Order of St. Benedict's in Mt. St. Scholastica Academy; Nora, wife of 
Roger Finnegan ; William, managing the home farm ; John, deceased : James 
married Bertha Kistler, and has three children: Florence, Bernice, and 
Francis : Edward married Henrietta Kramer, and has two children, John 
and Gerard: Joseph, deceased: Irene, at home with her mother. 

It is well to add here that James Dooley was one of the notable armv of 
hardy freighters who crossed the plains with the long mule trains in the late 
sixties. This was in April of 1866, when he convoyed a train load of goods 
to Denver, Colo., in company witli William Slattery. During his whole life, 
after attaining his majority-, Mr. Dooley was a stanch Democrat and was ever 
loyal to Democratic principles. While a member of the Catholic church, he 
was a liberal supporter of all denominations, and took a broad and tolerant 
view of all religious matters as becoming a widely traveled and experienced 
man. His life-long wish to perpetuate his name and keep the familv estate 
in the family was expressed while lying on his death bed. Calling his faith- 
ful helpmeet to his bedside, he said : "Mother, I am leaving you without hav- 



6l6 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

ing my dearest wisli come true." On being asked what it was, he said : "I 
have always longed for llie lime to come when I could see my sons settled on 
this farm of ours, with a Dooley here with his family, a Dooley there, and 
another son on that part of the farm." He was at once assured by his wife 
that his wishes would be respected, and after his demise Mrs. Dooley at once 
took steps to carry out the plans of her husband with the result that within 
sight of her home the other two sons are comfortably located on 200 acres 
of land each and have attractive homes of their own. 



ABRAHAM HOOPER. 



Abraham Hooper, deceased, was one of the pioneer settlers of Atchison 
county. He was one of the well known and sturdy figures in the early days 
of the settlement of Kansas when strong and brave men were required, who 
were able to face the vicissitudes and hardships incident to the settlement 
of a new country and perform their tasks without succumbing, as weaker 
mortals were wont to do. Mr. Hooper was born in Platte county, Missouri, 
November 23, 1839, on a farm, near Parkville. His father was Abraham 
Hooper, a native of Tennessee and early settler of Missouri, who died in 
Mexico. Abraham Hooper, the subject of this review, was reared in Platte 
county and came to Atchison county in 1858, settling on a farm near Pardee. 
\\n:ile engaged in fanning he followed his trade of plasterer in the neightor- 
hood of Pardee. For a distance of ten miles around his own residence he 
plastered all of the houses then laiilding by the incoming settlers. During the 
Civil war he was enrolled in the State militia. In his younger days Mr. 
Hooper was a freighter and crossed the plains in charge of great trains on 
three different occasions. On one of his trips to Colorado he was placed in 
charge of a train load of twenty-five wagons, and one of his other trips was 
to Ft. Union. N. M. His affiliations were with the Christian church, the 
Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Kni.ghts of Pythias lodges. 

Mr. Hooper was married in 1863 to Louisa Campbell, born in Tennessee 
in 1842, a daughter of Daniel and Nancy Campbell. The Campbell family 
left Tennessee in 1854, and in 1855 removed to a farm which they preempted 
near Farmington in Atchison county. This was in a day when tilings were 
in a primitive state in Kansas. The Campbells lived in a cabin which was 
one of the first dwellings built in tliat section of the county. The mother of 




^am'e/ fc*. ,y(o(yter 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 617 

Mrs. Hooper lived and died on their farm, and lier father died on the western 
plains while on a trip to .the Black Hills. Mr. and Mrs. Hooper removed from 
the farm to Atchison in 1887, and here Mr. Hooper died Februai-y 18, 1914, 
at the advanced age of seventy-four years, having been born November 3, 
1839. Three children were born to this well respected couple : Addie B. 
died at the age of six years; Daniel, deceased, and Nellie died at the age 
of one year. Mrs. Hooper lives all alone in her home, but remembers fondly 
the days of old and has many sweet memories of her husband and children 
to solace and comfort her during her declining years. Despite her age slie 
is physically and mentally vigorous and is distinguished in being one of tiic 
oldest pioneer women now living in the county. 

Her well beloved son, Daniel Hooper, was born in 1868, and died Jan- 
uary 22, 1912. He was one of the most talented and best liked men in Atch- 
ison, and was far on the road to fame and prosperity when he was cut off 
in the prime of his vigorous and virile manhood. He received the rudiments 
of an elementary education in the district school near his country home and 
early developed ambitions which were partly realized during his life. After 
leaving school he studied shorthand and typewriting, and while holding a 
position in the law office of C. D. Walker he studied law and was admitted 
to the bar. A winning personality and his pronounced ability won him clients 
from the start of his legal career. His personal populartiy and ambitious tenden- 
cies led him to enter politics, and he was elected to the office of probate judge 
of the county, serving the people well and faithfully for a period of six years, 
and then served two terms as city attorne}-. Just in the jirinie of his man- 
hood and at the zenith of a career his health failed, and he died at Excelsior 
Springs, Mo., where he had gone in the hope of regaining his health. Judge 
Hooper was sincerely mourned by a large circle of friends and acquaintances 
and it is probable that there was not a man in his class better liked or more 
highly respected in .\tchison county at the time of his demise. He was a 
Republican in politics and was fraternally connected with the Modern Wood- 
men, the Knights of Pythias, in whose councils he was very prominent, and 
an attendant at tlic Christian church. The most nntalile trait in Judge 
Hooper's character was his sincere devotion to his parents. Because of the 
love he bore his mother he never married and cared for no woman but her. 
His constant thought was to make provision for her in the event of his own 
demise, and he carefully looked after her immediate and future wants. Such 
men as he are deserving of a greater triliute than that embodied in this brief 
review. A memorial window with his and the name of his father tliereon was 
placed in the Christian church in his memory. T'rinted on this window arc 



6l8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Judge Hooper's word^ of faith often expressed: "I believe in a great and 
a good God." 

Mrs. Hooper is rearing and educating a girl, Ruth Jones, who serves as 
company for her in the home. 



ALBERT T. SMITH. 



Albert J. Smith, tlic efficient cashier of the State Bank of Lancaster. 
Kan., is a native son of Kansas, and has grown up with Atchison county. He 
is a son of one of the prominent early pioneer settlers of the county, and while 
yet. comparatively, a young man, he has made good at his chosen avocation and 
is considered one of tlie really successful banking men of this section of the 
State, his talents and ability seeming to be especially adapted to the pro- 
fession of banking. 

I\Ir. Smith was Ixirn on a farm in Bmwn ctuuity, Kansas, January 13. 
1879. a son of Thomas B. and Mary E. (Woodruff) Smith. The father of 
Albert J. Smith was born .August 16, 1843. in Grant county, Indiana, a son 
of William J. and Lucinda (Barkley) Smitli, whu were l)orn and reared in 
Pennsylvania. The father of Lucinda Barkley Smith was a soldier in the 
\\^ar of 18 1 2. William J. Smith removed with his family to Grant county, In- 
diana, and in 185 1 migrated further westward to Bureau county. Illinois, 
where he made a permanent settlement, and died in that county in 1869. Lu- 
cinda (Barkley) Smith died in Illinois in 1862, at the age of sixty-two years. 
They were the parents of the following children : Mrs. Margaret Pugh ; Alvah, 
a veteran of the Civil war: Mrs. Lucinda Sjiangler: Isaac. Joseph, and William 
R. Thomas B. Smitli, the father of Albert J., was ei.ght years old when the 
family removed to Bureau county, Illinois, where he spent his boyhood days 
and received a common school education, finishing in the Dover (Illinois) 
Academy. On the second call for volunteers issued by President Lincoln, 
he enlisted in Company B. Ninety-third regiment, Illinois infantry. He took 
part in a number of decisixe and important battles and campaigns. Among 
them arc. Jackson, Miss., and Dalton, Ga. On May 16, 1863, while serving 
in General McPherson's corps, he fought at the battle of Champion Hill and 
was severely wounded in the left shoulder. He was forced to remain in the 
hospital for some time and after his recovery he was placed on guard duty 
for the purpose of gtiarding the railroad bridges. .At tlie close of the war he 
was honorably discharged and returned to his home in Bureau county, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 619 

Illinois. After his marria^u^c in t866, he continuecl tn farm in Illinois until 
1874, when he removed to Kansas, locating^ first in Brown county, where he 
and his famil\- lived for six years, and then came to Atchison county, where 
Mr. Smith purchased a farm of i6o acres in Grasshopper township, northeast 
of the town of Muscotah. He resided on this farm for twenty years and then 
moved to Effingham in 1900. He died in Effing-ham, November 29, T914. 
Mrs. Mary E. (Woodruff) Smith, his wife, was a native of New Jersey, and 
a daughter of Nathan and Delia Woodruff. 

Thomas B. Smith was married January 24, 1866, to Mary E. W^iodruff, 
at Princeton, 111. They were the parents of nine children, six of whom are 
living: Mrs. M. E. Beven, of Muscotah. Kan. ; Mrs. H. T. Reece, of Muscotah ; 
Mrs. J. C. Harman, of Auburn, Neb.; Albert J., the subject of this review; 
C. E., cashier of the Huron Bank, and T. B., of the Exchange National Bank 
of Atchison. Three daughters are deceased : Lettie, Gracie and Goldie. Mr. 
Smith was an enterprising and progressive citizen who did his duty in what- 
ever community he was located, during his long and useful life. While a 
resident of Grasshopper township he served as township trustee for four 
years. He was a member of the city council of Effingham one term, and 
filled the office of mayor for one term, and also proved his efficiency as a 
member of the Atchison County High School board for two terms. He was 
an honored member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, .Ancient Order 
of United Workmen and the Grand Army of the Republic, at Effingham. 
He was a stockholder and director of the banks at Lancaster and Huron, Kan. 
Mr. Smith was a member of the Presbyterian church for over fifty years. 
Mrs. Smith, the widowed mother, was born in New Jersey, in November, 
1845, and now resides in Atchison. 

Albert J. Smith was reared on the farm of his father ,ind attended the 
district school in District No. 23. Grasshopper township, and later entered 
the Atchison Count}- Higii School, Effingham, and was graduated in 1897. 
After his graduation he taught school in his home district for two terms, and 
in 1900 he received an appointment as clerk in the census bureau at Washing- 
ton, D. C, and served for two years in that capacity. He then returned to 
Effingham and entered the State Bank of Effingham, as assistant cashier 
and bookkeeper. He made a fine record for himself in this baiik and in July, 
1905, was one of the organizers of the Fanners and Merchants State Bank of 
Effingham, and held the office of cashier from the time of its opening until 
1909, when he resigned his position and removed to Lancaster, where he be- 
came cashier of the Lancaster State Bank. Mr. Smith, in addition to his 



620 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

banking interests, is the owner of eighty acres of good land in Kapioina 
township, Atchison county. 

Albert J. Smith was married in 1899 to Elizabeth R. Smith, and to 
this union have been born the following children : Dorothy, deceased ; Gladys, 
Elizabeth and Albert, all living at home. Mrs. Elizabeth (Smith) Smith, 
was born on a farm in Grasshopper township, February 26, 1879, and. like 
her husband, is a graduate of the Atchison County High School. She also 
taught school for two years. She is a daughter of James K. and Elizabeth 
(Asquith) Smith, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the mother a na- 
tive of England, and early settlers of Atchison county. Both are now deceased. 

Mr. Smith has identified himself with the civic affairs of Lancaster and 
is recognized as one of the town's leading and enterprising citizens. He is a 
Republican and has served four years, from 191 1 to 1915, inclusive, as mayor 
of Lancaster. His administration was successful and the affairs of the city 
were conducted with efficiency. He is a regular attendant of the Presbyte- 
rian church, and is affiliated with the Anti-Horse Thief Association, the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern ^^'oodmen of America, and the 
Knights and Ladies of Security. 



JOHN E. DUNCAN. 



There is a proverbial saying that opportunity knocks once at every man's 
door, and a classic has been written by a great Kansas statesman, since de- 
parted from among us, which tells in musical language that Kansas spells 
opportunity for the young man. Opportunity presented itself to John E. 
Duncan. Missouri Pacific agent, at Shannon, Kan., and Mr. Duncan seized it, 
and held on for all he was worth, and made a success of his venture. His 
aml)ition first was to become a railroad man and telegraph operator, and 
probably in the early stages of his career the post of telegraph operator seemed 
to him to be the great height of attainment. He realized his first dream, and 
when he came to Shannon, Kan., to take charge of the Missouri Pacific busi- 
ness at that place, he conceived the idea of engaging in the buying and ship- 
ping of grain. This idea grew and he became a grain buyer and shipper, 
built an elevator, established a general store, opened an implement establish- 
ment, and became a prosperous and trusted business man of his adopted 
county. It is a fact that more grain is shipped from the little village of Shan- 
non through the agency of Mr. Duncan than any other point in Atchison 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 621 

county, outside of tlie city of AtclTison. Mr. Duncan enjoys the respect, 
esteem and confidence of tlie prosperous farmers of the section trihutary to 
Shannon, and they trade with him because of this confidence in his square- 
ness. A few years ago, when real hard times struck Kansas as a resuh of the 
droughts, Mr. Duncan showed his hearty good will and confidence in the 
eventual betterment of conditions by placing his trust in his farmer friends, 
and supplying such of those who were not blessed with ready cash, with credit 
for supplies at his store, and carried them until they were able to pay. This 
kindness has been appreciated, and the most cordial relations exist between 
Mr. Duncan and his patrons. 

John E. Duncan was born March 21, 1863, in Moro, Madison county, 
Illinois. He is a son of John and Mary (Hooley)' Duncan, who had eight 
children, three of whom are now dead. The father was bom in December, 
1818, in Ireland. He left his native land in 1846 and sailed for New York. 
He engaged in fanning in New York State, and was married two years later. 
In 1851 he came to Illinois and remained there until i8gi. The mother of 
John Duncan was born in Ireland, also, in 1827. In 1848 she left there with 
a brother, William, and came to America. She died in 1907. Both parents 
were members of the Catholic church. The subject of this sketch was reared 
on the farm of his father and attended the grammar schools of Madison 
county, Illinois. When he grew to be a young man the long days of labor 
on the farm palled on him and he longed to get into different work. He 
had always had an ambition to become a telegrapher and when he was twenty- 
one years old he had a chance to learn that work. He worked as telegrapher 
for the Chicago & Alton Railroad Company until 1887, when he went to 
Everest, Brown county, Kansas, to ])ecome night operator for the Missouri 
Pacific Railroad Compan}'. In the fall of 1887 he was sent by the same com- 
pany to Shannon, Atchison county, Kansas, to become the agent for the Mis- 
souri Pacific there. In 1892 he went into the grain business. He bought and 
sold grain for eight years, and at the end of a successful business period he 
erected the grain elevator at Shannon. This proved a profitable investment, 
and in 1907 he invested in a general merchandise store which he conducted 
until August, 191 5, when his store building and stock were destroyed by fire, 
which was caused by lightning. Mr. Duncan has recently completed a hand- 
some new store building of cement blocks, 36x56 feet in size, which 
is attractively finished throughout and is well stocked with goods. In 
the fall of 191 5 Mr. Duncan installed a line of agricultural implements and is 
the real merchant prince of his section of the county. Besides his business 



622 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

interests he is the owner of 200 acres of land in Macoupin county, IlHnois, a 
nice residence in Shannon, and several town lots. - 

Mr. Duncan was married in 1890 to Margaret V. Clark, and to this 
union the following children have been born : John, associated witli his father 
in business; Kathrine, aged sixteen years; Margaret, eleven years old; 
Bernadette. aged nine : and Dorothy, four years of age. all of whom are liv- 
ing at home with their parents. Mrs. Duncan is a daughter of Mathias and 
Katherine (O'Grady) Clark, both of whom were born and reared in Ireland, 
and emigrated from their native land to i\merica. She was graduated from 
the school of telegraphy at St. Louis, Mo., in 1889, and assisted her husband 
in his work at Shannon. Mr. Duncan is a Democrat and he and his family 
are members of the Catholic church. He is a member of the Knights of 
Columbus, of Atchison, Kan. 



WILLIAM SCHAPP. 



\\'illiam Schapp, a Civil war veteran and an Atchison county pioneer, is 
a native of Germany. He was born in W'yler, Germany, January 26, 1840, 
and is a son of Peter and Margaret (Bonus) Schap]). The Schapp family 
immigrated to America in 1854, landing at New Orleans, La. They re- 
mauied there but a short time, however, when they came up the Mississippi 
and Missouri rivers by boat and located at Weston, Platte county, Missouri, 
where a brother of Mrs. Schapp had located some time previously. Here the 
father entered the dairy business and prospered and the parents moved to 
Atchison, Kan., in 1868 and died in Atchison. 

\\'illiam Scha])p received a common school education and grew to man- 
hood in Platte county. He entered the employ of James Steele, an extensive 
land owner, as overseer of his estate, and was thus employed when the Civil 
war broke out and soon after the beginning of hostilities. Mr. Schapp was 
drafted into the Confederate service. I'nur days after he became a Confed- 
erate soldier, his company was encamped on the b.inks of the Missouri river 
near latam, Mo. Young Schapp began to lay plans to escape, as he was a 
Union man at heart, and he had made up his mind that if he was going to 
serve in the antiy that he would «er\-e under the stars and stripes. On the 
night he escaped the lieutenant of the company was killed accidentally while 
showing the men how to use a gun, and during the excitement incident to the 
killing, Mr. Schapp made his escape. During the niglit he secured a boat 



« 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 623 

with one oar and drifted down the river, landing at Ft. Leavenworth. Here 
he lost no time in enlisting in Captain Black's comiiany which afterwards 
became a part of Company B. Eighth Kansas regiment. The following night 
he piloted this company across the ri\-er to latam where they sur])riscd and 
captured the Confederate company of which he had been a member the clay be- 
fore. This act won from him the intense hatred of the members of the Confed- 
erate company, and even after the close of the war members of that company 
attempted ti> take his life. After serving about a nmnth in Captain Black's 
company, he joined Company H, Eighteenth Missouri regiment and partici- 
pated in a number of important engagements. After the battle of Shiloh 
he was promoted to sergeant major. He was with Sherman on his 
march to the sea. and during that campaign, while at Decatur, Ala., his term of 
enlistment expired and he received special permission to accompany General 
Sherman's army through the campaign. On arriving at Savannah, Ga., he 
was placed in charge of fourteen soldiers whose term of enlistment had ex- 
pired and was the first to arrive in New York City, where they were met by 
bands of music and were treated royally by the people. He then returned to 
his former home in Platte county, but the secession spirit was so strong and so 
much antipathy was shown him on account of his loyalty to the Union that he 
decided not to remain, and accordingl)-, came to Atchison. The second night 
after arriving home he was warned by a friendly member of the Confederate 
company he had deserted to leave at once, as plans had been made to hang him. 
He left at once on the next train. He had saved about $800 during the war 
and loaned it to his uncle, John Bonus, who was engaged in the brewery busi- 
ness, and through a failure, Mr. Schapp lost every dollar of his savings. He 
then entered the employ of Julius Holthaus, who conducted a saloon and a 
grocery store. About a year later he engaged in the manufacture of brick in 
partnership with Jacob Nash. About five years later he engaged in the ice 
business, which he conducted about six years. He then bought a farm north 
of where the orphans' home is located, where he remained for twelve years, 
when he sold his farm and removed to Atchison, and engaged in the real es- 
tate business and has since been engaged in that business. Mr. Schapp has 
been very successful and has accumulated considerable property. 

He was married in February, 1865, to Miss Margaret, a daughter of 
Gearhardt Kunders, a pioneer settler of Weston, Mo. Eight children have 
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Schapp, as follows: Peter P. resides in California: 
Dora F. resides at home; Mrs. Theodore Geritz, Atchison county; Mrs. Theo- 
dora Arensberg, Atchison; Mrs. Henry Wersling, Atchison county, and Al- 
bert A. ; William H., deceased ; Maggie, deceased. 



624 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Mr. Schapp is one of the old timers of Atchison, and has seen that town 
develop from a Httle settlement on the bank of the Missouri river to the 
great prosperous commercial center that it is today. He has taken an active 
part in the political life of Atchison, and for seven years was a member of the 
city council, and served two years on the Atchison school board. Mr. Schapp 
cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln for President, and has been a stanch 
adherent to the policies and principles of the Republican ])arty since that day. 
He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. 



THOMAS LINCOLN BLODGETT. 

The passing of a good, industrious citizen from this mundane sphere to 
the realms of a higher and better life beyond the grave is always saddening, 
especially if his demise occurs while yet in the prime of his vigorous man- 
hood. Such a one was Thomas Lincoln Blodgett, late of Mt. Pleasant town- 
ship, who, though not permitted to dwell upon this earth the allotted time 
decreed for mankind, accomplished in the brief time he was actively engaged 
in agricultural pursuits more than the average man, and will long be remem- 
bered for his many excellent qualities by those who knew him best. 

Thomas Lincoln Blodgett, late of Mt. Pleasant township, was born July 
27, i860, and lived and died in the township in which he was born in Atchison 
county, his demise occurring May 4, 1905. He was a son of George M. and 
Mary (Cline) Blodgett, his father having been born and reared in Michigan 
and came to Kansas when the State was created in the late fifties. 

George M. Blodgett, the father of Thomas Lincoln Blodgett, was born 
in Livingston countv. New York, October 6, 1834, a son of George A\'. and 
Lucinda (Garfield) Blodgett, and was a grandson of Thomas Blodgett. 
Thomas Blodgett, who was a soldier under Washington and fought for the 
independence of the American colonies, lived in Vermont, where he was a 
blacksmith and a fanner. He went to Michigan in 1856 and remained there to 
be near his son, George \V., who iiad settled at Kalamazoo about 1846. Mr. 
Rowel, the father of Thomas Blodgett's wife, was also a Revolutionary sol- 
dier. The children of Thomas Blodgett were named George W., Riley and 
Jared. l\iley went to Rhode Island and became connected with shipping inter- 
ests, navigating waters in the vicinity of Newport. Thomas died in Mich- 
igan in 1859, aged ninety years. 

George W. Blodgett, the father of George M., was born in Vermont in 



I 




'V. 





^ 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 625 

1800, and died in 1880, aged eighty years. His wife, Lucinda, was a daugh- 
ter of Solomon Garfield, of Ontario county. New York. She died in 1849, 
leaving the following named children : Orinda, who married Thomas San- 
ders ; George M. ; Emma, who was Mrs. Nathan Allen, of Michigan, and 
John, deceased. 

The education of George M. Blodgett was limited and he became used 
to hard work at an early age. He worked as hired hand and at logging in 
the pine woods of Michigan. When twenty-one years of age he left home 
and went to Winnebago county, Illinois, and took charge of a quarter section 
of land for which he had traded. Not liking his prairie surroundings he 
traded his farm for a small tract now within the limits of the city of Moline, 
111. He remained here for four years ; then be traded this farm for a fami 
in Iowa which he sold. With his small means he came to Kansas, arriving 
in Atchison April 5, 1855. He took up a claim and bought land from the 
Delaware Indian lands and began developing his farm. 

When volunteers were called for at the outbreak of the Civil war, Mr. 
Blodgett offered himself for the defense of his country's honor and was 
accepted as a member of Company F, Thirteenth regiment, Kansas infantry, 
(Colonel Bowen's regiment), of the Seventh army corps, which was mustered 
into service at Leavenworth, Kan., and was in the militarv department of the 
West. Mr. Blodgett was a sergeant of his company and participated in manv 
battles fought by his regiment in Missouri and eastern Arkansas and was 
once wounded by a bursting shell. 

George M. Blodgett was married in 1857 to Mary E. Cline, a daughter 
of Henry Cline, an early settler of Atchison county. The children born to 
this union were: Thomas Lincoln. Frank F., Frederick, Luther, Mrs. Lavina 
Lawler, Mrs. Jessie Ellerman, and Lulu. The father of Tliomas Lincohi 
Blodgett became quite wealthy and accumulated 500 acres of land. He served 
as deputy sheriff of the county in 1856 and filled many offices of trust in 
Mt. Pleasant township. 

George M. settled on a pioneer farm in Mt. Pleasant township Avhich 
he developed, reared a family, and died in the home which he built to house 
his family. He was the father of seven children, of whom Lincoln was the 
eldest. 

Thomas Lincoln Blodgett was named in honor of Abraham Lincoln, who 
was greatly admired by the elder Blodgett. He was reared to voung man- 
hood on his father's farm and learned to become an excellent farmer and 
stockman. After his marriage in 188 1 he and his young wife lived on a 
farm owned by his father for four years, when they purchased 120 acres of 

40 



626 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

land which formed the nucleus for a large farm which was later increased to 
400 acres, now owned by Mrs. Blodgett. The first tract was bouglit on time, 
but by industry, economy and self-denial on the part of the ambitious couple, 
the debt was soon paid off and additional acreage was gradually added as the 
years went on. Mr. Blodgett was a successful live stock feeder and frequently 
fed one or two carloads of cattle on his farm each year. He was noted as a 
good judge of cattle and made money in his operations. The Blodgett farm 
is well improved and is considered to be one of the best in Atchison county. 

He was married August 18, 1881, to Miss Ella Hudson, and to this mar- 
riage have been born five children, as follows : Robert, a farmer, near Cum- 
mings, Atchison county. Kansas: George, managing the home farm; Elmer, 
Mabel and Stella, at home with their mother. Stella is attending the high 
school at Potter. Mrs. Blodgett was born May 20, 1862, in Illinois, and is 
a daughter of Cyrenus and Elizabeth (Shaw) Hudson, the former of whom 
came to Kansas in 1867 with his family. Cyrenus Hudson was a native of 
lUinois who made good in Kansas, and at one time was the owner of 900 
acres of land in Atchison and Jefferson counties, Kansas. In 1901 he re- 
moved to a home in Potter, where he is living retired. With other live citi- 
zens of the thriving town he has taken an active part in the upbuilding of his 
adopted city. 

During his life and ever since he attained his majority, Thomas Lincoln 
Blodgett was allied with the Republican party and took a prominent part in 
political and civic affairs in his home township and county. He was a pro- 
gressive citizen as well as a successful and progressive farmer who was always 
in favor of matters which had for their intent the betterment of the public 
welfare and the advancement of the citizenship of Atchison county. He was 
ever ready to do his part in educational matters and was a member of the 
local school board. He was fraternally allied with the Modern Woodmen 
lodge, and was blessed with many warm friends and well wishers who 
esteemed him as a man and citizen. He was a kind parent who loved his 
Avife and children and highly prized his home life and surroundings, and was 
ever striving to make liis family happy and comfortable. 



JOHN R. OLIVER. 



John R. Oliver, deceased pioneer of Atchison county, was born in Cayuga 
county. New York. April 5, 1825. and was a son of William Oliver, a native 
of Scotland, who emigrated from his native land when a youth. John R. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 627 

was educated in the schools of his native county and State and learned the 
carpenter's trade. He was married January 3, 1850, to Helen M. Packard, 
who was born in New York State February 17, 1832, a daughter of Thaxton 
Packard, of English extraction, who married a lady of Holland descent. 
After John R. and Helen Oliver were married they settled at Sterling Center, 
Cayuga county. New York, where Mr. Oliver worked at his trade of con- 
tractor and builder until 1856. when he and his wife and two children came 
west and settled on a farm near the western border of Atchison county, in 
Grasshopper township. They became a part of the Cayuga settlement, made 
up of several families who had migrated from their nati"\'e county in New 
York State. There are only four of the original Cayuga colony living, as 
far as known : Fred L. Oliver, Frances Josephine Anderson, of Atchison ; Mrs. 
Frank Boyington, of .\tcliison county, and brother, Samuel Adams. John 
R. Oliver came first, and in the fall of 1857 he sent back for his wife and 
two children to join him. Mrs. Oliver and the children boarded a steamboat 
on Lake Erie and made the voyage by wa)- of the Great Lakes to Chicago, 
going from Chicago to Leavenworth, Kan., and thence by steamer to Atchi- 
son, from which place they were taken across the county to the new home 
in the Cayuga settlement, by a man named Sandy Coburn. The family li\ed 
in the settlement for about six years and then moved to Leavenworth, Kan., 
where they resided until Mr. Oliver's death, in 1906; the wife and mother 
died in 191 1. John R. Oliver served in the Kansas State militia during the 
Price invasion, but was unable physically to withstand the rigors of the cam- 
paign which resulted in Price's armv of invasion being driven southward. He 
was an ardent Republican in politics and was a follower and supporter of 
Abraham Lincoln, to whom he was related by marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Oliver 
were the parents of the following children : Fred L., born in Sterling Center, 
N. Y., November 8, 185 1. now residing in Atchison with his sister, Mrs. 
Anderson: Parthenia K., widow of Wesley Chaffee, a nephew of General 
Chaffee, was born August 8, 1861, and now resides in Leavenworth, Kan. 

Frances Josephine Oliver Anderson was born March i, 1855, and was six 
years of age when the family moved to Leavenworth. She received her edu- 
cation in the public schools of Leavenworth and was married there on May 8, 
1873, to James A. Anderson, who was bom March 16, 1849, in Loudon 
county, Virginia, about twenty miles south of Washington, D. C. .An 
anecdote which tells of the stirring and troublesome times in the beginning of 
the Civil war is here worth recording. When a child on the farm in .Atch- 
ison county. Mrs. Anderson and her teacher, Miss Missouri Batsell, stayed all 
night at the home of the Reece family, as it was unsafe to be abroad after 



628 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

dark. This was in the fall of 1861. Mr. Reece, the head of the family, was 
verv ill. Along about dark the people of the Reece home heard a furious 
noise of veiling and shooting outside. The noise makers rapped on the door 
with the butts of their guns, and when Mrs. Reece opened the door it was 
ascertained that the night prowlers were a band of Bushwhackers who de- 
manded a meal. She told them that her husband was very ill, and that 
she had nothing cooked which would suffice for a meal. They swore at her, 
and after talking the matter over decided to go to the barn and steal the horses 
for their own use. The gang went toward the bam, and another altercation 
arose among them which resulted in the killing of one of the men who had 
counseled them not to steal the horses. A dead body was thrust through 
the doorway and slid part way across the floor after a shot was fired. Mrs. 
Anderson has never forgotten the horrors of that night. 

James A. Anderson was a son of Charles W. and Mary Francis (Hough) 
Anderson, both of whom were members of ver>' old and prominent families in 
Virginia, the Hough family being large plantation and slave holders. Charles 
W. Anderson was profoundly opposed to the institution of slavery, and was 
high in the councils of the Democratic party. He was a thirty-second degree 
Mason and was a personal friend of men high in the Government affairs at 
Washington, D. C. A son, Fleming Anderson, was killed by Mosby's guerril- 
las while at home from the war on a furlough, and was shot as he ran out 
of the door of his home. Charles W. Anderson was a paymaster in the 
Union army and was killed by robbers while on official duty. After the 
death of the father of the family, James A., with his widowed mother and 
sister. Mrs. Captain Spence. Charles W'., and C. C. Anderson of the trans- 
fer company, of Atchison, came to Kansas, first residing at Topeka, then at 
Lawrence shortly after Ouantrell's raid. James was but seventeen years old 
at this time, and being the eldest son was the actual head of the family. When 
still a young man he engaged in the transfer business and took a contract 
from the Government to supply Ft. Leavenworth with fuel, and while ful- 
filling his contract with the Government, and transporting goods to and from 
the fort, he met and fell in love with his future wife, Frances Josephine Oliver, 
and the marriage took place as stated in the preceding paragraph. After the 
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Anderson lived in Lawrence. Kan., until their removal 
to Atchison, in July of 1873. Mr, Anderson continued in the transfer busi- 
ness and established the Anderson Transfer Company. He had associates at 
various times, but was always at the head of the company. He died July 12, 
1906. His widow, Mrs. Frances Josephine Anderson, is one of the best 
known ladies of Atchison and is prominent in social and religious circles. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 629 

When thirteen years of age she became a Christian and became a mem- 
ber of the Atchison Methodist Episcopal Church in 1883. She has been 
actively and prominently identified with the church work for many years, and 
has been especially successful as a teacher of boys. She is a class leader of 
the church and a member of the official board, and was captain of one of the 
teams which raised a $43,000 fund to provide for the erection of the new 
Methodist Episcopal church building. She is a charter member of the Ep- 
worth League and is a singer of ability, ha\-ing sung in the Methodist Episco- 
pal church choir for thirty years. In 191 1 she began her evangelical career, 
in which chosen field she is achieving marked success. Mrs. Anderson is a 
member of the Knights and Ladies of Security and is affiliated with the 
home and foreign missionary societies of the Methodist Episcopal church. 



LEO NUSBAUM. 



Faithfulness to duty and perseverance invariably bring their reward. Give 
a trul\- ambitious young man an opportunity to advance himself, and he will 
succeed. The opportunity was given to Leo Xusbaum, vice-president of the 
Dolan ^Mercantile Company of Atchison, and he has made a success of the 
business in which lie began at the lowest rung of the ladder. Entering the 
employ of the firm of which he is now one of the important heads, he worked 
his way steadily upward until he is now one of the recognized business factors 
in the city of Atchison. 

Leo Nusbaum was born in Poweshiek county, Iowa, December 6, 1877, 
and is the son of Frederick and Eva (Link ) Xusbaum, both natives of Ger- 
many. Frederick Nusbaum was born in the Fatherland in 1855, and came 
to America in 1869, when a boy fourteen years of age. He worked as a 
farm hand in Iowa, and eventually owned a farm of his own. From Iowa he 
moved t<3 Nebraska where lie purchased and o])erate(l a farm. From Nebraska 
he removed to St. Joseph, Mo., where he was employed in a grain ele\-ator. 
He died in St. Joseph in 1903. 

He, with whom this review is directly concerned, was educated in the 
schools of Council Bluffs, and St. Peter's parochial school, and came to Atchi- 
son in 1898. On coming here he entered the employ of the Dolan Mercantile 
Company as office boy and packer. His first work consisted of prci)aring 
orders for shipment. After attaining proficiency in this department, he was 
promoted to the position of billing clerk and made a success in this department. 



630 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

being next advanced to tlie position of city salesman for the concern. All 
the while he was studying- the wholesale business, and gaining such a knowl- 
edge as would best fit him to take a more responsible position in the affairs 
of the company. His next important service was as the secretary of the 
companv. From this place it was but a step to the sales managership. Upon 
the demise of William F. Dolan. the founder of the wholesale business, in the 
year 191 3. Mr. Nusbaum became vice-president and one of the managers. He 
and his associates, in charge of the Dolan Mercantile Company's affairs, are 
capable and energetic men who are building up a more extensive business 
upon the broad and stable foundation erected by its late founder, whose 
example has Ijeen an inspiration and guide to the young men whom he took 
into his em]iloy and educated in the details of his extensive business. Mr. 
Nusbaum has justified the confidence and faith held in his ability by his 
employer, and is an able and dignified executive. 

Mr. Nusbaum was united in marriage with Gertrude Delaney. at Atchi- 
son, Kan., in 1900. She is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Delaney. To 
this union four children have l^een born, who are tlie pride of their parents, 
namelv : Leo. Mar\- Clare, Robert, and Frances. Mr. and Mrs. Nusbaum are 
members of the Catholic church and have a host of friends who esteem them 
for their many excellent qualities. Mr. Nusbaum is a director of the First 
National Bank of Atchison and a vice-president of the .\tchison Commercial 
Club and the Atchison Hospital. He is politically allied with the' Democratic 
party. His primary interests, however, are mainly concerned witli the grow- 
ing success of his firm, and the welfare and growth of his home city, and he 
is universally recognized as a citizen of worth and standing in the community. 
He was the most active force in the organization of the Atchison Commercial 
Club, called its first meeting and has lieen continuously one of its most 
aggressive members. 



CHARLES J. KEITHLINE. 



Charles J. Keithlinc. a prosperous farmer and stockman of Lancaster 
township. Atchison county. Kansas, is a native of the Keystone State, and is 
a descendant of an old .\merican family which traces its ancestry back to the 
Revolutionary days, when the founder of the family in America. Colonel 
Keithline. came from Germany, his native land. t<i America with P.an-in De 
Kalb. and assisted the colonial army to achieve American independence. 
Charles J. was Ixjrn in Luzenie county, Pennsylvania, July 9, 1857. a son of 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 63 1 

Samuel and Eliza (Hoover) Keithliiie, both of whdin were l)orn and reared 
in Pennsylvania and tliere ni;irried. Samuel Keilliline was a son of John 
and Mary (Neyhart) Keithline, who also lived in Luzerne county, Pennsyl- 
vania. The great grandfatiier of Charles J. was Joseph Keithline, who served 
in the War of 1812, and made buckskin breeches for the United States Gov- 
ernment, which were worn liy the I'nited States soldiers. He was a tailor 
by trade. Samuel Keithline learned the trade of wagon maker in his younger 
days and operated a wagon sliop at Hanover, Pcnn. He lived in his native 
State until 1884. when he migrated to Kansas and invested his capital in land 
in Shannon township upon wliich lie lived in retirement until his demise in 
iqoo, at the advanced age of eighty-two years. Samuel and Eliza Keithline 
were the parents of the following children: John A. died May 17, 1915, in 
Atchison, Kan. ; Samuel died in infancy ; Joseph died at the age of three years ; 
Charles J. : Augustus L.. Lancaster township; Sarah E.. in Shannon township; 
Emma Carlton, Franklin county. Kansas, and Mrs. Cora Riley. Atchison, Kan. 
The mother of Charles died in 1910, at the age of seventy-nine years. 

Charles J. Keithline. with whom this narrative is dirccth' concerned, was 
educated in the graded schools of Nanticoke, Penn., and worked as farm hand 
in Pennsylvania. In 1883, five years after his marriage in 1879, he migrated 
westward with his family to Kansas, and located on a farm in Shannon town- 
ship on the old home place. He rented land for twenty-eight years and 
finally became the owner of the fine farm which he is now cultivating. This 
farm is fitted with excellent improvements consisting of an attractive farm 
residence and excellent out-buildings, much of which has been erected or re- 
modeled by the proprietor. The 187 acres comprised in this farm are well 
and closely cultivated so as to yield the maximum of results. The farm is 
nicely located six miles west of Atchison on the Parallel road. Mr. Keith- 
line has been a breeder of Poland China hogs for several years and takes pride 
in the animals bred and raised on his place. 

He was married in 1879 to Frances Goss at Wilkes-Barre, Penn., and this 
union has been blessed witli tlie following children: Tra. a hardware dealer in 
Atchison, Kan.; Samuel, a farmer, living at home with his parents: Amy, de- 
ceased; Mrs. Elsie Vollmer. Bronson. Kan.; Frances, living at home; Grant, 
deceased ; Charles died in infancy. The mother of these children was bom 
in Pennsylvania in 1856, and was a daughter of Floren and Maria (Keyser) 
Goss, the former a native of Germany and the latter a native of Pennsylvania. 

Mr. Keithline is identified with the Heiiul)lican ])art\-, but has never been 
an aspirant for political ])re ferment. He and the members of his family are 
affiliated religiously witli the Methodist Episcopal church and contribute of 



632 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

their means to its support. He is fraternally allied with the Modern Wood- 
men lodge, and during his residence in this county has taken an active and in- 
fluential part in affairs which concern the welfare of the people in general. 



SHEFFIELD IXGALLS. 



Sheffield Ingalls is a resident and a native son of Atchison, having been 
born in that city ]March 28, 1875. He is a son of the late United States Sen- 
ator John James Ingalls. ]\Ir. Ingalls' ancestors, both paternal and maternal, 
were representative New England pioneers. The Ingalls family in America 
originated with Edmond Ingalls, who with liis brother, Francis, founded 
Lynn, Mass., in 1628. The mother of our subject was Anna Louisa Chese- 
brough, a direct descendant of William Cliesebrough, who emigrated to Amer- 
ica with John Winthrop in 1630. The paternal grandparents of our subject 
were Elias T. and Eliza (Chase) Ingalls, the former of whom was a first 
cousin of Meliitable Ingalls, the grandmother of President Garfield, while 
the latter, Eliza Chase, was descended from .Aquilla Chase, who settled in 
New Hamp.shire, in 1630. and who was also the ancestor of the late Chief 
Justice Chase. 

Sheffield Ingalls was reared principally in his native town and received 
his public school education at Atchison and at Washington, D. C. After 
attending Midland College at Atchison for four years he entered the Univer- 
sity of Kansas and was graduated in that institution in June, 1895. with the 
degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then studied law and was admitted to the 
bar in 1897, but as the profession did not "appeal to him he practiced but little 
and turned his attention to more genial pursuits. He early developed a pre- 
dilection for politics and became actively identified with the Republican party 
in both the city and county of Atchison at an early age. In July, 1898, he 
was appointed police judge of Atchison by Mayor Donald and, in April, 
1899, was elected to the same office for a term of two years, serving until 
April. 1901. In the spring of 1904 he was a prominent candidate for the 
Republican nomination for probate judge, but through the exigencies of poli- 
tics, instead of receiving the nomination sought for, he was nominated by 
the same convention for the legislature from tlic third representative district. 
However, at the election his opponent, Edward Perdue, defeated him by 
thirty-two votes. Two years later he was nominated again for tlie legisla- 
ture from the same district and received a tie vote with Alonzo Wilcox. The 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 633 

contest was decided Ijy lot in Topeka and I\Ir. Ingalls won. lie served as 
a member of se\'eral important committees and was made chairman of the 
committee on education. He cast his vote for Charles Curtis for United 
States senator, and in the work of that session became actively identified with 
that progressive element in the legislature which was known at that time as 
"the boss busters." He is in sympathy with all efforts to purifv politics and 
to raise the tone of public life and during that session he voted for all reform 
legislation. He is a man of deep convictions, a political and social reformer 
of exceptional ability and courage, and has always opposed machine politics. 
It was due to an obnoxious political machine's influence in local Republican 
circles at Atchison that Mr. Ingalls entered the arena of political strife in 
order to assist in effectively opposing said machine and to secure needed 
reform in political methods. Shortly after the adjournment of the legisla- 
ture Mr. Ingalls assumed the editorial management of the Atchison Champion, 
and for the following two years exposed through its columns the corruption 
in city affairs and fought against the domination of the city by a i)oliticaI 
ring. He then endeavored to purchase a controlling interest in the Chainpinn 
to enable him to be more aggressive in fighting corruption though its columns, 
but through various influences operating against him he was unsuccessful. 
In the fall of 1907 he originated and organized the Commercial State Bank 
and served as its vice-president until its consolidation with the Vns\. Xalional 
Bank, in the spring of 1910. He then organized the Commerce Investment 
Company, of which he was made president and continuously served as such 
until March 2, 1916, when he became the president of the Commerce Trust 
Compan)^ of Atchison, a company which is a development of Uie Commerce 
Investment Company. Besides the interests mentioned he is a director of 
the First National Bank and also of the Railway Specialty Company of 
Atchison. I-Ie was apjiojuted a memlier of the Ixiard of regents of the Kansas 
State normal schools by Go\ernor Stubbs in April, 1908. He is a member 
of the State Historical Society, and is a member of the Sons of the Revolu- 
tion. Fraternally he is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order 
of Elks. 

On January 9, 1901. was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Ingalls and 
Miss Lucy Cornell Van Hoesen, of Lawrence, Kan. To their union five 
children have been born: Robert Chesebrough, who died in infancy; Ruth 
Constance, Sarah Sheffield, John James, and Da\i<l Bagle. 

In 1912 Mr. Ingalls recei\'ed the Rc]niblican nomination for lieutenant- 
governor of Kansas and was elected, although the head of the State ticket 
was defeated. .It fell to Mr. Ing.dls' lot to preside over a Democratic senate, 



634 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

which he did in sucii a fair and impartial manner as to win tlie commendation 
of both Democrats and Repubh'cans. ( Copied from Blackiiiar's History of 
Kansas and ri-i'iscd bv R. M. Gibson.) 



E. P. PITTS, M. D. 



E. P. Pitts, M. D., a prominent Atchison physician and surgeon, and 
well known s])ecialist in diseases of the eye. ear, nose and throat, is a native 
of V'irg-inia. Dr. Pitts was born in Northampton county, \'irginia, Octo- 
Ijer 13, 1880, and is a .son of E. D. and Emory (West) Pitts, both natives of 
the Old Dominion. E. D. Pitts, the father, was a prominent lawyer and 
was successfully engaged in the practice of his profession for a number of 
years at Norfolk, Va. He was a son of Edward P. Pitts, who was also a 
])rominent Virginia lawyer of Northampton county, and for a number of 
years served as United States district judge in Virginia. He was a graduate 
of William and Mary's College, and Dr. Pitts still has in his possession the 
diploma which his grandfather received from that institution. The Pitts 
family is of English descent and traces its ancestry back to the Hon. William 
Pitt, Earl of Chatham. Dr. Pitt's mother belongs to an old Virginia family, 
and is also of English descent. 

Dr. Pitts was reared to manhood in his native State and received a good 
education. When he was eighteen years of age he went to St. Joseph, Mo., 
where two of his uncles, brothers of his father, were practicing physicians. 
Here, Dr. Pitts entered the Ensworth Medical College in i8q8. and was 
graduated in the class of 1902 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He 
then studied under, and practiced in conjunction, with Dr. Barton Pitts, his 
uncle, who is a noted specialist in diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat. 
Dr. Pitts then went to New York, and after spending six months in an eye 
and ear infirmary, he came to Atchison in the summer of 1902 and engaged 
in the practice of his profession. spccia1i;;ing in diseases of the eye, ear. nose 
and throat. Dr. Pitts has met with a marked degree of success in his chosen 
field of special professional work. Pie is a close student of the wonderful 
advances made in his profession and ranks as a leader. 

Dr. Pitts was united in marriage to Miss Beulah Judah. a daughter of 
Samuel Judah, of P)UchanrMi county, Missouri, and Dr. and Mrs. Pitts have 
one child. Spencer, born in 1907. Dr. Pitts is a member of the Masonic 
lodge and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 635 

JOHN FANKHANEL. 

John Fankhanel. deceased, was born June ii, 1822. in Saxony, Ger- 
many. When a youth he learned the blacksmith's trade which lie plied in his 
native village until 1862, when he immigrated to America, first settling in 
Weston. Mo., and later going to Ft. Leavenworth, where he was employed 
as a blacksmith by the United States Government. He saved his money. 
and in 1879 came to Atchison county and invested in 160 acres of land in Ben- 
ton township, located four miles northeast of Effingham. He improved this 
farm and cultivated it successfully for a numlier of years, and about the year 
1900 he turned it over to his son. Henry, and purchased the farm now owned 
by Gus Stutz. He resided on this place until his retirement to a comfortable 
home in Lancaster in 1901. where he died December 24, 1914, leaving a rep- 
utation for honesty and industry second to none in his neighborhood. Mr. 
Fankhanel was a member of the German Lutheran church. He was twice 
married, his first wife having been born in Germany, and died in Leaven- 
worth, Kan., leaving one son. Henry, now a farmer in Benton township. 

Mr. Fankhanel was again married in 1882, to Mrs. Emma Lindel, widow 
of Frederick Lindel. She was born in Bavaria, Germany, August 20, 1841, 
and lived in her native country until she was eighteen years of age, and then 
came to Illinois. Shortly after her arrival she married Frederick Lindel, 
also a native of Germany, and a farmer in Illinois. To tliis union were bom 
five children, two of whom are living, namely: Airs. Minnie Dorety, of 
Garfield, Okla. ; and Herman, a farmer, residing near Leavenworth, Kan. 
The marriage of John and Emma Fankhanel was without issue. 

Mrs. Fankhanel is a capable and worthy lady, who enjoys the respect 
and esteem of her neighbors and friends. She is kind and neighborly, and 
is ever ready to assist those of her acquaintances who are in need. She is 
living in Lancaster in comfortable circumstances, where she owns a good home 
and village property, and also a farm of sixty-five acres in Leavenworth 
county. She is a member of the German Lutheran church. 



EDWARD J. KELLY. 



Edward J. Kelly, cashier of the Farmers and Merchants State Bank, of 
Effingham, was born June 14, 1868, at New Brunswick, N. J., a son of 
James and Alice (Tobin) Kelly, both natives of Ireland. Upon immigrating 



636 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

to this countrj' in 1844 tliey made their first home in New Jersey, and from 
there came to Kansas in 1869, locating in Grasshopper township, where James 
met with wonderful success as an agriculturist. His first investment was for 
eighty acres of prairie land which he improved and gradually added to his 
holdings until he was the owner of 500 acres of good land. James Kelly 
accumulated his estate by the exercise of good judgment in his farming op- 
operations, hard labor, and the exercise of the strictest economy. At first 
he did not like the new country. Becoming discouraged, as many others did, 
after the bad years during the seventies, he sold out, but fortunately, as 
it later proved for him, he was compelled to take liack his land from the pur- 
chaser. He later changed his opinion concerning the future of Kansas and 
invested heavily in land at every opportunity. James Kelly was born in 1828, 
and died in 1894. His wife was born in 1830, and died in 1912. He first 
came to America in 1844 when I)ut sixteen years of age, and was married in 
New Jersey. The children of this estimable pioneer couple were : James, 
who died at the age of seven years; Lawrence P., a resident of Colorado 
Springs, Colo.; Edward J., and Mary E., residing in Effingham. 

Edward J. Kell}' was educated in the district schools and spent two 
years as a student in St. Benedict's College in Atchison. He lived on the 
old home place of his parents until 18S3, in the meantime improving one of 
his father's farms in Benton township, upon which he moved and resided 
thereon until 1894, at which time he married and moved on another farm 
which he owned in the same township. Mr. Kelly followed farming until 
1903, and then removed to Efiingham and engaged in the hardware and 
grain business for a period of five years. In 1909 he entered the State Bank 
of Effingham as bookkeeper and remained one year, when he became 
financially interested in the Farmers and Merchants State Bank, of which 
he is the present efficient cashier. 

Mr. Kelly was married February 16, 1898, to Mary Cieret}'. of Mon- 
rovia, Kan., a daughter of Richard and Sarah Rooney Cerety, natives of 
Ireland, who first immigrated to Indiana, and from there came to Kansas 
as early as 1856. Both are now deceased. The Gerety's settled on the prairie 
south of Monrovia, when Indians were camping in the neighborhood. They 
lived there all of their days and prospered. Richard Gerety died in 1906, 
and iiis widow removed to Effingham, where she died in 1910. They were 
the parents of the following living children: Mrs. Elizabeth (Berney ), 1 lor- 
ton, Kan. ; Thomas Gerety, near Nortonville, Kan. ; James, Everest, Kan. ; 
John, Wichita. Kan.; Margaret, Independence, Kan.: Richard, \\'ichita. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 637 

Kan.; Sarah, Colorado Springs, Colo. During- the Civil war 'Sir. Ceretv ])ur- 
chased horses for the United States Go\-ernment. 

It is not alone as a farmer, merchant and banker that Mr. Kelly has 
achieved a certain amount of prominence, but he has taken an active part 
in political affairs during his life and stands high in the councils of the Dem- 
ocratic party. He was elected to represent Atchison county in the State 
legislature in the session of 190Q, and during that session acquitted himself 
creditably as an honest and fearless legislator. He was a member of the 
committees on roads and highways, mines and mining, and judicial appor- 
tionments, etc., and has the unique record of never missing a roll call of the 
house while attending the session. Mr. Kelly has likewise shown his inter- 
est in his home city by serving on the city council for four years. His reli- 
gious affiliations are with the Catholic chu.rch. 

Fanners and Mcrcliants State Bank, Effinghmn , Kansas. 

This bank was organized in 1905, with a capital stock of $12,000, and 
officers as follows: President, U. B. Sharpless; secretary and cashier, A. J. 
Smith : \-ice-president, Fred Sutter ; dn-ectors, R. M. Thomas, J. W. Davis, 
C. N. Snyder, U. B. Sharpless, A. J. Smith. Since this time there have been 
some changes in the personnel of the official body governing the bank's 
affairs, and the present officers are as follows : President, Fred Sutter ; vice- 
president, L. T. Hawk: cashier, E. J. Kelly: assistant cashier, D. R. Gerety; 
directors, Fred Sutter, L. T. Hawk, .Alexander McKay, U. B. Sharpless; E. 
J. Kelly. The capital and surplus now exceed $15,000 and the bank averages 
in deposits over $120,000. In 1910 the bank erected a handsome brick build- 
ing on the corner of Main and Howard streets, which is fitted up with hand- 
some new fixtures and a new burglar proof vault of the latest construction at 
a cost of over $4,000. This I)ank is purely a local concern and is financed by 
local capital, all of the stockholders residing in Effingham and vicinity, and 
comprising the leading merchants and farmers of Effingham and the sur- 
rounding country. 



BENTON L. BROCKETT. 



Successful business man, upright citizen and Christian worker, are char- 
acterizations which aptly describe Benton L. Brockett, who has been estab- 
lished in the lumber business in Atchison for over thirty years. He began 
as a poor man with little capital, and has built up a splendid retail concern at 



638 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

1019 Main street. Mr. Brockett first established a small lumber yard at East 
Atchison in 1885, and six years later moved to Atchison. His buildings and 
warerooms occupy space 175x150 feet, and he employs six men and four 
teams to handle his extensive business. The concern supplies Atchison and 
vicinity with lumber, lime, cement, and builder's material, including cement 
blocks, and practically all materials used in building. The yard work mcludes 
the only cement working plant in the city wliich turns out cement blocks for 
foundation work and porches. 

Benton L. Brockett was born in Ashtabula, Ohio, September 5, 1864. 
His parents were Lewis B. and Lucy S. (Fisk) Brockett, natives of New York 
and Ohio, respectively. The Brockett family is of English origin, and the 
founder of the family in America first settled near New London, Conn. His 
descendants afterward located in the state of New York. Lewis B. was 
tlie son of Ambrose Brockett, who moved to Ashtabula county, and was one 
of the first settlers of the Western Reserve. Here Lewis was reared, and 
married Lucy S. Fisk, a daughter of an early settler of the Western 
Reserve. He became a merchant at Say brook, and served as post- 
master under President Cleveland's administration. He died at the ad- 
vanced age of eighty-six years. The mother of Benton L. is still living and is 
now over eighty-three years of age. To them were Ijorn three sons and three 
daughters, namely: James D., of Lincoln, Neb.; Haddie, the wife of Charles 
C. Parker, a resident of Portland, Ore.; Ellen F., residing in Ashtabula; and 
Amy, the wife of Charles Simon, of Ashtabula, Ohio; and two died in infancy. 

Benton L. was educated in the Ashtabula schools, and came west in 
1884, where he engaged in business, as stated in a preceding jiaragraph. Suc- 
cess has attended liis efforts, and he is universally recognized as one of the 
substantial men of the city. The account of tlie growth of 'Mr. Brockett's 
business is simply a narrative of his life work on t1ie material side, llis 
prosperity is well deserved, and has l^een accjuired by close application to liis 
affairs and sc^uare and honorable dealings witli his fellow men. Mr. Brockett 
was married on October 10, 1888, to Daisy Denton, a daughter of Henry 
Denton, an attorney of Atchison; she died July 15, 1898, leaving two sons, 
namely: Louis D., born Augxist 14, 1889. who is associated in the real estate 
and loan business with C. D. Walker, and married Tsabella. a daughter of 
Mr. Walker. The second son is Wallace James Brockett, liorn February 14, 
1895, and is a student at Baker University, at Baldwin, Kan. On July 23, 
1903, Mr. Brockett married Margaret Schriver, a daughter of Peter P. 
Schriver, of Cedar Point, Kan. To this union one child has been born, Helen 
Louise, born November 12, 1907. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 639 

Mr. Brockett has always espoused the principles of the Republican party, 
although his father was a Democrat. He has served his home city as a mem- 
ber of the city council, and has been generally active in all undertakings 
tending to advance tiie best interests of Atchison and make the city a better 
and more attractive place in. which to live. He is a member of the Ancient 
Free and Accepted Masons. It is in church work, however, that Mr. Brockett 
is most active, aside from his business affairs. Ever since coming to tlie 
West he has been identified with church and Sunday- school work, and is a 
prominent and active member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He sup- 
plemented his work in behalf of making better men and women of the grow- 
ing boys and girls of this locality in East Atchison, where he has conducted 
a mission school for the past four years. He is a trustee of his church, and 
has taken part in the work of the Sunday school for several years. The 
highest tribute that can be paid to him is that he is universally known as an 
earnest Christian, who has reared liis family to be valuable members of the 
community. 



JOHN STUTZ. 



John Stutz, one of the younger successful farmers of Center townsliip, 
Atchison county, was born Novemljer 5. 1870, on his father's farm in Lan- 
caster township. His parents were Christian and Kathrine Slutz, concerning 
whom a complete review is given in the biographies of Gustave and Christian 
W. Stutz. The reader is referred to these sketches for the history of this 
worthy pioneer couple, who were among the early settlers of the county. John 
grew up on the home farm and attended the public schools of Lancaster, re- 
maining at liome with iiis parents until 1898, at which time his father died and 
John was employed by the Cain Milling Company of Atchison for two months. 
He became heir to eighty acres of land as his share of the family estate, and 
began farming for himself. His farm was only partly improved by a small 
shack and granary. He at once set about to remedy conditinns on the land, 
and erected a substantial liome, a good barn and otlier out-buildings which are 
well kept. He built a two-story , five-room house, and in 1903 erected a fine 
barn, 48x30 feet in dimension. He has also added to his acreage, and now 
owns 160 acres of highly productive land. 

Mr. Stutz was married October 8, 1895, to Nora Walz, and to this union 
have been born three children, namely: Christian W., Grover J. and Lester E. 
all at home with their parents. Mrs. Nora Stutz was born August 24, 1876, 



640 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

on a farm in Shannon township, a dang-htcr of Charles and Margaret (Diehs- 
back) Walz. Charles Walz, the father, was twice married, his first wife 
being Kathrine Reidel, who bore him four children : Mrs. Rosa Buff, of 
Shannon township; Charles, deceased: Marj' married Fred Stutz, a member 
of the Atchison police force, and Kathrine, wife of Christian W. Stutz. By 
the second marriage of Charles Walz, that with Margaret Diehsback, there 
were born eight children, as follows : Margaret, wife of Gustave Stutz, of 
Lancaster township; Nora, wife of John Stutz, the subject of this sketch; 
Frederick, deceased; Mrs. Anna Hager, of Atchison; William, farmer. Shan- 
non township; Mrs. Clara Peterson, Atchison; Albert, Atchison; and Jerr}- 
resides on the old home place, in Shannon township. 

Mr. Stutz is a Democrat, and a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. 
Naturally he has a deep and abiding love for his home county, and thinks there 
is no place on earth better than Atchison county. His labor and interests 
have generally been given towards the welfare of his home county, and his 
standing in his community is assured, as a well respected and industrious citi- 
zen who has the respect and esteem of all who know him. 



A. S. SPECK. 



The Speck family is one of the oldest of the pioneer families in Kansas 
and the date of the settlement of A. S. Speck in Atchison county goes back to 
sixty years ago, when in September 20, 1855, Mr. and Mrs. Speck with their 
two children arrived at the banks of the Missouri river, after a six weeks' trip 
overland in a covered wagon from their old home in an eastern State. They 
crossed the river by ferry to the Kansas side and landed near old Sumner, 
traveled over the hills and finally stopped at a little log cabin, not far from 
Stranger creek, wliich stream is said to have received its name from an un- 
known man having been drowned in the stream some years previous. The 
Specks made a settlement in the county and experienced a great deal of trouble 
from the bortlcr ruffians and pro-slavery advocates because of the fact that 
Mr. Speck was a pronounced anti-sla\en' man. It was the aim of the border 
ruffians to intimidate or "get rid" of all Free State peope in order to gain 
their ends and make Kansas a slave State. A story concerning these troublous 
times is timely here. One afternoon Mrs. Speck glanced from her cabin door 
and saw a cannon facing the house and planted on a little knoll with aliout 
thirtv men surrounding the sinister looking weapon. They sent one of their 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 64I 

numl;er to the door of tlie cal)in to ascertain if Mr. Si>eck was at home. In 
reply to titeir question as to Mr. Speck's whereabouts, Mrs. Speck said, "If lie 
were liere he woukl never send his wife to talk for him." After a long- confer- 
ence the men went away, but returned that night and demanded the privilege 
of searching the house. All the weapon of defense Mrs. Speck had was an a.xe 
which she held in her hand wlien she opened the door. As the door was 
opened she asked for the rc\-olver held by one of the men who entered. Tliis 
he refused to do, but the leader of the gang, a man named Adkins, called out 
with an oath, "Give it to her, we will protect you." The gang searched the 
house thoroughly and were satisfied that the man they sought was not there. 
They then went away leaving the children crying in fear, and the mother so 
fearful of her life that she sat up the remainder of the night on the outside 
of the cabin with her babe in her arms, thinking they would return. Not long 
after this came the news of the Ouantrell raid and the burning of Lawrence, 
Kan., and Mr. Speck with others went to the relief of the sufferers. The ruf- 
fians returned to the Speck cal)in in the afternoon of the day of Mr. Speck's 
departure, but this time Mrs. Speck was armed with a gun which Mr. Speck 
had left with her. She also had another gun which had been given her by a 
neighbor named Martin, who had had similar trouble with the ruffians, who 
searched through Martin's cornfield for liim, and when the raiders would get 
near him he would slip away unseen to the rows through which they had al- 
ready searched and thus elude them. When the men saw the gun one of them 
insisted that she gi\e it up, and wrenched it from her hands. • She at once 
reached for the other gim which she kept hidden behind her and fired at lier 
assailant, frightening him so that he dropped the gun he had seized and ran 
from the \icinity of the home. The others who remained near tlie cannon saw 
on a high ridge some distance away what they thought was a companv of 
men coming to capture tiiem. They at once took flight and left hastilv. leav- 
ing behind them a long rope which was evidently intended to be used in hang- 
ing Mr. Speck. _ The small army seen in the distance later proved to be neigh- 
bors driving a herd of cattle. One little son of the family made a vow to whip 
Adkins when he grew up and had the later satisfaction of fulfilling his vow 
when still a boy. The old neighbor of "cornfield fame" still lives in practically 
the same locality. Pardee Butler, the famous Free State advocate, who was 
placed on a raft and .set adrift on tiie Missouri Ijy border ruffians, was an 
intimate friend of the Speck family. When the Civil war broke out and the 
call for volunteers was sent out by President Lincoln, Mr. Speck enlisted as 
lieutenant of Company F, Thirteenth regiment, Kansas infantry, in September, 

41 



642 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

1862, serving until his resignation, and later being appointed recruiting officer 
in August, 1863. 

Mr. and Mrs. Speck lived on their farm until death took them, the demise 
of Mr. Speck occurring in February, 1901. and that of Mrs. Speck occurring 
January, 1904. They are survived by eight children : William A., of Kay 
See, Wyo. ; Frank, James and Arthur, of Nortonville, Kan. ; Mrs. D. P. Bar- 
ber, of Cummings, Kan. ; Mrs. Joseph Hotchkiss, of Willow Springs, Mo. ; 
Mrs. S. W. Adams, of Atchison, Kan. 



ROBERT L. GRIMES. 



Robert L. Grimes, farmer and stockman, of Lancaster township, Atchison 
county, Kansas, is one of the representative and enterprising citizens of the 
county who have made good. He has been a resident of Kansas for the past 
forty-four years, and during that time has worked his way upward by his 
own unaided efforts and is now the owner of 350 acres of good Kansas soil. 
Of late he has practically retired from active farming, and has rented out his 
land, that he may lie able to take a well earned repose and enjoj- a life of 
leisure. 

Robert L. Grimes was born Februaiy 11, 1852. in Fayette count}', Penn- 
sylvania, a son of James and Margaret (Laughlin) Grimes, both of whom 
were born and reared in that county. The father was born May i, 1824, and 
was the son of Plenry and Sallie Grimes, who came of old pioneer stock in the 
Keystone State, and were of Scotch and German descent. Henry was a black- 
smith and made a good living for his family. James Grimes was reared in his 
native county, and when he grew up became a farmer. He tilled the soil in 
Pennsylvania until 1871, and then disposed of his holdings, and migrated west- 
ward, to Kansas, investing his cash capital in Lancaster township, where he 
bought 160 acres, located in sections 15, 5 and 18, Atchison county. There 
were little or no improvements on his land when he bought it, but with charac- 
teristic thrift, he improved the land and made it into a desirable place of resi- 
dence. Like others who came to the county in that early day he went through 
the "grasshopper era," and was discouraged for a time but licld on, and as a 
result became fairly well to do in the course of time, as better years followed 
the lean era. He lived on his farm imtil his demise in 1905, and at the time 
of his death was one of the well respected and best known citizens of his 
township. Grimes, senior, was married in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, to 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 643 

Margaret A. Laughlin. and this marriage was blessed b)- the following chil- 
dren : Robert Laughlin. subject of this sketch ; William, a farmer of Lancaster 
township; Elizabeth, deceased; John A., Huron, Kan.; Mrs. Sallie Hardin, 
Lancaster township, and Hugh L., Lancaster township. The mother of the 
foregoing children was born February' 12, 1828, and departed this life in 
1901. She left the impress of a noble and womanl}- character upon the lives 
of her children, who have all led exemplary li\'es and been a credit to their 
parents. She was a daughter of Robert Laughlin, a farmer of Pennsylvania. 

Robert L., with whom this review is directly concerned, was reared to 
young manhood on the family farm in Fa3-ette county, Pennsylvania, received 
his early education in the nearby district school, and at the age of nineteen 
years accompanied liis parents to the new home in this county. His first 
schooling was obtained in the Mt. Vernon district in his native count}-, and he 
also attended the school near his new home in Lancaster township, when not 
assisting his father in developing their Kansas farm. He remained on the 
home farm until he was twenty-seven years of age, and after his marriage, he 
launched into agricultural pursuits for himself by renting a tract of land for 
two years. His first efforts in his own behalf were successful and he then 
used his savings to purchase a tract of land in Lancaster township, south of 
Eden. His first investment was in a farm of 160 acres, which he improved as 
his prosperity continued to increase. By the exercise of industry, self-denial 
and good financial management, he has become the owner of 350 acres of fine 
land. This land has twenty-five acres of standing timber, which is a valuable 
asset when one considers that timber is almost a rarety in the greater part of 
Kansas. Mr. Grimes cultivated his land until 1914, when he decided to shift 
some of the burden which grew heavy as he felt himself taking on added 
years, and he accordingly rented it, but retains the supervision of the farm. 

For several years Mr. Grimes has been a breeder of Shorthorn cattle, and 
takes considerable interest in his fine stock. His success in farming is due to 
the fact that he has not been content to just be an ordinary farmer, but has 
endeavored to keep abreast of tiie latest developments in agriculture and has 
aimed to keep the best of live stock on his place. He has an excellent barn, 
32x60 feet in dimension, with a capacity of eighty tons of hay, and which 
cost over $1,500, despite the fact that most of the lumber used in its construc- 
tion was cut and sawed from the timber on his place. 

Mr. Grimes was married April 16, 1879, to Miss Viola Wilson, who has 
borne him two children: Mrs. Edith .Shufflebarger, living on a farm in Lan- 
caster township, and Mrs. Franketta Carson, whose husband is farming the 
Grimes farm land. Mrs. Grimes was l)orn in Lancaster township, December 



644 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

21, 1862, and is a daughter of Andrew and Xancy (Carpenter) \\'ilson, who 
came to Atchison county from Kentucky in the early pioneer days. Andrew 
Wilson was a Union veteran who saw valiant service during the Civil war. 
In political matters Mr. Grimes has always been identified with the Demo- 
cratic party, and has served as a member of tiie school board in his townslup. 
He attends religious services at the Methodist Episcopal church, and is 
a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. 



CHRIST KANNING. 



Tlie pro\erbial success of the members of the German race, who Iiave 
left the Fatherland in search of fortune in America, is well illustrated in re- 
viewing the career of Christ Kanning, of Lancaster township, Atchison 
county, Kansas. In a little more than a score of years, beginning with prac- 
tically no capital, Mr. Kanning has accumulated 240 acres of tlie best land in 
Atchison count}'. He is the owner of two well improved farms, and it was 
necessary for him to luiild practically all of tlie impro\ements on his home 
place since purchasing the land in 1893. 

Christ Kanning was Ijoni in \\"estphalia. a province of Prussia in the 
German Empire, May 20, 1854. He is a son of Henry and Christena (Poos) 
Kanning, who were the parents of seven children, three of whom are de- 
ceased. The parents spent their lives in tlie Fatherland. Christ Kanning is 
the only memlicr of the family li\'ing in Atchison county: two of the children 
live in Germany, and the other resides in Illinois. Christ received eight years 
of scliooling in his native land, became a farmer in W'estplialia, and in 1889 
left the old home and immigrated to Madison county, Illinois, where he 
worked as a farm liand four years. In 1893 he migrated westward, to Atch- 
ison county, and witii liis savings bought eighty acres of land in section 24, 
Lancaster township. This tract \vas improved at the time of purchase, but 
Christ, in keeping with the polic}' of his neighbors and the other enterprising 
farmers of tliis noted township, was not satisfied with the buildings, and has 
practically replaced all the original improvements with residence and barns 
more in keeping witli his ambition and prosperity. He has erected a large, 
eight-room residence, and a barn 40x46 feet, a granary, and a large 
windmill which pumps the water for his home and live stock. The 
Harry Searls place, wiu'cli he also owns, is a very well improved farm, and is 
located just one-half mile east of the home farm of Mr. Kanning. It is a well 
kept modern place. Mr. Kanning keeps graded stock on his place. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 645 

Mr. Kanning was married February 29, 1888, to Caroline Stahlliut. and 
tliis marriag;e has been lilessed with ^even cliildren. namely: Henry, deceased: 
Mrs. Christina Poos, Benton township; Mrs. Mary W. Poos, Benton town- 
ship; Bertha, Otto, William, and Ada, all of whom are at home with their 
parents. Mrs. Kanning was born April 27, 1869, in Madison county, Illinois, 
and is a daughter of Henry and Mary (Debtner) Stahlhut, both of whom 
were natives of Germany, immigrating to America and settling in Madison 
county, Illinois, where they died. Mr. Kanning is one of those citizens who 
believe in doing their own thinking in political affairs, and is not allied with 
any political party, voting for the man, regardless of his politics, and making 
up his own mind as to each candidate's personal fitness to abh' perform the 
duties of the office sought. He and his family are members of the German 
Lutheran church. 



THEO INTFEN. 



Thei) Intfen has l;een a resident of Atchison county for o\-cr lialf a 
century. He has seen the county transformed from a wilderness and un- 
broken prairie to a land of fertile farms and thriving cities and towns. Prac- 
tically all of his life has been spent within sight of, or within, Atchison, and 
be has witnessed and taken part in the wonderful growth of his home city. 
Nearly thirty years of his life have been spent in building up the immense 
furniture and house furnishing business now located in his own building at 
623-625 Commercial street. This business had its initial beginning in 1887 
in the old Municipal theater liuilding, under the firm name of Miller & Intfen. 
In 1890 the store was mo\ed to the west half of the Ramsey building, where 
it remained under Mr. Intfen's management until November 25, 1912, when 
it was removed to the present quarters. Mr. Intfen purchased the building 
and thoroughly remodeled it, erecting a new and modem front, and building 
an addition on the rear, 50x150 feet. A stock worth over $40,000 is carried 
on three floors and the basement. .\n immense credit business is handled 
in a successful manner, and nine men are employed by Mr. Intfen in the car- 
ing for the trade. Goods from the Intfen store are sold over a wide range 
of territory, the store having patrons located in Tennessee, Iowa, Florida, 
Philippine Islands, the Dakotas, Arkansas, Nebraska, Oregon, Illinois. Mich- 
igan, Oklahoma, and other states. He does an extensive business in Kan- 
sas and Missouri, and cares for a great many orders received from a distance. 



646 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

During the year of 191 3 he made over 757 shipments from Atchison to dis- 
tant railway points. Mr. Intfen is an extensive advertiser and believes in 
pubHcity for a healthy, growing concern such as he has built up. 

Theo. Intfen was born December 24, 186 1. in Weston, Mo., and is 
a son of William and Mary (Piekman) Intfen. of Prussia. The Intfen 
home was just across the Holland-Prussian line. William Intfen and his 
wife immigrated to America in 1853 and made their first home for a number 
of years at Weston, Mo. In October, 1862, they crossed the Missouri river 
by means of a ferry and located on a farm, two and one-half miles north of 
Atchison. The elder Intfen developed his farm and reared a family. At this 
time there were not many settlers in Atchison county, and the city was but 
a village. The first store of the'town was then doing business, and Theo 
Intfen can recall its appearance. Large trees stood on the site of many of 
the present business blocks. William Intfen became the owner of 180 acres 
of land, and was a prosperous farmer for those days. Mrs. Intfen died on 
the home farm in 1885. William Intfen came to Atchison after her death, 
and died in 1901, at a ripe old age. Five children were born to them, namely : 
John T.. a mercliant. 'of Atchison: Theo. the subject of this sketch; Mrs. 
Minnie Miller, living at 714 Laramie street: INIrs. .\nna Falk. of Andale, 
Kan. ; Henry died at the age of two years. 

Theo Inlfen was reared on the pioneer farm and attended the dis- 
trict school in his neighborhood. He assisted his father on the home place 
until he attained his majority, and then decided to do things for himself. He 
went to Kanopolis, Eldridge county, Kansas, and opened the first store in 
the town. He sold sixty-two dollars' worth of merchandise the first day he 
arrived from boxes in the street before getting into the store. He placed 
the first stock of goods in Kanopolis. and made the first sale of merchandise 
in the town. One year after establishing this store he sold out at a nice profit 
and retumed to Atchison, where he engaged in the furniture business, as 
before stated. His success has been due to pronounced ability as a salesman, 
and his excellent judgment in financial affairs, and a knowledge of what the 
people will buy, and the carrying out of his plan to supply patrons on the 
credit plan, which is optional with the customer. 

Mr. Intfen was ni'irried in 1893 to Miss F.mma Ziliold, and to this union 
has been born a daughter, Louise, born September 29, 1894. educated in 
Atchison and graduated from the Atchison Business College. From 19 12 
until her marriage she was her father's bookkeeper. She was married on 
October 17. H)i5. to LeRov .\. Osterbog. in charge of cost department of the 
Atchison Saddlery Company. Mrs. Intfen is a daughter of Merman Zibold, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 647 

a native of Germany, who first settled in St. Louis, then lived in St. Joseph, 
and from there came to Atchison. 

Mr. Intfen is an independent Democrat, politically, and does his own 
thinking as to what candidates he will support for office, when it is time for 
him to cast his ballots. While interested in good government, he does not 
take an active part in political affairs. He is strictly a business man, who 
has built up a monument to his own individual enterprise and energy through 
the development of the large Intfen store. He is likewise interested in his 
home citv and takes a just pride in the fact that he has done his share to 
assist the development of Atchison, and is proud of the knowledge that he 
has witnessed the growth of a beautiful and prosperous city from its very 
beginning. He is a member of St. Benedict's Catholic Church, and is affil- 
iated with the Modern Woodmen. 



THOMAS FINNEGAN. 



Thomas Finnegan, an Atchison county pioneer, who came to this county 
forty-eight years ago, is a successful farmer of Shannon township, and has 
resided on his present place for forty years. Thomas Finnegan is a native 
of Ireland, born in 1842, and is a son of Patrick and Hanora Finnegan. The 
father died when Thomas was less than a year old, and the mother came to 
this country, and died in Atchison county, at the home of her son, Thomas, in 
1899, at the remarkably advanced age of 102 years. 

When Thomas Finnegan immigrated to America, he first settled in Con- 
necticut, where he remained for five years. He then went to Iowa, remain- 
ing in that State for fifteen years. While living in Iowa he worked out by 
the month a great deal and often worked for as low as eight dollars per 
month. In March, 1867, he came to Kansas, and after spending a short time 
in Atchison county, removed to Doniphan county, and for about two years 
worked at breaking prairie land with ox teams. He followed farming about 
two years in Doniphan county, and was also interested in a threshing outfit, 
which he operated for a time, and in 1870 he returned to Atchison county, 
and in 187 1 bought 160 acres of land in Shannon township, where he has since 
been engaged in farming and has met with uniform success. He has one of 
the best farms in Atchison county, under an excellent state of cultivation, 
with a large producing orchard. Mr. Finnegan is a great lover of trees and 
timber, and in the early days in Kansas planted a great many trees, and now 



648 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

has a fine grove on his place, with many large maple, elm and walnut trees, 
as well as cottonwood, which adds greatly to the appearance of his place. 

During the war Mr. Finnegan was employed as a Government teamster, 
and in 1863 he drove transfer teams in St. Louis. He was married in 1869 
to Miss Anne Morley, a native of Ireland, horn in 1850. The following 
children have been bom to Mr. and Mrs. Finnegan: Nora married J. J. Slat- 
teiy. Shannon township; John resides in Atchison; Mary married Joseph 
Schlesbaum, Atchison; Thomas, Houston, Tex.; James resides in California; 
Margaret married Joseph Longan, Doniphan county ; Agatha resides at home, 
and Roger, farmer, Atchison county. Mr. Finnegan leans to independence in 
politics, and the family are members of the Catholic church. 



SAMUEL E. BALLINGER. 



Adjoining Atchison, to the westward there are many beautiful and 
well kept suburban homes. Along the road which borders Forest park 
on the west are some especially fine homes with well kept grounds, 
dotted with flowers and shrubbery, in striking contrast to the unkempt con- 
dition of the park upon which these suburban estates front. These homes 
make ideal places for people who have spent the greater part of their lives in 
farming pursuits, and, while wishing to be near the city, yet wish to have 
a larger space for a home setting than the thickly settled parts of the town 
would afford. In one of the beautiful homes fronting the highway resides 
Samuel E. Ballinger and his faithful wife and helpmeet, who have been resi- 
dents of Atcliison county for many years and arc both descendants of old 
eastern families. 

Samuel E. Ballinger was born September 7. 1843. "' Salem county. Xew 
Jersey, a son of John G. and Sarah .Ann (Reeves) Ballinger. flis paternal 
grandfather was also named John G.. wlio married a (juaker lady. His 
maternal grandfather was Stephen Reeves, a scion of an old eastern family, 
and in his day a leading ship builder of New Jersey. The father of Samuel 
E. was Ixirn in 1827 and died in 1906. During his life he was a miller and 
farmer and prominent in the affairs of Salem county. New Jersey. He was 
twice married, iiis first wife, Sarah Ann, dying in 1850. leaving three chil- 
dren : Stephen R., a retired miller of New Jersey, now deceased ; .Samuel E.. 
and Thomas E., residing in Atchison. John G. Ballinger's second wife was 






l» 







1 




HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 649 

Sarah Austin, who bore him the following children : John. Charles, Walter, 
Ella, Gertrude, Emma, and Minnie. 

Samuel E. received his education in the jjuhlic schools of his native 
county and State and early learned tn perform his share of the work required 
in the operation of his father's gristmill and farm. He hauled grist from the 
mill to town and to the patrons of his father's mil! and assisted in cultivat- 
ing his father's farm when yet a boy in years. When he attained young man- 
hood he was associated with his father in the lixx-ry and feed business at 
Camden, N. J., for a period of three years. He and his brother, Stephen, 
then bought the gristmill which they operated in partnership until 1871, fol- 
lowing which he farmed for one year and then disposed of all of his holdings 
with the intention of migrating to Kansas. He came to Atchison, Kan., with 
a capital of $350 which he invested in eighty acres of improved land, cost- 
ing him $2,400. This land was but partly improved, with a modest home of 
two rooms and a lean-to at the rear. He and his good wife by dint of 
economy and perseverance soon managed to pay off their indebtedness and 
to erect a rather pretentious dwelling, at the same time increasing their land 
holdings. Their first purchase was an eighty acre tract near the home farm, 
and they later bought a tract of 160 acres near Huron in Lan- 
caster to\\nship, wliicb they later traded for eighty acres near Shannon. 
Mr. Ballinger was the possessor at one time of 240 acres of well improved 
land. As age crept upon this worthy couple they gradually disposed 
of their land holdings until they retained but fortv acres of the home place, 
and they moved to .\tchison in September of 1907, where they invested in 
a beautiful suburban estate of five acres. Eater, when tbev disposed of the 
forty acre farm tbe\' added ten acres to the suburlian tract which has since 
become very valuable on account of its nearness to the city. 

Mr. Ballinger was married September 7. 1870, to Janie Louise Paxson, 
and to this union have been born children, as follows: Mrs. Evelina Lruicas- 
ter, of Severance, Kan., who is tlie mother of six children, namely: Samuel 
E., Sarah Catharine, William Andrew, Fred, Harry and Leonard; Mrs. Sarah 
Elizabeth Yaple, of Atchison, mother of children as follows : .Albert, Louise, 
Ruth, Esther (deceased), John, Edwin, Austin, Raymond, and Ernest, and 
twin boys, Harold Paxson and Herbert Ballinger. The mother of these 
children, Jane Louise (Paxson)' Ballinger, was born December 2, t8_| |, in the 
city of Philadelphia, daughter of Sanuiel W. and Catharine ( S])eer) I'a.x- 
son. Her father was the son of Irish parents and her mother was born of 
German ])arentage. Samuel W. was a carpenter by trade who was married 
in Camden, X. J., and plied his trade in that \icinil\- for manv vears. Tie 



650 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

served in behalf of the Union during- the Civil war in a Pennsylvania regiment 
of volunteers. A brother, Henry, served in the Tenth regiment of New 
Jersey volunteer infantry. 

Mr. Ballinger has always been a Republican in politics, but has never 
taken an active part in political matters. He is a member of the Central 
Protective Association. He is essentially a home man and takes a 
pride in keeping his attractive home in excellent condition, and car? be seen 
most any day working about the grounds surrounding the Ballinger home. 
Mr. and Mrs. Ballinger are a worthy couple, kind and indulgent with their 
children whom they have endeavored to rear so that they might lead upright 
nnd worthy lives in the community. 



CHARLES WILTJAM ROBINSON. 

Charles William Rol)insnn. county ph\sician of .\tcIiison county, assistant 
surgeon for the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, and one of the prom- 
inent and successful members of the medical profession in northeastern Kan- 
sas, is a native son of the Sunflower State and was Iwrn on his father's farm 
in Noble township. Marshall county. March i. 1890, a son of William 1~. and 
Mary (Critchfield) Robinson. His parents were born in Buchanan county. 
Missouri, his father in 1853, and his mother in 1857. William F. Roliinson 
Ijccame a resident of Kansas in the seventies, locating in Marshall county, 
where he engaged in farming and stock raising. He is one of the extensive 
land owners of that county, his properties exceeding 1.200 acres. He has 
been actively identified with the development of his section, is one of his 
county's most influential citizens, and has attained a secure position in its 
commercial, social and political life. Mr. Robinson has been married twice. 
Two children, James M. Robinson. M. D.. of Hiawatha, Kan : and T,ucille. 
now Mrs. Dr. A. E. Ricks, of Atchison, were born of the first marriage. 
Our subject. Dr. Charles W. Robinson, is the only child of the second 
marriage. 

Dr. Robinson received his earl}- educational discipline in the public 
schools of his native county, supplemented by a course in the Hiawatha 
.^cademy. He subsequently completed a course in Washburn College. To- 
peka. and then entered the medical department of Kansas University, from 
which he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, a member 
(if the class of 1913. I'olluwing his graduation, he located for practice in the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 65 1 

city of Atchison, wliere he fomied a iiartnership with Dr. C. A. F-illy. Shortly 
after engaging in the practice of his profession, he was appointed county 
physician, an unusual honor for a practitioner to receive during his first year 
of practice. That he has filled the office with credit is attested by his having 
been re-appointed in 1914, and again in 1915. Dr. Robinson has built up a 
very lucrative practice and is recognized as one of the most able of the younger 
members of the medical profession in his section of the State. The demands 
of his practice have not caused him to forego his habit of study. He keeps 
abreast of the advancement in medicine and surgery, and during the winter 
of 1914-15 completed a post-graduate course in diseases of children at the 
Nursery and Child's Hospital, New York City. He is a member of the 
Atchison County Medical Society, the Kansas State, and the .American Medi- 
cal Associations. He is also a member of Orient Lodge, No. 57, Ancient 
Free and Accepted Masons, of Topeka ; Atchison Lodge, No. 647, Benevolent 
and Protective Order of Elks; Atchison Aerie, No. 173, Fraternal Order of 
Eagles, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Royal Arcanum, Fraternal 
Aid, Kansas Fraternal Citizens, Homesteaders, Yeoman of America, and 
Ancient Order of United Workmen. 

Since becoming a citizen of Atchison, Dr. Robinson has taken an active 
interest in those measures and projects which have had for their object the 
betterment and development of the city. He also finds time to take an active 
part in its social life. Dr. Robinson is unmarried. 



JOHN McINTEER. 



John Mclnteer was a builder who had an abiding faith in the eventual 
development of the West. He was a pioneer citizen of Atchison, and a prom- 
inent figure in the city for over forty-five years, and had an intimate 
acquaintance with tlie sturdy characters who had much to do with the de\'elop- 
ment of the Sunflower State. He came to Atchison in the days when the 
great wagon trains left in a continuous, and often unbroken, stream for the 
Far West with their valuable cargoes of freight. So great was his confidence 
in the ultimate growth of his adopted city that he invested his savings in 
real property, built of brick and stone, which are still standing in the city. 
The handsome Mclnteer block on Commercial street is a monument to his 
enterprise and faith in the growth of the city. Mr. Mclnteer was well and 



652 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

favorably known among the coterie of famous men who ha\e cast luster upon 
Atchison and the State of Kansas. He was a consistent and unremitting 
booster for his home city and State, and the substantial fortune and good 
name which he left behind prove his judgment and business acumen to have 
I'l'cn sound and essentially correct. 

Mr. Mclnteer was born in Donegal, Ireland, in 1827. and immigrated to 
.Vmerica alone when a boy. He had heard of the wonders of the new land 
across the ocean, and dreamed of one day sailing across the waters of the 
broad Atlantic to the land of the free, there to seek his fortune. How his 
dream came true is told in the succeeding paragraphs, llis first emplciyment 
was in Philadelphia as a laborer. Opjxirtunity did not seem {o beckon to him 
in the "City of Brotherly Love" sufficient to hold him, however, and he 
turned his face still farther to the westward, going to the newer State of Indi- 
ana, where he learned the trade of harness maker. He first started a business 
of his own in Jeffersonville, Ind. W^hile busily engaged in this Ohio river 
town in plying his trade with a fair modicum of success, he heard of the open- 
ing up of the vast stretches of land west of the Missouri river. His Celtic 
imagination was still working and he pictured to liimself the possibilities of 
realizing his ambitions in one of the new cities of Kansas. His decision was 
soon made; he heeded the famous Greeley's ach'ice, "(ro West, _\-oung ni;ui. go 
West, and grow up with the couiitry." Accordingly, he sold out his little 
shop and started for Omaha. On the way up the Missouri river his wife 
was taken ill and he changed his plans to the extent of stopping in Doni]ihan 
county. Kansas, and taking up a homestead. One year later he traded his 
claim for a lot at Eighth and Conimercial streets in .\tchison. L'pon this 
lot he built a small shop, where he again began the manufacture of harness 
and saddles. For several years he supplied the great overland trains which 
passed to the Far West. His trade grew and he was compelled to enlarge his 
quarters and engaged in the manufacture of harness and saddles on an 
extensive scale. .\s he prospered and accumulated capital he erected build- 
ings and invested in real estate in Atchison and tlie nearby city of St. Joseph. 
He also erected a modern brick residence where his widow now lives. He 
died July 17, 19OT. 

He was twice married, his first wife being .Mice Conley, who died in 
1892 without issue. In 1895 he married Mrs. Anna (Conlon) Donovan, of 
Montreal, Canada, whose parents, James and Anna Conlon, were well known 
citizens of Atchison, and whose personal history will be found in the biography 
of Charles I. Conlon, brother of Mrs. Mclnteer. Mrs. Mclnteer was reared 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 653 

in Atchison, returned to New York with her parents, and was there married 
to Peter Donovan, who was a customs officer under the Canadian Govern- 
ment at Montreal. He died in Montreal in 189 1. Three sons were born of 
this marriage: Peter Donovan, a wideh- known journalist, of Toronto, now 
a contributor to the Toronto Saturday Night; Fred, in the insurance and real 
estate business in Atchison : Charles, a farmer and stockman, residing with 
his mother. 

Mr. Mclntcer was a member of the Catholic church, and a liberal con- 
tributor to his own and other religious denominations. He was one of those 
big-hearted, whole-souled gentlemen, who was a friend to all, and who was 
liighly regarded for his many excellent qualities of heart and mind. He was 
independent in politics. The foregoing brief review is thus contributed to 
the history of Atchison county in order that it be placed on record for all 
time, and perchance, prove an inspiration for other young men, poor in purse, 
whose destiny is yet to be worked out, and who probably dream of accumulat- 
ing wealth or a competence in their generation. 



HENRY HANSON LOUDENBACK. 

A review of the educational institutions of Atchison county would be 
incomplete without mention being made of the Loudenback School of Music. 
It is probable that no institution within the borders of the State of Kansas 
has had a more rapid, substantial and satisfactory growth than has the school 
under the direct supervision and management of Professor Loudenliack. 
Established in 1912 as a school of piano and theory, enlarged in 1913, and 
incorporated in 1914, it is now authorized by the State to issue diplomas and 
certificates. It is rapidly building an enviable reputation for thoroughness 
of instruction, having graduated pupils who are conceded to be artists of 
recognized ability, and its importance as an educational institution of the 
highest grade is appreciated 1)y the residents of its home city. 

Henry Hanson Loudenback, founder and principal of the Loudenback 
School of Music, was born in a log cabin on his father's farm in Hancock 
county, Indiana (the count\- seat, Greenfield, being the birthplace of James 
WTiitcomb Riley), March 17, 1879, a son of Daniel and Margaret (McCray) 
Loudenback. His paternal grandparents were Henry Loudenback, a native 
of Pennsylvania, who came to Hancock county, Indiana, in 1836. one of the 



654 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

early pioneers of that section, and Elizabeth Brown, a native of Mrginia. of 
German ancestry. Daniel Loudenback was born in Hancock county in 1846 
and reared in a district which at that time was almost a wilderness. Splitting 
rails was an occupation which took up a good portion of his time. With his 
father, he settled on a farm about three miles from Charlottesville. This 
property they developed into a highly productive farm. Henry Loudenback 
died in 1905. Daniel engaged in business in Charlottesville in 1882, and in 
1883 established a store at Wilkinson, which he conducted until his death, in 
1888. He had married, when a young man, Margaret McCray, now a resident 
of Wilkinson, who survives him. They were the parents of two children : 
Henry Hanson, the subject of this review, and Allie Almeda Cook, of 
Wilkinson. Ind. 

Henry Hanson Loudenback received his educational discipline in the 
public schools of his native State, and in 1898 came to Kansas and joined 
relatives who resided near Centralia. He became a teacher in the country 
schools, and later spent one year teaching music, going from place to place 
on horseback. From early childhood he had given evidence of remarkable 
musical ability, and had sung in public when only four years of age. After 
learning harmonies from his sister, he began to improvise his own melodies, 
and to harmonize them upon the reed organ. His first real lessons were 
taken when thirteen years of age. In the fall of 1901 he entered Campbell 
L^niversity at Holton, Kan., and was graduated from that institution, in 
music, in 1902. Since receiving his degree from Campliell College he has 
studied piano, harmony and composition with the best teachers of these sub- 
jects in America, his training being under such noted musicians as Fannie 
Bloomfield Zeisler, of Chicago, the world's greatest woman pianist; Mr. 
and i^lrs. A. K. Virgil, of New York City; Peter C. Lutkin and Arne Old- 
berg, of Northwestern University, at Evanston ; and Allen Spencer, of the 
American Conservaton^- of Music. Chicago. From 1902 until 1906 he was 
director of music in the Atchison County High School; from 1906 until 1910, 
professor of music in South Dakota State College of Agriculture and Mechan- 
ical Arts; from 1910 until 1912. director of piano, pipe organ, and musical 
theory at the Dakota W'esleyan University. In 191 2 he founded the Louden- 
back School of Music at Atchison, and since its establishment has devoted 
his entire time to its management and the teaching of piano and musical 
theory. He is an accredited teacher of piano and theory by the Kansas State 
Music Teachers' Association, and was a member of the executive committee 
of that organization which issued certificates to accredited teachers in Decern- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 655 

her, 191 4. and was appointed a member of the committee on piano standards 
for 1915, and in December, 1910, was elected vice-president of that associa- 
tion, and was appointed a member of the special accrediting committee. He 
has appeared twice as piano soloist with the Minneapolis Symphony Orches- 
tra, and numljers among his friends many of the great musicians of the 
present day. 

Professor I-X)udenljack married on June 28, 1900, Aliss Flora Donald, 
a daughter of George and Christy C Black) Donald, of Centralia, Kan. Her 
father was an early settler and prominent farmer. 

Professor and Mrs. Loudenback are the parents of the following chil- 
dren : George Daniel, born November 23, 1901 ; Allie Mae, torn March 12, 
1904; Ramona Lolita, born July 25, 1905; Henry, born August 17, 1907; 
and Donald, born July 19, 1909. The children have inherited their father's 
love of music and show talent. 



FRANK P. WERTZ. 



Frank P. Wertz, deputy county clerk of Atchison county, is one of the 
progressive young men of the county. He was born at Parnell. Atchison 
county, September 2, 1888, and is a son of David M. and Elizabeth 
Caroline Wertz, natives of Pennsylvania. They were married in their native 
State and shortly afterwards came West, and located on a farm in Atchison 
county, where they have been very successful. David M. Wertz began life 
with nothing, and by industry and keen foresight has become one of the sub- 
stantial and well-to-do men of Atchison county. He has always taken a com- 
mendable interest in the welfare of his community. To David M. Wertz 
and wife have been born the following children : Frank P., the subject of 
this sketch; F.va married H. J. Barber, a banker, of Cummings, Kan.; Abra- 
ham, a farmer and stockman, Mt. Pleasant, Atchison county; Fredrick, a 
farmer in Mt. Pleasant town.ship, Atchison county; Rosetta, the wife of Fred 
C. Voelker, a farmer, of Shannon township, Atchison county, and Bertha E., 
who resides at home. 

Frank P. Wertz was reared on the home farm in Atchison county and 
educated in the public schools, graduating from the Atchison County High 
School. He then took a cour.=e in the Atchison Business College, and grad- 
uated in 1909. He then became assistant cashier of the State Bank of Cum- 



656 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

mings, and remained in tliat position for two years, when he resigned to 
accept his present position. Frank 1'. \\'ertz takes a Hve interest in the wel- 
fare of the community. He is a member of the ^lasonic l(jdge and the 
Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is a popular county official, and 
his genial manner and obliging nature, coupled with efficiency and close 
application to the duties of his office, have won for him many stanch friends 
and supporters. 



THOMAS L. CLINE. 



For sixty years Thomas L. Cline has lived in Mt. Pleasant township, 
Atchison county, and he is one of the oldest of Kansas pioneers hi point of 
years of residence in the State. Coming to this county when he was ten 
years of age with his parents he has lived to see Kansas become prosperous 
and the vast prairie transformed liy the hand of man into a truly good place 
to live. He, himself, has risen in the course of time to become one of the 
wealthy farmers of the county, and despite his three score and ten years of 
age he still oversees the work on his large farni of 320 acres. 

Mr. Cline was born October 8, 1845, '" Hemy county, Iowa, a son of 
Henrv and Eleanor ( Lcanord ) Cline. lioth natives of Ohio. The parents of 
both Henry and Eleanor moved at a very early day from Ohio to Illinois, 
where they were married. The parents of T. L. Cline lived but a short time 
in Illinois and then removed to Henry county, Iowa, where four of the chil- 
dren were born, of whom T. L. was the youngest. The family lived in Iowa 
for sixteen vears and came to Kansas as carlv as TS53. Henry settled on a 
quarter section of land, which is still in the family, and is owned by Thomas 
L., adjoining the quarter section upon which the home of the subject is 
located. At the time the Clines located in .\tchison county the country was a 
vast reach of unpeopled prairie broken by belts of timber along the streams. 
Prairie fires were very common in those days. Henry Cline persuaded a 
neighbor to preempt the adjoining section to his and eventually bought it and 
increased his acreage to 480 acres in all. An interesting feature of the Cline 
farm is the stone fencing which is built around a portion of the farm. Stone 
fences are a rarit\- in Kansas ami are found onlv in the occasional places where 
stone is plentiful, and their bu'lding re(|nired tune and plotUv of it on the part 
of men who in the early days made the building of stone fences a vocation 
and f(illo\\ed it as their method of earning a living. While a portion of the 
stone work on the farm has been replaced by wire fencing, 300 rods of this 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 657 

fence are in excellent condition despite the fact that it was erected over forty- 
five years ago. T. L. Cline in speaking reminiscently of the old days recalls 
that the "grasshopper" visitation of 1866 was every whit as bad as in the years 
of 1874 and 1875, and he also recalls seeing a company of "red shirts" or 
border ruffians encamped near his father's farm. Henry Cline died in 1875, 
his widow d\ing in ujoi at the home nf her (laughter. Mrs. Mary E. Blodgett. 
Henry and Eleanor Cline reared the following children: Julia Ann (Jay), de- 
ceased, at Rock Creek, Kan. ; Mary E. Blodgett, Walnut township ; Charles \\". 
died in Union service at Drywood, Mo., and Thomas L., the youngest. 

T. L. Cline grew up on his father's farm and has never lived anywhere 
else since he was ten years of age. He was married in 1874 to Miss Susan 
V^andiver. The following cliildren were born of this marriage: Ora, wife of 
Edward Bradley, of Atchison county; Nellie, wife of Martin Decker, living in 
Leavenworth county, Kansas; Charles Cline, farming on the home place ; T. L., 
Jr., better known as Lloyd, at home with his parents and assists in farm wf)rk. 
The mother of these childern was born February 11, 1853, in Green county, 
Wisconsin, a daughter of Edward and Irene (Holloway) Vandiver, the 
former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Providence, R. L The respec- 
tive parents of Edward and Irene Vandiver removed from their native states 
to Illinois, and it was in that State that they were married. Shortly after 
their marriage they moved to Wisconsin and settled on a farm near Monroe, 
in Green county. They resided in Wisconsin for si.xteen years and then re- 
turned to Schuyler county, Illinois. After a residence of ten years in Illinois 
they came to Atchison county, Kansas, to make a permanent home. Edward 
\'andiver was a personal friend of .-\liraham Lincoln and often rode witli Lin- 
coln to and from political gatherings. His political beliefs were the same 
as Mr. Lincoln's. Mr. Vandiver was also acquainted with Stephen .A. 
Douglas and attended the famous Lincoln and Douglas debates. 

For one year after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Cline lived at the home 
of Mr. Cline's parents, when T. L. built a home for himself on a part of the 
family estate. After liis father's demise he Iwught iiis mother's interest in 
the estate and moved to the old home place where he still resides. Mr. Cline 
has always been a stockman and a large feeder of cattle and hogs. He is now 
raising sheep and has about 140 head of these animals on his farm. He has 
always been a stanch Republican, as his father was before him. and has usually 
taken an active part in political and civic affairs. He served for many years 
as a member of the school board and was succeeded by his son, Charles, as 
a member of the board when T. L. refused to serve any longer. He was one 

42 



658 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of the organizers of the F"armers State Bank of Potter. Kan., and is generally 
found in the forefront of all good movements tending to promote the welfare 
of the people in his neiglib«->rhood. Mr. Cline carries his years lightly and can 
be seen almost any day directing the farm work and is ven,- active for his 
years. Thomas L. Cline is one of Atchison county's grand old men and is a 
true Kansas pioneer. 



ROBERT FORBRIGER. 



In the present incumbent of tlie comity assessor's office, the people of 
Atchison county are extremely fortunate in having a painstaking, faithful 
and conscientious public servant who believes in doing his duty by the people, 
taxjiayers, and for the people as the law provides. It is probable that no other 
individual in the county has a wider or more intimate knowledge of values 
and property ownership in Atchison county than Mr. Forbriger. Born in 
Atchison county in the pioneer days when the county was in process of early 
settlement, he has grown up with tlie city and county and has a speaking ac- 
quaintance with almost every person within the confines of his native heath. 
Kind and obliging to a high degree, he has made himself invaluable as a 
citizen and able county official, and is well liked and highly esteemed for his 
many excellent qualities. 

The father of the gentleman named in the foregoing paragraph was 
Robert Forbriger, a native of Saxony, Germany, born in 1825, immigrated to 
America in 1848 and died in the city of his adoption in 1886. The senior 
Forbriger was a man of good education, and came of a family of scholars 
and educators in his native land. Therefore, he was well equipped to fight 
a winning battle for success in the land of his adoption. He first located in 
Elgin. 111., and after a residence of ten years in that city, came to Atchison 
in 1858. This thriving and beautiful city was then in its infancy, and Mr. 
Forbriger had the distinction of being one of its foremost citizens and builders 
in the eary days. He obtained a job in the J. E. Wagner hardware store, 
which was situated on the southeast corner of Fourth and Commercial streets. 
Not long afterward he engaged in the insurance and real estate business and 
from that drifted into the banking business. He, with George Storch and 
John Belz, established the German Savings Bank, which was later reorganized 
as the United States National Bank. This new organization erected the 
building at the corner of Si.xth and Commercial streets. Mr. Forbriger was 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 659 

connected wilh the hanking concern until his death, after which the institu- 
tion was again reorganized. He was active in civic and business affairs in 
Atchison during his long residence here, and was always a booster for his 
adopted city, liberal in his donations and support of public enterprises, and 
a benefactor of churches and charitable enterprises. It is said of him that 
he always generously responded to calls for assistance in the name of charity, 
religion or civic betterment of the community. As a citizen he did his duty 
in an official capacity, serving as a member of the city council and as an active 
member of the city school board. During the early sixties when Atchison 
was yet a village he served as a member of the town council. In addition he 
served three terms as city assessor. While a Democrat in politics, he was a 
great admirer and warm personal friend of the late Senator Ingalls, and it 
was the Senator's custom to make his headquarters in Mr. Forbriger's office 
while at home, on his return from Washington. This pioneer citizen was a 
charter member and officer of the Turner's Society, a famous athletic organ- 
ization in the early days. He was reared in the Lutheran faith, but was 
broadly tolerant of all creeds and religious beliefs. It was only natural that 
he should have been a charter member of the Atchison Masonic lodge, and the 
Independent Order of Odd Feows. During the Civil war he was enrolled 
as a member of the State militia, and responded to the call for volunteers 
to repel Price's invasion and served in Colonel Quigg's command. 

Robert Forbriger, the elder, was married in 1862 to Helen Geier, born 
in Limbach. Baden, Germany, and died in Atchison. She came from her 
native land to Philadelphia with a sister and cousin, and from there journeyed 
to Atchison. To them were born three children as follows : Robert, of this re- 
view ; Emil, engaged in business in East Atchison; Bertha, wife of ]\I. Xoll, 
druggist of Atchison. 

Robert Forbriger, the son, was educated in the public schools and St. 
Benedict's College. He then entered his father's bank and also engaged in 
tlie insurance business. After his father's death he continued in the insur- 
ance business for a number of years, until he began his service as postoffice 
clerk, during Cleveland's administration. After four years in the mercantile 
business he filled the office of deputy register of deeds for four years : served 
three years as deputy county assessor, and was electd to th office of county 
assessor in 19 12, and again elected or appointed to the office by the board of 
county commissioners in 1914. In his younger days he served several" vears 
as a regular fireman under three successive fire chiefs, and two terms as city 
councilman. While originally a Democrat, he deserted the party in 1896. as 
many others did, to follow the teachings of William McKinley, and now takes 



66o HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

an active part in Republican politics, and is sincere and active in his work in 
behalf of the candidates of his party. Having been born in Atchison, April 
4, 1863, it is only natural that he sliould gather for his sustenance some of 
the needful in the way of property, and is the owner of a fine fruit farm of 
twenty-eight acres near the city, and in addition has five residence properties 
in the city, witii properties in Oklahoma and Seattle, Wash. 

Mr. Forbriger was married May 21, 1888, to Carrie Wagner, and to them 
have been born two children : Helen, wife of Leo T. Markey, a banker of 
Greeley, Kan. ; Ralph, a student of electrical engineering in the Mississippi 
Agricultural and Mechanical College, at Starkville, Miss. The mother of these 
children was born at Port Washington, near Milwaukee, and is a daughter of 
Henry and Rosa Wagner, natives of Germany, who removed from Milwaukee 
to Atchison wiiere Henry Wagner became a l^ridge contractor and builder. 
Mr. Wagner for a long period of years did practically all of tlie bridge con- 
struction work in Atchison county. 

Mr. Forbriger is a member of St. Benedict's Catholic Church, and is 
I)road and toerant in his religious views, taking tlie staple ground lliat the 
manner of life a man lives, regardless of his religious Ijelief, determines his 
salvation. He is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen, the Ancient Order 
of United Workmen, the Fraternal Citizens, and the Modern Brotherhood of 
America. 



HIRAM H. HACKNEY, 



The measure of a man's real wortli to a community determines his stand- 
ing and niche in the local hall of fame. \\'hile several things may be summed 
up in the final reckoning as to what constitutes a really useful citizen, his 
service to his fellow citizens in furthering institutions which are of the great- 
est benefit to the greatest number takes precedence over wealth, business 
ability, political success, or any accomplishments which have a tendency to 
place the individual alicad of his fellow men. Xo greater service to a city 
can be rendered than l)y the building up of a modern, ])rogressive public school 
system. He who furthers the cause of education in a practical manner and 
takes a keen interest in the success of the city's educational systems, as an un- 
selfish task, befitting his citizenship, is entitled to an everlasting place in the 
hearts and minds of his fellow citizens. The public school system of Atchison 
is a monument to the labors of Hiram H. Hackney, and his fellow members of 
the board of cflucation diuHng tlie eiglit years while Mr. Hackney served as 
president of the board. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 66 1 

Hiram H. Hackney is a native of Fayette county, Pennsylvania, horn 
near Uniontown, November 30, 1859. He is a son of Hiram PI. and Elizabeth 
(\\'yley) Hackney, both natives of Pennsylvania. The Hackney family in 
America came originally from the town of Hackney, England, now a part 
of the city of London, in tlie early part of the seventeenth century. Hiram 
H., the elder, was born in 1822, and died in 1899. He was the son of John 
Hacknev. liorn in 1776, and lived on the original homestead of the Hackneys, 
who were Quaker followers of William Penn. Elizabeth W'yley was 
born in 1830. a daughter of Jacob and Hannah Wp.y \\'}le\-, members of 
an old colonial family of Irish descent. Hiram H., Sr., was a resident of 
Uniontown in his old age, and was the last surviving member of the board of 
directors, chartering the First National Bank of Uniontown. He was well 
to do and in\-este(l some of his funds in the West, becoming one of the 
original stockholders of the First National Bank of Atchison. He was also 
a "Forty Niner," going overland to the gold fields of California in 1848. w'th 
a train of fortune hunters who outfitted at St. Louis and fought continuall) 
with the Indians on the trip across the plains and mountains. He engaged in 
the mercantile business at Sacremento and MaiTSville, Cal., for a period of 
two years. He returned home by way of Cape Hom, but made another trip 
before settling down to the pursuit of farming and business in his natix'e 
State. His brother, Samuel, died of mountain fever while engaged in mining 
in the gold fields of California. Mr. Hackney became an extensive farmer, 
stockman and banker, and prospered exceedingly. He was known as a solid 
Quaker citizen "whose word was as good as his note." Of his fi\'e children, 
four are living as follows: Mrs. Edward G. Hudson, of Newton, Kan. ; Edgar 
S., of Uniontown ; Dr. Jacob S., a practitioner in Uniontown, and Francis, 
who died in Pittsburgh. 

Hiram H. Hackney, of Atchison, was educated in the State Normal 
School at California, Penn., and Duff's Mercantile College, Pitt.sburgh. He 
did farm work while a }outh, and taught school for two years. His father 
having purchased an interest in the First National Bank of this city he came 
here in 188 1 and served as assistant cashier and director of the bank until 
1910. He then sold his holdings and retired from banking pursuits on ac- 
count of ill health, due to long years of close confinement to his duties. He 
then established a real estate, insurance, bond and loan business which he is 
now conducting with success. Mr. Hackney is interested in Atchison real 
estate, and coal lands in Pennsylvania, and is vice-president of the Blair 
Milling Company of Atchison. 



662 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

In politics he is a Republican, and the only office he has ever held has 
been tiiat of member of the lioard of education, from the presidency of which 
body he has only recently retired. Of his services on behalf of the public 
schools during- his sixteen years' membership on the board, Tlic Atchison 
Globe said: "H. H. Hackney retired last night as a member of tlie school 
board and that board lias lost its most useful member for at least two reasons : 
Mr. Hacknev had the ability to handle the school finances and the time neces- 
sary to accomplish the things the board laid out. In addition he possessed 
an ambition to establish a system of schools and equipment that would reflect 
credit on the city and on the school board. He was a member of the board 
for sixteen years and its president for eight years, and during the eight years 
he was president he never had a disagreement with a member and there was 
never a question came up which was not settled either I)}- an unanimous \-ote 
or in a way that left the members friendly. There never was a 'row' in the 
school board and there never was a session where reporters were barred. In 
the last eight years and under the management of Mr. Hackney, the school 
board has spent $300,000 in school betterments and the total indebtedness is 
but $25,000 greater than it was eight years ago. This includes the new 
Ingalls Building, Washington Building, accepting the plans and letting all 
contracts for the new Martin building, now under course of construction, re- 
building Franklin and building the new Douglas school. In these eight years 
manual training, mechanical drawing, domestic art and science, a commercial 
department, normal training, agriculture and physical training have been 
added to the high school, a school nurse employed, music added to all grades 
and kindergardens established in two buildings. Since Mr. Hackney liecame a 
member of the board the high school enrollment has increased from 66 to 338 
and the faculty from three to twenty members." . . . 

During the lime Mr. Hackney was a member of tiie school board he 
missed l)ut one regular meeting. He is president of tlie board of trustees of 
the First Presbyterian Church and is a member of the board of dn-ectors of 
the Young Men's Christian Association. 

He was married in September of 1888, to Frances Blair, a daughter of 
E. K. Blair, deceased, fomierly of Fayette county, Pennsylvania, founder of 
the P>lair Milling Company of Atchison. Mrs. Hackney's mother was Bar- 
bara I Allen ) i'llair. She was born and reared in Atchison, in the house lo- 
cated on the same lot where the Hackne\s now live, with tlie exception of 
their first two years of married life, during which the new home was erected 
at 102 1 North Third street. To Mr. and Mrs. Hackney have been born 
two children of whom ihey are justly proud, Helen Elizabeth, born 1890, a 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 663 

graduate of the College Preparatory School of Atchison, and the Bennett 
School for Girls, located on the Hudson, in New York, carrying honors at 
both her graduations; Edward Blair Hackney, born in 1893. is a graduate 
of the city high school and tlie Kansas University at Lawrence, where he re- 
ceived the degree of Bachelor of Arts. While a student of the university 
he managed the /fly Hawker, the college annual, and perfomied his duties so 
ablv and so thoroughly that Chancellor Strong declared that the "Annual" 
issue under his management was the best ever issued, the cost of which was 
$4,500, and managed so well that a nice profit was earned. The young man 
is now a traveling salesman for the Blair Milling Company. 



GEORGE EDWIN WHITE. 



George Edwin White, leading physician, of Effingham, Kan., was bom 
at Savanna, Andrew county, Missouri, April 18, 1867, a son of Willis and 
Rachel ( Hall) White, natives of Indiana. Willis was the son of Drury 
\\'hite, who was born and reared in Virginia, and was a pioneer settler in 
Grant county, Indiana, where he hewed a farm and home from the virgin 
timber at a time when it required men of hardihood and the greatest 
endurance to withstand the rigors of a life in the unbroken wilderness of 
the Hoosier State. Willis White was born August 12. 1840, and when 
he attained voung manhood, hearkened to the call of President Lincoln for 
troops to quell the rebellion of the Southern States, and enlisted at the first 
call for "thirty thousand." He served for ninety days in the Tenth regiment, 
Indiana infantry. He migrated to Missouri in 1866 and ])lied his trade of 
blacksmith in the town of Savanna until 1880, when he mo\ed to Greenleaf, 
Kan., and conducted a blacksmith shop, in addition to cultivating his farm, 
which he purchased near Greenleaf. In the fall of 1907 he moved to Effing- 
ham, Kan., and is living a retired life. Mrs. White died in 1885, at the age 
of forty-three vears. Twelve children were born to Willis White and wife, 
four of whom are deceased : John, Henr}% and Maiy, deceased ; Frank, for 
several years a practicing physician of note in Effingham, and who died in 
October, 1912, as a result of an accident; Charles, of Kansas City; Dr. George 
Edwin, with whom this narrative is directly concerned; .\lbert H., a fanner, 
in Dickin.son county; Mrs. Dora Hill, of Kansas City: William, living in 
California ; Mrs. Laura Shields, of California ; Elmer, a farmer, of Jackson 
countv: Lerov. a farmer, of Effingham. Willis White was twice married, 



664 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

his second wife being Elizabeth Heavenridge, of Indiana, wlio bore him six 
cliildren : Jnlia. employed in the Soldier's Home at Leavenworth, Kan. ; Her- 
man, a farmer in western Kansas; Earl, of Effingham; Editli, at home; 
Ralph, also at home, and a child who died in infancy. 

George Edward WTiite received his elementary education in tlic public 
schools, studied three years in the Kansas Medical College at Topeka, and 
graduated from the Medical University at Kansas City in 1905. For a period 
of five and one-half years he practiced medicine in Dickinson county, Kan- 
sas; practiced for two years in Brown county, Kansas, and located in Effing- 
ham in the fall of 1912. 

Dr. White was married in 1895 to Sadie .\. Phillippi, who died in 1911, 
leaving five cliildren, namely : Willis, George, Lester, Birdie, and Harold, all 
of whom are at home and attending the public and high schools. One child, 
Ralph, died in infancy. Dr. White again married in 1912, to Ada M. Elliot, 
a capable and talented woman, who is a good and kind motlier to the doctor's 
children. 

Dr. White has achieved a reputation as a well read and capable prac- 
titioner, and his practice in Effingham and the surrounding country is con- 
stantly growing. He keeps abreast of the times and the latest discoveries in 
the science of healing, and is associated with various important medical socie- 
ties, among them being the county. State, and National societies, the Golden 
Belt, and the Northeast Kansas Medical association, the Aesculapian 
.Society, and the University Medical College of Kansas City Alumni. He is a 
member of the Church of the Brethren, and is fraternally connected with the 
Knights of Pythias, the Knights and Ladies of Security, and the Mystic 
Workers. He is a Republican. Ixit has very little time for political affairs. 
Dr. White is a genial, whole-souled gentleman, who loves his profession and 
his fellowmen. . 



GEORGE W. THOMPSON. 



George W. Thompson is one of the oldest pioneers living in the State of 
Kansas, and is all probability the oldest living pioneer in Atchison county 
today. His career has been an interesting and even romantic one, and reads 
like a tale from modern fiction. Homesteader, farmer, statesman, politician 
and man of wide influence are terms wliich can well be applied to this aged 
gentleman who has spent sixty-one years of his four score and eight in assist- 
ing in the development of the Sunflower State. 




./rf)/-f/e if. ^/irJM/iifin antt 'ir/e 
One of the Oldest Pioneer Couples in Atchison County 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 665 

George W. Thompson was born in Georgetown, K)'., Octoljcr i8, 1827, 
a son of Benjamin and Nancy (Baxter) Thompson, natives of Virginia and 
Maryland, respectively, and descendants of old southern stock. Benjamin 
Thompson was born in Virginia in 1799, the same year in wliich George 
Washington died. He was a son of George Thompson, wlio removed from 
Virginia to Kentucky in 181 1, walking the entire distance over the Blue Ridge 
mountains tij the new home in the forests of Kentucky, where they lix'ed until 
1843, and then joined the infhi.x of settlers who were going into Platte county, 
Missouri. The Thompsons loaded their entire effects on wagons and drove as 
far as Frankfort, Ky., and then boarded an Ohio river steamer whicli carried 
them to St. Louis. An interesting episode of this trip concerns tlie ]jassage of 
the boat over the falls at Louisville, Ky., or five miles below that city. At 
that time the water was very high in the river, and the captain of the steamer 
decided to take a chance and go over the falls. During the passage the 
pilot's steering gear broke and the boat drifted over the falls without guid- 
ance in safety, but not without expressions of fear on the part of tlie passen- 
gers. This boat was the "Meridian," one of the fast steamers of the river, 
and it frecjuently raced with otlier river craft. The trip required about three 
days from Louisville to St. Louis, which was at that time a city of about 50,- 
000 inhabitants. Mr. Thompson recalls that the boats were lined up along 
the wharfs at St. Louis for over one and one-half miles, and he has never for- 
gotten tlie sight. About five days longer were required to make the trip 
from St. Louis to Parkville, Mo., the trip ending on June 14, having com- 
menced June I, 1843. Benjamin plied Iiis trade of bricklayer in Platte 
county, and built the Green Hotel in Platte City, which is still standing as a 
monument to his skill and handicraft as a mason. He was the first lirick 
mason in Platte City and lie erected the Green Hotel in 1844. Benjamin 
became prominent in the affairs of Platte county and was a fine orator and 
public speaker. 

For manv }'ears he was an acti\e and influential figure in tlic political 
lite of Platte county, and he was a poet who left many evidences of creative 
literarv abilitv which are still jirized among the archives of the county. He 
resided in Missouri until i860 and then came to Kansas where he spent the 
remainder of his days, dying in Mt. Pleasant township in 1862. His wife 
survived him an4 lived to an advanced age, dying in 1892, having been born 
in Rosamount county, Maryland, near Curlew. They reared a fine family 
of nine children, of which George W. was the third child. 

George W. Thompson, with whom this review is directly concerned, grew 
to sturdy manhoofl in old Kentucky, and was educated in tlie neighborhood 



666 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

schools. Since boyhood, he has been a student and is at this day one of the 
best read men of his generation. He learned the trade of bricklayer under 
his father and followed the trade while living in Missouri. As early as 
1854 he came to Kansas, on the day following the passage of the Kansas- 
Nebraska act which tlirew the Territory open to settlement. He came up 
the Missouri river in a small boat and landed at the mouth of Nine Mile 
creek in Leavenworth county. After investigating the possibilities in this 
countv, he filed upon a Government claim and went back to his home in Platte 
county, returning in January of 1854 to erect a log cabin. This erected, he 
again went home, returning in November and roofed his cabin with clap- 
boards made by liim and his brother, and built a stone chimney and daubed 
the chinks with mud. He located permanently on his claim January 15. 

1855, and on his way nearly lost his oxen in the river. In the meantime a 
man named Dunham had jumped his claim, and it became necessary' for him 
and Dunham to compromise matters and divide tlie land which was considered 
valuable because it had a very fine spring of good, pure water availalile. Two 
years later Mr. Thompson sold his claim and entered 160 acres of land in 
Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison county. He moved to Atcliison June 14, 

1856. He developed this farm and lived on it for forty-eigiit years, or until 
1914, when lie came to Atchison to reside witli his daugliter, Mrs. Keats. 

Mr. Thompson was married in Missouri in 1850, to Rebecca Stigers, a 
native of Knox county, Ohio, born April 18, 1831, a daughter of Conrad Stig- 
ers, a native of Germany. The mother of Mrs. Thompson was Mary Snell 
Stigers, who was burn in \'irginia, of French parents, and whose father was 
shipwrecked on the coast of Virginia. Slie was a direct descendant of the 
famous Frencli family of D' Estang, and her father was a connection of Count 
D' Estang. To Mr. and Mrs. George U'. Thompson were born nine children: 
Benjamin T., Ijorn October 11, 1850, in Missouri, and died March 12, 1902; 
Mary Katharine, born October 2, 1854, wife of Asa Barnes, of Mt. Pleasant 
township, Atchison county; John Emmet, born February 17, 1857. in .\tchi- 
son county, and now residing in California; Harriet M., Ijorn .April 2, 1850, 
wife of T. M. Grant, Atchison county; Louis T., born May 8, 1861. died May 
I, 1864; Mrs. Dora T. Keats, born March 21, 1864, wife of H. T. Keats, of 
Atchison; George McClelland, born May 20, 1867, a farmer. Mt. Pleasant 
township; Clara Thompson, born September 5, 1870, and Albert T., born 
October 5, 1873, died in infancy. 

Tlie Thompson family is one of the oldest in .Vmcrica and is of English 
origin. Tlie founder of the family came to Virginia with Capt. John Smith 
in 1607, and through the marriage of John Rolfe with Pocahontas, the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 667 

princess daughter of old King Powhatan of the Indian tribes of Virginia, the 
family and successive generations claim to have Indian blood in their veins. 
They are or were connected with the famous Pickett family, of whom General 
Pickett was a member. It will thus be seen that on one side the present mem- 
bers of the family can lay claim to being descended from the nobility and on 
another to being descended from an Indian princess and one of the earliest 
of the old Virginia gentlemen. It is not to be wondered that the founder of 
the family in Atchison county has made such a fine record during his long 
residence here. 

Mr. Thompson has always taken an active and influential part in the 
political affairs of Kansas, and has been a life-long Democrat. He has the 
unicjue distinction of having voted for but one candidate who was elected 
President, and that was Franklin Pierce in 1852. This is probably due to the 
fact that he has always been independent in his voting, and acted upon his 
own convictions when it came time to cast his ballot. His last vote was cast 
for Theodore Roosevelt. When Populism was in vogue in Kansas he voted 
for the Populist candidate for President. It was only natural that he himself 
become a candidate for office on account of his education and the inherent 
gift for leadership. He served as a member of the Kansas leg'islature at the 
sessions of 1867, 1868 and 1869, and has been a candidate a few times since. 
At another time, early in his career, he was elected superintendent of public 
instruction in Atchison county, but refused to serve, and sent in his resigna- 
tion. His last candidacy for the legislature was given him by the fusion of 
the Populists and Democrats, l)ut he was defeated b}- \\'hite by a very small 
majority. During the campaign of 1866, he was asked to become a candi- 
date for the legislature by many Republican friends and upon the advice of 
his man_\- friends in the county, he cast his votes for both Ross and Pomeroy 
for the positions in the United States Senate. It is a matter of history that 
both Ross and Pomeroy were elected to represent Kansas in the United 
States Senate, Ross subsequently making himself very conspicuous by voting 
against the impeachment of Andrew Johnson. 

This fine old pioneer was also a soldier in the Civil war, and served as 
first lieutenant of the company commanded by Capt. Asa Barnes in the 
battle of Westport. Mrs. H. T. Keats, daughter of Mr. Thompson, has in 
her possession a number uf interesting souvenirs of this battle, among tliem 
being the belt buckle, and bayonet worn by her father in the battle, and the 
company's flag, Captain Barnes' shoulder straps, and James Binkley's cap 
box, in addition to having some of the Government scrip, with which the 
soldiers were paid. The colonel of the Twelfth regiment was Colonel Louis 



668 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

L. Treat, another member of the company being T. L. CHne. Very few of 
the members of this company or regiment are now living. 

On October 8, 191 5. this noted old pioneer was eighty-eight years old 
and still vigorous, mentally. His power of thinking is not much diminished, 
and he is still a reader and student. Constant reading and thinking, we are 
told, is conducive to longevity and Mr. Thompson has always been a great 
reader and student of history 'and philosophy. He is a man, self-made and 
self-taught, and is blessed with a keenness of intellect far above tlie average. 
His life has been a well rounded and useful one. and lie has had a career of 
which he and his children and grandchildren can well be proud. His long 
life has been clean and for years he has been a stern advocate of temperance 
and has practiced his own belief. In his younger days he was a noted and 
powerful orator who had the ability to thrill and sway his hearers. Few men 
can look back over a longer vista of years, well spent in honest pursuits, and 
in behalf of his fellow men than George W. Thompson. All honor to him 
as the oldest and most distinguished living pioneer of Atchison today. 



B. F. TOMLINSON. 



B. F. Tomlinson, deceased, was a pioneer merchant and meat packer 
of Atcliison, and left behind him an imperishable record for honesty and fair 
dealing, which has never been surpassed in the mercantile history of the city. 
He was born December 25, 1838, in Covington, Ky., a son of Leroy Tom- 
linson, who was also a native of Kentucky. The mother of B. F. Tomlinson 
died when he was a small boy, and as a consequence little is known regard- 
ing her antecedents. The Tomlinsons are a very (jjd American family. Le- 
roy Tomlinson was a commission merchant and meat packer, who later re- 
moved from Covington to Louisville, Ky., and became prominently identi- 
fied with the business interests of that city. He conducted a large packing 
establishment and handled as high as 100 beeves at one time in his 
abattoirs, wholesaling the product of his packing houses to meat merchants 
in the cities and towns bordering the Ohio river. 

B. F. Tomlinson. with whose career this review is directly concerned, 
was reared and educated in the city of Louisville, Ky., and when he was but 
fifteen years of age his father died, his stepmother dying one year later. Be- 
ing an only child, he was left witli the responsibility of his father's extensive 
business. The excellent training which his father had given him. here came 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 669 

into good stead, and he carried on the packing business successfully, paying, 
in the course of time, a considerable indebtedness which his father had in- 
curred. After his marriage in Louisville in i860, he continued to conduct 
his business in Louisville until 1870, at which time he disposed of his pos- 
sessions and came to Atchison. Here he engaged in the butcher and pack- 
ing business, and soon held a prominent place in the mercantile life of the 
city. 

B. F. Tomlinson was married September 11, i860, to Miss Elizabeth 
Alexander, who was born May 11, 1840, in Bedford, Ind. She was a daugh- 
ter of Robert M. and Emily (Legrant)' Alexander. Her father was a coach- 
maker by trade, and removed from Bedford, Ind., to Louisville, Ky., where 
he died in 1900, at the age of eighty-nine years. Much interesting history can 
he narrated concerning the mother of Mrs. Tomlinson, who was born in New 
Orleans, and was one of three children born to her parents, who were of 
French origin. The elder Legrant was a drygoods merchant in the southern 
city, and the story goes, that on one of his regular trips to Cincinnati, Ohio, 
to buy a stock of goods for his store, he left two of the children at home, and 
on arriving in Cincinnati he placed Emily in charge of a Scotch family by 
the name of McDonald, and with whom he had been in the habit of stopping 
while on business in Cincinnati. Emily at that time was twelve years of age, 
and was a prime favorite witli the McDonald's who begged her parents to 
leave her at their home during the time which would elapse until Mr. and 
Mrs. Legrant made their next trip from New Orleans to Cincinnati. They 
did so, but sad to relate, the little girl never saw nor heard from her parents 
again, and what became of them .she never learned, and she was consequently 
reared to womanhood liy the kind foster parents. In an earlier year than 
this at New Orleans, and at a lime when Emily's father was very sick with 
rheumatism, a band of over one hundred Indians was encamped near the 
Legrant home at New Orleans, One of the other children was also afflicted 
with cancer of the face. The medicine men of the Indian tribe effected a 
cure of biitli the cancer and the father's rheumatism. Tlie Indians were very 
affectionate toward Emily and called her the "pretty scjuaw," which was 
only natural, as she grew up to become a very beautiful woman, eventually 
becoming the wife of Robert M. Alexander, and after her husband's demise, 
made her home with her daughter at Atchison, where she died in November 
of 1904, at the advanced age of eighty-nine vears. 

B. F. Tominson died in January, 1895. Mr. and Mrs. Tomlinson were 
the parents of eight children: Martha J-, wife of Louis Nelson, of St. Joseph, 
Mo., and mother of one child, Frank B. ; Emma T. Bosanko, deceased, left 



670 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

one son, Harry; Lydia, wife of Frank Russell, of St. Paul, Minn., and mother 
of one son, Clarence Russell; Alice, wife of W. L. Johnson, of Atchison; 
Anna A., wife of Charles Robertson, of Chicago; Robert, a resident of Co- 
lumbia, Mo., and who has one daughter, Ecce Tomlinson ; Franklin, de- 
ceased : Birdie died in infancy. Tlie motlier of these children is now three 
score and fifteen years of age, but does not appear to be over fifty years old. 
She is remarkably w^ell preserved and has a keen mind, and is especially 
proud of her husliand's record and fine family of cliildren. 

Mr. Tomlinson was a member of several fraternal societies, among tliem 
being the Modern Woodmen, the Knights of Honor, and the Ancient Order 
of United Workmen. He was politically allied with tlie Democratic party, 
luit never sought political preferment. He was well and favorably known 
,ind highly respected in business circles in Atchison, his greatest and kindliest 
trait being his generosity in giving assistance to the poor and desendng 
of the city. He was always ready to listen to the call of the suffering and 
improvident, and never turned away a supplicant in dire need ernpty handed. 
It might be said of him that he was too generous for liis own financial wel- 
fare, liut he sincerely believed in the wholeness of his nature in giving of his 
sustenance to tliose whom he deemed in need. The indulgence of this Chris- 
tian trait of giving naturally endeared his memory to a host of friends, who 
will long remember him. Few men were more liberal or kinder than this 
upriglit gentleman. 



TOHN D. HAWK. 



In the science of agriculture, as well as the learned professions, there 
are always men who are naturallv endowed with the powers of leadership, 
and are so progressive and energetic that they lead in the \an of better and 
more productive farming where others follow. Atchison county has its 
quota of these progressive agriculturists who arc not content to be just com- 
mon, every-day farmers, but are ambitious to l)ecome specialists in agricul- 
tural work. John D. Hawk, of Benton township, Atchison county, holds a 
place in the front rank of successful and enterprising farmers in .\tchison 
county, and is the owner of one of the inost productive and best equipped 
agricultural plants in the county, or northeast Kansas. His farm comprises 
170 acres, located in section 2, range 618, Benton township. .\ good farm 
liome sets well back from the road, in the rear of whicli is a large red barn. 
86x46 feet, hip roofed and flanked by a modern silo, built in 1910, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 67I 

and which is the first wood silo erected in Atchison county. Mr. 
Hawk is beginning the breeding of thoroughbred Jersey cattle, and at the 
present time has a fine dairy herd of twenty-five head, among which is a 
number of pure breds . Leading this herd is "Shawan Majesty." a pure bred 
bull. He also specializes in Poland China hogs, and is meeting with success 
in the breeding and raising of live stock. Mrs. Hawk keeps a pure strain of 
Black Langshan poultry and handles this end of the farm work with profit 
nnd satisfaction. 

John D. Hawk was born Novemlier 19, 1875, on a farm in Coshocton 
county, Ohio, a son of Lafayette T. Hawk, of Benton township, a sketch of 
whom appears in this volume. He was seven years of age when his parents 
removed to Atchison county, Kansas, from their Ohio home. Here he at- 
tended the district school, and had the advantage of one year's study in the 
county high school. He worked on the home farm with his father until 1898, 
when he beagn for hin:self in the spring of that year on the McClennon farm 
which he rented for two years. After his marriage he removed to his pres- 
ent place which is the old Law homestead. He erected the present barn and 
the large poultry house on the place and made various other improvements 
including the building of the silo. 

Mr. Hawk was married March 15, 1899, to Miss Alice M. Law, who has 
borne him eight children, of whom seven are living : \Wlter Gale, born Jan- 
uary 12, and died February i, 1900; Herbert, aged fifteen years; Kenneth, 
born November 19, 1902; Dorothy, aged ten; Mateel, nine years old; John, 
aged six years; and twins. Vera and Veda, born December 12, 19 11. The 
mother of these children was born in Toronto, Canada, a daughter of Edwin 
and Mar)' Alice Law, both of whom were born in England. Edwin Law 
comes of a family of singers, and it is a matter of record that his mother 
.sang before Queen Victoria on otie occasion, and was noted throughout Eng- 
land as a singer of note. The Laws immigrated from England and first set- 
tled in Canada, going from there tc Ohio, and after a short residence in the 
Buckeye State, migrated to Doniphan county, Kansas, from whence they 
came to Atchison county and purchased the farm where Mr. and Mrs. Hawk 
now reside. There were five children in the family : Alfred Law, Ella, .Alice, 
Walter, and one died in infancy. Mrs. Law died on the farm, and Mr. Law 
died in Canon City, Colo. After his first wife's death, Mr. Law again mar- 
ried, and had one daughter, Lillie, by his second marriage. 

Mr. Hawk is a Republican, but his activities do not tend to political 
affairs. For several years he has been actively identified with agricultural 
affairs in Atchison countv, and his influence has ever been exerted in behalf 



6/2 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of better farming. He is president of the Atchison County Farm Bureau, 
of which institution he is one of the organizers. In connection with Fred 
Sutter, Alexander McClennon, he assisted in the promotion of the Farm 
Bureau and its estabhshment, and the consequent employment of County 
Agent Taylor as a skilled farm farm instructor. This is now considered as one 
of the finest and most beneficial moves ever made in the county in behalf of 
the farmers of the county, and even the most incredulous who were unwilling 
to support the movement are now coming into line and becoming enthusiastic 
over the possibilities for bettering farm conditions in the county as the result 
of the efforts put forth by its zealous supporters. This committee during the 
winter of 1914-1915 visited every part of the county, in the preliminarv' 
organization and missionary work, and enrolled 200 fanners as supporters 
of the project. Mr. Hawk is likewise president of the Atchison county 
Fanners' Institute. He attends the Christian church, of wliich Mrs. Hawk 
is a member, and is fraternally affiliated with the Central Protective 
Association. 



HERBERT J. BARBER. 

A man's standing in the community where he resides or transacts his 
business affairs is usually gauged by his usefulness to society and his activities 
in behalf of the general good of his fellows. If he be of the class of citizens 
who are seeking to benefit the community in wliich he is engaged in business, 
he is a decided benefit to that community. Such an individual is Herbert 
J. Barber, banker of Cummings, Kan. Mr. Barber is a native of the Sun- 
flower State, and is a son of one of the early pioneers. The story of Moses 
Barber, his father, I'nion veteran, Kansas pioneer, and one of the first suc- 
cessful fruit growers of Atchison county, is interesting and borders on the 
romantic to a considerable degree. Over fifty years ago, directly after his 
honorable discharge from the Union senice at Leavenworth, Moses Barber 
set out on horseback to find a place for a home in Atchison county. He found 
the homestead, and at the same time found a sweetheart who later became 
his wife and fought the good fight with him through the lean years and good 
ones until he attained to the realization of his ambitions to obtain a com- 
petence. He became widely known as the "Apple King" of Kansas as 
a result of his remarkable success as a grower of apples, and cultivated what 
was in all probability the largest apple orchard in existence in the State of 
Kansas in his day. His son, Herbert, has followed in his father's footsteps 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 673 

and is fast making- a name for himself in the field of finance. Speaking in 
a biographical sense, Herbert J- Barber was born on the old homestead of 
his father in Mt. Pleasant township, April ii, 1871, a son of Moses and Mary 
(Hubbard) Barber, the former a native of Rhode Island, and the latter a 
native of Virginia. 

Moses Barber was born in South Kingston, Rhode Island, April 22, 
1833, a son of James and Elizabeth Barber, natives of Rhode Island, of co- 
lonial ancestry and English descent. A brother of James was Colonel Barber, 
who served in the War of 1812, and the grandfather of Moses Barber was a 
Revolutionary soldier. Moses was reared to young manhood on his father's 
farm in Rhode Island, and then migrated westward to Illinois. After a 
residence of a few years in Illinois he came to Kansas and was a resident of 
the State upon the outbreak of the rebellion of the Southern States. He en- 
listed in Company I, Second regiment, Kansas cavalry, in 1861, and was soon 
promoted to ranking sergeant of his company. He served his country well 
and faithfully and took part in several hard fought engagements with his 
regiment, and received liis honorable discharge at the close of the war at 
Leavenworth, Kan. After receiving his discharge from the service he set 
out on horseback in search of a homestead, riding the faithful cavalry horse 
which had carried him through the strenuous days of the Civil war. His 
route led him in a northwesterly direction from Ft. Leavenworth through 
Atchison county. He stopped for sustenance and rest at the home of a fam- 
ily named Hubbard at Pamell, Kan. Mr. Hu])bard was a pro-slavery and 
State rights man who had removed from tlie Southland in 1855 after two 
years in Missouri, a State rights advocate, and although Mr. Barber was his 
guest, they had frequent clashes over the troubles of the South and war inci- 
dents. The bitterness of the great conflict had not yet Iieen nbliteratcd, and 
it was only natural tiiat the Union veteran and State's rights man should 
have disagreements. This was not all of their troubles, as time soon deve- 
loped. Mr. Hubbard had an attractive daughter, and ihcrel)}- li;ings ;i lale 
of romance. Mary Hubbard was the acme of beauty in the eyes of young 
Barber and he purposely stayed around in the neighborhood that he could be 
near Mary and do his courting despite the e\-ident antijiathy of Fatlier Hub- 
bard. In fact, Moses often said later, "Tliat was the reason I stayed there." 
The attraction between Mary and Moses grew into friendship, friendship rip- 
ened into love, and the son of the North and the daughter of the South were 
married. The parental opposition to this natural outcome of the meeting 
of two young souls who were evidently destined for each other was so great 

43 



6/4 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

that a quiet marriage was necessary. Moses and Mary quietly departed one 
day and returned to the parental roof as rnan and wife. Mr. and Mrs. Hub- 
bard soon afterwards decided to accept the inevitable and become fond of 
their son-in-law. Time and subsequent events proved that Moses and Mary 
were well mated and the marriage, if a hasty one, proved to be very happy 
in the years to come. Mr. Hubbard soon afterward went west to satisfy the 
gold fever which obsessed him and Moses Barber settled down on his father- 
in-law's farm which he purchased, thus beginning a highly successful career 
as an agriculturist. The first home of him and his young wife was a little 
log cabin which formerly belonged to the Hul:)l)ards, but as prosperity came 
as the reward of years of careful husbandry, he erected a handsome farm 
residence of thirteen rooms which still stands on the place, built in 1882. Mr. 
Barber was one of the first men in Kansas to see the possibilities in fruit 
growing and early began to develop that part of the farming avocation. He 
planted four or five acres of apple trees as a start in his horticultural experi- 
ments, and his success with his first orchard was so gratifying that he in- 
creased his apple orchards to sixty acres of bearing trees. He became widely 
known as the "Apply King of Kansas." \\'hile managing his immense fruit 
orchard he did not neglect the other side of the farm work and cultivated 
assiduously and successfully his large farm of 320 acres of land in Mt. Pleas- 
ant township. In the early days he was a large cattle feeder and made large 
shipments to the stock markets. 

Moses Barber was married May 15, 1865, to Miss Mary Hubbard and 
this union was blessed with two cliildren : Mrs. Abigail Ilraxman. of Wick- 
ford, R. I., and Herbert J., with whom tliis review is directly concerned. Mr. 
Barber departed this life July 3, 1S96, after having lived a long and useful 
life which was profitaljle as well as happy. Mrs. Mary (Hubbard) Barber, 
his sur\-iving widow, was born May 7, 1845, in Roanoke county, Virginia, and 
was a daughter of Clark and Rebecca Hubbard, botli of whom were born and 
reared in Virginia and came to Kansas in 1855. Mrs. Barber resides with 
her son, Herbert J., in Atchison, Kan. 

Herbert J. Earlier attended tlie district school of his neighborhood in 
Mt. Pleasant township and later pursued a course in the Atchison Business 
College. After finishing his business course he returned to his father's farm 
and took charge of the fruit growing and general farming. Later lie spent 
three years in Colorado in the employ of a Denver wliolcsale book and station- 
ery house. In 1894 he returned to the home farm and successfully managed 
it until 1908. He then remo\ed to Cummings, Kan., and assisted in the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 6/5 

organization of the Cnmming\s State Bank. He became the cashier of this 
institution and- has given evidence of decided financial and business aliility 
of a high order in his vocation. Besides his banking interests Mr. Rarber 
has land holdings in Colorado and western Ivansas. He makes his residence 
at I020 Santa Fe street in Atchison. 

The marriage of H. J. Barber and Miss Eva Wertz was solemnized in 
February IQ, igc2. Mrs. Barber was born the twenty-sixtli of May. 1878, in 
Pennsylvania, a daugliter of David and Eliza Wertz, Ijoth of whom were born 
and reared in the Keystone State. David Wertz was for many years a mer- 
chant at Pamell, Kan., and is now living in retirement at that place. The 
mother of Mrs. Barber is now deceased. One child, Mary Reta, born August 
13, 1904, has blessed the marriage of Herbert J. and Eva Barber. 

Politically, Mr. Barber is a Republican, and has held the office of trustee 
of Alt. Pleasant township for four years. He and his family are religiously 
affiliated with the Baptist church. He is a member of the Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons, Washington lodge, No. 5, of Atchison, and the Modern 
Woodmen of America. Mr. Barber is a booster and public-spirited citizen 
by nature and is always ready and willing to support an\thing for the good 
of the community and the people. Every civic program whicii will lia\-e a 
tendency to benefit the wliole of tlie people finds him as one of its warmest 
supporters. 



ROBERT PINDER. 



Robert Finder, tlie efficient and capal)le manager of tiic b'ffingham 
Lumber Company, while liaving been' a resident of Effingham Init a few 
years, has so identified himself with the life of the communitv and taken 
such an active part in the city's affairs, that his citizenship is an important 
and component part of the body politic. He is a hustler in both thought 
and deed, and strives to advance his city as well as managing his business 
at i^rofit, and so as to gain increasing prestige for ■ the lumber com- 
pany's business, which has been under tiie present management since 19 12. 
The company conducts a general lumber business, and sells all kinds of build- 
ing material, such as farm gates, Crown and Tulsa silos, of superior make, 
tiling, roofing and roof paints, etc. The sheds and yards cover six lots, 
and Mr. Pinder employs two men to care for the business. The president 
of the company is W. C. Alexander, of Atchison ; the vice-president is T. 



676 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

B. Pinder, of Clifton, Kan., and the general manager and secretary-treasurer 
is Robert Pinder, with whom this narrative is directly concerned. 

Robert Pinder was lx)m September 5, 1S72, in Timberland. England, a 
son of John and Anna (Burton) Pinder, who were farmers in their native 
countr)-, and about 1894 immigrated to this country and settled on a farm near 
Everest, Kan., where they died. In 1886 Rol)ert was indentured at Martin- 
dales, Eng'land. for three years and one and one-half years at Horncastle, to 
grocery and provision merchants, with the understanding that he was to 
receive his board and lodging, and liis fatlier was to provide for other neces- 
saries, such as wearing apparel, and medicine, in case of sickness. His 
periods of indenture required both day and night service and to play no 
games, or frequent taverns or dice tables, or contract matrimony, or buy 
and sell. For an American boy to be required to do anything of this sort 
would be considered the rankest injustice, and he would rebel at being com- 
pelled seemingly to sacrifice his lilierty and become a bound employe for so 
long a time. But such is the custom in England, and the training which 
Robert Pinder received during his four and one-half years of indenture 
proved exceedingly valuable to him in later years. After serving his time 
as an apprentice he continued in the provision l)usiness for three and one- 
half years longer, and then came to America, journeying direct to Doniphan 
countv in 1894. In the spring of the following year he moved out on the 
farm owned bjr his father, who had brought tlie entire family, with the 
exception of one lirother, to this country. He assisted his father in the cul- 
tivation of the farm for four years, and then accepted a position in the lum- 
ber business of E. L. Alexander, at Everest, Kan., in the spring of 1899. 
Three months later he became manager of the Purcell Lumber Company, 
at Pnrcell. Kan., and remained in this position for three years, following 
wliich employment he was manager of tlie Alexander Lumber Company 
at Ilavensville. Kan., for over ten years. In the spring of 1912 Mr. Pin- 
der came to Effingham and took charge of the Effingham Lumber Com- 
pany. His success in the lumber business has been marked and rapid, and 
is an indication of true and tireless business ability of a high order. He is 
secretary and a stockholder of the Alexander Lumber Company, a large con- 
cern ; secretary of the Harrison Lumber Company, of Garnett, Kan., and is 
interested in this concern as a stockholder. Mr. Pinder also administered 
llie family estate after his father's death in 1909. and his mother's demise 
in the year following. There were eight children in th.e family : Frederick 
died in infancy: Tolin W.. living, in England; Edith Mary, wife of William 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 677 

Finder, of Huron. Kan.; Robert; Charles, a farmer living near Jluron: 
Henrietta died at Everest; Emma A., wife of Arthur Harris, of Everest; 
Thomas Benton, in the lumber business at Clifton, Kan. 

Mr. Finder was married November i, 1900, to Harriet M. Finder, who 
was horn in Denton, a daughter of A. G. Finder, a farmer, residing near 
Huron, Kan. Four children have blessed this union: Ruth Mary, born -in 
November, 1901 ; Cecil Francis, born in 1903; Leslie Benton, born in 1906; 
John Sylvester, bom in 1909. 

Mr. Finder is a progressive Republican, and has pronounced and de- 
cided views upon independence in politics, and believes in "a government of 
the people and by the people," and not for the benefit of the favored few. Fie 
is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church, and is fraternally allied 
with the Knights and Ladies of Security, and the Lumberman's "Hoo-Hoo" 
societv. 



THOMAS T- FOTTER. 



For twentv-four years Thomas J. Fotter has served the people well and 
faithfully as postmaster of the town which was named in honor of his father. 
Joseph Potter, one of the distinguished pioneer settlers of Atchison county. 
Kansas. Thomas ]. Potter was born January 29, 1856, on a farm which 
later became the townsite of Potter, Kan., and was settled upon by his 
father in 1854. Mr. Potter probably holds the record for long and continuous 
residence in Atchison county as a native son of this county. He was a son 
.of Joseph and Minerva (Wiley) Potter, natives of Kentucky and descendants 
of colonial ancestry, Thfimas Potter, father of Joseph, tracing his ancestry 
direct to a member of the colony founded at Jamestown, Va., by Capt. John 
Smith, in 1607. Thomas Potter, grandfather of T. J., was born in old \'ir- 
ginia, and was a pioneer settler in Lincoln county, Kentuck}'. 

Joseph Fotter was born in 1819 in Kentucky, married there and reared 
a family. When Kentucky began to take on a crowded condition, which was 
inimical to a great many of the early settlers of the Daniel Boone class. 
Thomas Potter conceived the idea of migrating westward, as Boone had done. 
Accordingly, he sent his son, Joseph, to the wild country of Saline county, 
Missouri, to find out alwut the fertility of the land, and to determine whether 
or not the country was suitable for settlement. Joseph made the trip in 
safety and made a favorable report on his arrival home. The family, there- 



6/8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

upon, disposed of their land holdings in Kentucky- and made the overland 
trip to Missouri, finally locating in Buchanan county of that State, near the 
town of DeKalb, in 1846. Here Joseph Potter was married in 183 1 to 
Minerva Wiley, whose parents had migrated from the old home in Kentucky 
to Buchanan countv. Missouri, about the same time the Potter family had 
settled there. Three years later, in 1854. Joseph Potter and his wife re- 
moved to Atchison county and filed upon an 160 acre claim, on part of which 
acreage the town of Potter is now built. This was some years before Kan- 
sas became a State, and about the time the great struggle between the pro- 
and anti-slavery men was beginning for the control of Kansas. Joseph Pot- 
ter was a strong anti-sla^■er^■ man, who was not afraid to voice his convic- 
tions in unmistakable language at any and all times. He was firm in his 
belief that slavery was an evil which should be abolished, and his aggressive- 
ness led him into frequent conflicts with the pro-slaver>- advocates. He was 
one of the able and fearless leaders of the anti-slaverx- contingent in Atchison 
county, and many times he was threatened with physical violence. At the 
time of one of the territorial elections, only three Free State votes were cast 
in Joseph Potter's precinct. Four thousand votes, a number far in excess of 
the actual number of voters in the territor}-. were cast at this election, and 
pro-slaver^- men came from Missouri, and even from Kentucky, and voted 
several times in favor of making Kansas a slave State. 

Joseph Potter was a Mexican war veteran. He enlisted in 1846 as a pri- 
vate soldier in the regular army of the United States, and served throughout 
the Mexican conflict under Col. Sterling Price. WTien the Civil war broke 
out he was appointed recruiting officer for the Federal Government, and 
later served as a captain in the Kansas State militia. Joseph Potter served, 
one term as a member of the State legislature. In the year 1886 the town 
of Potter was established and named in his honor. 

One of the most cherished of the friendships of this hardy pioneer was 
that of the late Senator John J. Ingalls. a friendship which began in the 
troublous days preceding the Civil war. and endured until death parted them, 
long afterward. Mr. Potter's first impression of John J. Ingalls was obtained 
at an anti-slavery meeting held in Mount Pleasant township, and he was fond 
of relating the ocairrence after the Senator became a Xation-wide character 
of prominence. Joseph Potter was the political leader of the anti-slavery 
party in that section of the State at the time, and Mr. Ingalls. then a young 
man of twenty-five, had opened his law office a few weeks previously in the 
old town of Sumner. Kan. Ingalls spoke at this meeting, and it is recalled. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 679 

that as he arose to speak, a tall young man, pale and slender, the impression 
that he made upon his audience was small, and there were those present who 
even sneered when he began to speak. It was not long, however, as the 
future senator swung into his theme, until he convinced his auditors that he 
had a thorough knowledge of Kansas conditions, and cnuld speak with an 
eloquence and honesty of delivery that was convincing. The listeners who 
came to scoff, left the meeting as warm admirers of Mr. Ingalls, and Mr. 
Potter was forever afterward his warm supporter. 

Joseph Potter and his wife were the parents of eight children, as fol- 
lows: Celia J., wife of T. Lawler, of Cowles, Neb.; Francis, livhig on the 
old home place in \\'alnut township; Alice P., residing on the home farm; 
losephine P., wife of J- W. Miller, c-f Atchison; Thomas J. ; Samuel L.. a 
banker, living at Cutbank, Mont. ; John J., also living on the old homestead. 

Thomas J. Potter was born and reared on the old home farm of the 
Potter family, and followed the occupation of a tiller of the soil until he was 
twenty-seven years of age. He was appointed postmaster of the town of 
Potter, and was re-appointed in i8c;8, and has held the office continuously ever 
since, lie was married in 1882 to Fannie M. Brown, a daughter of John 
Brown, of Alissouri. Two children bless this union : George Potter, in the 
United States mail service in Chicago, III, and Garland J., wife of Charles 
Pruitt, of Sioux Falls, S. D. The mother of these children died in February, 
1906. In the year 1913 Mr. Potter took for his second wife, Mrs. Estella 
Everharclt, widow of Charles Everhardt. and a daughter of N. D. West, a 
native of New Jersey, who settled in Kansas in the early territorial days. 

Mr. Potter is politically allied with Republican party and is a supporter 
of Republican principles. He belongs to the Christian church, and is fra- 
ternallv affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America. 



BENJAMIN F. SHAW. 



Benjamin F. Shaw, hardware merchant, of Potter, Kan., is a native of 
Atchison county, and is one of Potter's younger successful business tnen. He 
was born October 11, 1882. on a farm in this county. He is a son of Henry 
and Martha (Nelson) Shaw, the former a native of Roodhouse, 111., and 
the latter of Missouri. Both parents are of English ancestry. Henry Shaw 
came to Kansas in 1867 when a young man twenty years of age. When he 
came here he had a ca.sh capital of about $100. He was of a saving disposi- 



680 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

tion, however, and it was not long until he became the owner of a fine farm 
of 320 acres in Leavenworth county, Kansas. He is now residing in Leaven- 
worth, living on a small farm of twenty acres within the city limits. 

Benjamin F. is the fourth of six children born to Henry and Martha 
Shaw, and is the only son. He spent his boyhood days on his father's farm 
and attended the district school in his neighborhood, \^^^en nineteen years 
of age he came to Potter and entered the employ of L, M. Jewell, in his gen- 
eral merchandise store. He began working for a salary' of sixteen dollars 
per month. When Mr. Jewell took charge of the Potter State Bank as cash- 
ier, Mr. Shaw was placed in charge of the Jewell lumber yard and furniture 
store. Shortly afterward he was enabled to purchase a half interest in the 
furniture store. Within a year he sold his interest in the furniture business 
and bought a half interest in the hardware store of J. C. Helvey. Upon j\Ir. 
Helvey's death, three years later, Mr. Shaw purchased his foi-mer partner's 
interest, and has since conducted the business entirely in his own name, as the 
sole proprietor. Mr. Shaw has met with sig-nal success in his business ven- 
ture, and has grown with the town of Potter. He has increased the value of 
the hardware stock in his establishment from $2,200 to over $7,000. In 
addition to his business he is the owner of farm lands near the town of Pot- 
ter. This is a considerable accomplishment for a young man who began his 
career with practically no capital, but a willingness to do llie best he could, 
and endowed with plenty of energy- and intelligence. 

Mr. Shaw was married in November of 1904 to Miss Louise Bessler, 
of Leavenworth, Kan. His political affiliations are with the Democratic 
party, and he is fraternally connected with the Modern W'oodmen lodge. 



LAWRENCE GRIFFIN. 



A review of the life of the late Lawrence Griffin, of Effingham, Kan., 
is the story of a poor Irish lad who left his native land, served his adopted 
country in the Civil war, became a pioneer in Kansas, and was a railroad 
builder and successful farmer, and in the course of years realized in full his 
boyhood dream of wealth and position in the great, free land of America. 

Lawrence Griffin was born in County Galway, Ireland, in 183S. a son of 
poor Irish parents. When a boy in his teens he immigrated to America 
and joined his brother, Michael, in Ohio, and there engaged in farm work for 
a living. He worked his way westward, and at the outbreak of the Civil war 




^. ^yrf^/in' 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 68l 

was driving a stage coach out of Springfield, III, where he enlisted August 
3, 1862, in Company C, Twenty-seventh regiment, Illinois infantry, and served 
until his honorable discharge, September 20, 1864. He fought in many im- 
portant battles, among them being Belmont, Mo., Union City, siege and cap- 
ture of Island No. 10, Farmington Mills, siege and capture of Vicksburg, 
Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, and the battle of Chattanooga. After the 
war he went to St. Louis, Mo., and from that city made his way to Atchison, 
where he took a contract under J. P. Brown for building a portion of the 
grade of the Central Branch railroad, at that time under course of construc- 
tion. His first job was the grading of one mile of road called section 20 
in partnership with a Mr. Keean. In partnership with James Brady he then 
graded two miles of road near Wetmore, Kan. He saved his money which 
he made from his grad.ing operations and in 1867 was married and piuxhased 
a farm of eighty acres near Arrington on the creek bottoms. He was com- 
pelled to leave this place after one year on account of ague and invested in 
160 acres of land north of Arrington, which he later sold and bought 160 acres 
of higher land four miles west of Effingham. This was prairie land which 
he at once began to improve and made into a permanent home for his family. 
He and his wife first lived in a small house and were often discouraged and 
faced failure many times, but persistence and fortitude finally won out and 
they became the possessors of 400 acres of well improved land on which were 
erected two sets of farm buildings. Three hundred and twenty acres yet re- 
main intact of the original holdings, which are rented to tenants. In iQoS 
Mr. and Mrs. Griffin left the farm and purchased a handsome residence in 
Effingham where Mrs. Griffin now resides. 

'Slv. Griffin was married November 25. 1865, in the old St. Benedict's 
Church in Atchison, to Miss Ellen Gallagher, the marriage ceremony being- 
performed by Fatlier Timothy. Ten children have blessed this union, as 
follows: Michael died in infancy; Martin Lawrence, a farmer at Wetmore, 
Kan. ; Ellen, wife of James Bergen, Graham county, Kansas ; Elizabeth, wife 
of Michael Murphy, Dallas, Texas ; Anna, at home with her mother ; Patrick 
Henry, conducting a livery business at Effingham; John J., cultivating the 
home farm ; Frank, agent for the Southern Life Insurance Company, Wichita 
Falls, Texas; Walter L., a traveling salesman, Dallas, Texas, and who grad- 
uated from the Atchison County High School, and studied two years at St. 
Benedict's College ; James Ambrose, also a graduate of the Atchison County 
High School, and now a stenographer in the office with his brother at Dallas, 
Texas. The mother of these children was born September 13, 1850, at La 
Salle, 111., a daugliter of Martin and Anne (Corcoran) Gallagher, both of 



682 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

whom were born in Count)- ]\layo. Ireland. Thej- came to this countr)- when 
young and Mr. Gallagher took up a homestead in Illinois and also engaged 
in freighting from La Salle to Chicago. He died in 185 1, and the widow, 
accompanied by Ellen and two sons, came U> Atchison county in i860 and made 
their home here. Mrs. Gallagher married again, her second husband being 
Frank Cullen, who preempted land near Muscotah, upon wliich tlie family 
moved from Atchison in 1863. Mr. Cullen died in 1888. The mother of 
Mrs. Griffin died in 1890, at the age of sixty-six years. 

Lawrence Griffin was a member of the Catholic church and was always 
a liberal contributor to the support of that denomination, giving substantially 
in aid of the building of the Catholic church in Effingham. While he was a 
rough and read^• type of man who took the world as he found it. he was very 
moral and Ijelieved in living according to the golden rule. He was \ery 
charitable to the poor and worthy and was a kind husband, and a loving and in- 
dulgent father, whose sole aim in amassing a comfortable fortune was to pro- 
vide well for his wife and children. In this aim he succeeded. 



CHARLES E. BARKER. 



Tlie Xation owes a debt to the veterans of the Civil war, who gave the 
liest years of their voung lives to the defense of the Union, and marched 
under the star-spangled lianner under tlie leadership of such lieroes as Grant, 
Sherman and Sheridan, which can never 1)e fully repaid. The ranks of the 
grand army of brave and true men who liave worn the blue are gradually 
thiiniing out, and where once they were numliered in liundrcds and thousands 
throughout this l)road land, there are now but few in each community. These 
veterans were of the salt of the earth, and no lietter type of manliood ever 
trod the earth or marched to the strains of martial music than the old guard, 
which saved the Union, at the call of Abraham Lincoln. Living on a farm, 
in the northwest part of Benton township, Atchison county, Kansas, is a sur- 
vivor of General Sherman's victorious "march to the sea." Comrade Charles 
E. Barker gave three years of his life in tlie defense of the Union and flag, 
and has a war record which has been equalled or surpassed by but few men 
who shouldered a musket to save the Union from dissolution. 

Charles E. Barker, well-to-do farmer, of Atchison county, Kansas, was 
born in Fulton county, Illinois, April 4, 1842, a son of John and Eleanor 
{ Rutledge) Barker. Tlie father of Charles was born in \^irginia July 20. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 683 

1786, and learned tlie blacksmitli's trade when yet a boy. He migrated to Ful- 
ton county. Illinois, as early as 1826, and there operated a blacksmith shop. 
He was twice married, his second wife being Eleanor Rutledge, who bore 
him three children: George R., deceased; James Lee, deceased; Charles E. 
The four children by the first marriage were Joseph, John W., Sarah, and 
Elizabeth, deceased. The mother of Charles E. was born in Greenbrier county, 
Virginia. November 2S, 1801, and died September 3, 1873. John Barker died 
in Fulton county, Illinois, in September of 186 1. 

Charles E. Barker grew up on his father's farm, and helped in the shop 
and on the farm until his enlistment, at the age of twenty years. iVt the 
outbreak of the war he barkened to Lincoln's call for volunteers to quell the 
rebellion of the Southern States, and went to Vermont, 111., where he en- 
isled in Company !•". One Hundred and third regiment, Illinois infantry, 
August 14. 1862, under the command of General Sherman, and Mr. 
Barker acted as commissary sergeant in Tennessee and the South. He par- 
ticipated in the following engagements : Vicksburg, Mission Ridge, Kenesaw 
Mountain. Resaca. Ga.. Peachtree Creek, Ga., Dallas, Gristleville, November 
26, 1864. and many others, his regiment being in twenty-seven battles in all. 
He marched under Sherman's banner from Atlanta to the sea, and then 
marched in the Grand Review at \Vashington. D. C. He was honorably dis- 
charged at Chicago, III, Julv 7, 1865. He returned home after his discharge, 
and remained in Fulton county. Illinois, until 1883. when he disposed of his 
holdings there and went to Dade county, Missouri, where he bought a farm. 
He remained in Dade county for several years, living- on various farms which 
he bought and sold. In August, 1887, he went to Furnace county, Nebraska, 
and purchased a half section 'of land, to which he added 160 acres later, which 
he sold in 1903 to his .son, Harry. On March i. 1891, he went to Brown 
county, Kansas, and h\'ed there until his removal to Atchison county. In 
1894 he came to Atchison county, Kansas, and bought 160 acres of land in 
the northwest corner of Benton township. He improved this farm and cul- 
tivated it with profit to himself. He maintains good graded live stock on 
his acreage and is considered one of the really successful agriculturists of 
the county. Nearly all of his land is sown to alfalfa and grasses. 

On April 19, 1866, Mr. Barker was married to Maiy E. Pontious, who 
has Ix)rne him six children, as follows : Leonard, a farmer, of Norton county, 
Kansas; Ira C of (ioiiding, Idaho; Harry F.., living in Brown county, Kan- 
sas; William L., a fanner, of Kapioma township, .\tchisnn county. Kansas; 
Perry, residing in Stanford, Neb.; Nora, deceased. The mother of these 



684 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

children was bom in Ohio, a daughter of Andrew and Ann (Bear) Pontious, 
natives of Germany. 

Mr. Barker is a Democrat of the old school, and is a firm believer in 
Democratic principles. He belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic, Ef- 
fingham Post, and numbers among the members of this organization many 
warm friends and comrades. He has taken his place in the community as a 
representative citizen, who enjoys the respect and esteem of all who knov/ 
him. He can look back over his three score and thirteen years of life 
vnth satisfaction and realize with complacency that it has been well spent, and 
he has accomplished all that any good American could wish for on this earth. 



JOHN E. SULLIVAN. 



If a man has the inherent ability and energy in his makeup to enable him 
to succeed, he is going to do it. The life stories of all successful, self-made 
men bear out this contention, and there are numberless instances of success 
among the younger generation in the West which are well \vorth recounting. 
John E. Sullivan, real estate dealer, loan and insurance agent, of Effingham, 
Kansas, is a representative example of the class referred to in the foregoing 
statement. Mr. Sullivan was destined to succeed in his faiTning and business 
ventures, and, while a young man, he has already made his mark in the world, 
and is one of the substantial and influential citizens of Atchison county. 

John E. Sullivan was bom on a farm, near Rulo, Richardson county, 
Nebraska, January 20, 1873. He is a son of Murty and Mary (Rawley) 
Sullivan, substantial and well respected citizens of Effingham. The former 
was bora in Ireland in 1847, and the latter is a native of Canada, bom of 
Irish parents in 1852. Murty Sullivan left Ireland in 1865, immigrated to 
America and settled near Rulo, Neb. He made his own way in this countn% 
and accumulated a large farm in Nebraska, on which he resided until igio, 
when he removed to Effingham and purchased a farm adjoining the town on 
the south. Murty and Man,' Sullivan are the parents of the following chil- 
dren : James and Murty, Jr., living at Hardin, Mont. ; Daniel D., a farmer, of 
Benton township, .'\tchison county, Kan.: John E., the subject of this review; 
Mrs. John Vogel, of Falls City. Neb. ; Sister M. Teresa, a sister of the Ursu- 
line Convent, of York, Neb., and a teacher in St. .^ngela's Academy there. 
The familv are all members of the Catlnolic church. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 685 

lohn E. received Ins primary education in the common schools of his 
native county in Nebraska, and finished his education in St. Benedict's Col- 
lege. Atchison, Kan., graduating from the commercial department of that 
institution in 1894. He then took a special teachers' course' at the Lincoln, 
Neb., Normal School. He taught school for seven years in Richardson 
county, Nebraska, and practically all of his teaching was done in two schools 
of his home county. Upon his marriage in 1897 he engaged in farming in 
Nebraska, and it is a matter of pride witli Mr. Sullivan that he earned more 
money in two years of fanning operations than he had in all of liis seven 
years of teaching, another reason why the farm is the best place for a 
young and ambitious man to make money. His success as a farmer de- 
termined his future career, and he decided to stick to the agricultural country 
for all time, imbued with the belief that there is money to be earned in 
farming, or in handling farm lands. He left Nebraska in December of 1901, 
and came to Atchison county, Kansas, where he purchased a farm, one and 
one-half miles south of Effingham, his first farm being the northwest quar- 
ter of section' 34-618. He is at present the owner of 400 acres of well 
improved land which is kept in a high state of cultivation by improved 
methods of farming. Mr. Sullivan raises considerable live stock on his acre- 
age and aims to feed all the grain raised on the land to live stock. He 
specializes in Hereford cattle and Poland China hogs and aims to keep only 
good grade of stock of all kinds. At the time of his purchase of the farm 
land in Atchison county, the land itself was in poor condition, and the soil 
had become impoverished by contiinial cropping of a single staple. Through 
the modern method of crop rotation Mr. Sullivan is revivhig the fertility of 
the soil, and at the present time the greater portion of his farm is planted to 
clover and grasses, for the purpose of renewing the strength of the soil, the 
process being assisted by the raising and feeding of live stock on the place. 
The Sullivan farm has splendid improvements, which were placed on it by 
Mr. Sullivan, who erected a modern eight-room house and a good barn. In 
1907 Mr. Sullivan was induced ti) take up insurance work as a side line, in 
the interest of a Nebraska insurance company, and met with great success 
in his new line of work. He later took up the real estate business and the 
handling of loans, and has been likewise successful in establishing a perma- 
nent business which requires his attention and necessitates an office in Ef- 
fingham. The Sullivan real estate and loan office is well located in the 
Farmers and Mcrcliants State Bank, of which concern Mr. Sullivan served 
as cashier and a director for several years. 



686 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

He was married February i6, 1897, '0 Mary Majerns, a native born res- 
ident of Richardson county, Nebraska, and a daughter of Jacob and Eliza- 
beth (Wilker) Majerus, the former a native of Germany, and the latter of 
Ohio, of German parents. Seven children have blessed this union, namely: 
P. Justin, aged seventeen, and a student of St. Benedict's College, class of 
1916; Leo, aged thirteen years: Nellie, ten years old; Elizabeth, aged eight; 
Edward, six years old; Agnes, three years of age; and Mary, born January 

28, 1915. ■ . . . . 

Mr. Sullivan is a Democrat who takes an active and influential part in 
the affairs of his party in Atchison county, having been the candidate of the 
party for county treasurer in 1914. He is fraternally affiliated with the 
Modern Woodmen, of Effingham, the Knights of Columbus, of Atchison, 
and the Central Protective Association. 



SAMUEL L. LOYD. 



Samuel L. Loyd, an enterprising and successful farmer, of Shannon 
township, ^\•?ls born June 11, i860, in Brown ccnmty. Ohio, a son of Thomas 
F. and Celina (McGinness) Loyd, natives of Kentucky and Ohio, respectively. 
His ])atemal ancestors were of ^^'elsh extraction. William Loyd. grandfather 
of Samuel Loyd, after making a home for Iiis family in this country, started 
on a return trip to his native land, in order to secure a legacy which liad 
been willed to him by a deceased relative, and on the way was afflicted with 
cholera, and died. With his death, practically all knowledge of the family in 
tlie old countr}' passed away, and his widow and two children were left to 
get along as best ihev could. Two years later tlie widow died. Thomas 
F. Loyd was reared by a Mr. Boyd, and removed from Kentucky to Brown 
county, Ohio, when he became of age, and there married Celina McGinness. 
About 1865 he set out for the western country to obtain cheaper land, and 
make a permanent home for his family, .\fter Hying for one year in Clark 
county, Missouri, he loaded his effects on a covered wagon, and with his 
wife and children crossed the the Missouri river at St. Joseph, and settled on 
a farm in Doniphan county, Kansas, April 14, 1866. ■ Thomas F. Loyd was 
a member of ihe Home Guard in Brown county, Ohio, during the Civil war. 
He was born in 1825, and died in 1910. His wife, Celina, was bom in 1829, 
an<l ilicd in 11)06. Tliev were the parents of ten children, seven of whom are 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 687 

living: William. Mollie. deceased. Charles, deceased, Samuel L., Anna. 
George, Effie, Otis, Oscar, and Celina, deceased. 

Samuel L. Loyd was six years of age when his parents located in Doni- 
phan county, and consequently knows a great deal about the early days in 
Kansas, and the struggles of the early settlers to make homes on the prairie. 
He was brought up on the farm, and attended tlie district school when pos- 
sible, and learned very early in life to do farm work. After his marriage 
he farmed in Doniphan county until 1899, when he came to Shannon town- 
ship in Atchison county, and purchased 160 acres of fine land, which he has 
brought to a higli state of cultivation. During his sixteen years of residence 
here lie lias improxed his farm to a consideralile extent, and has spent over 
$5,000 in the erection of a handsome Ijrick residence which sets far back on a 
rise of ground and is reached from the higiiway by a private driveway. Other 
improvements on the place in the way of buildings and fences have cost him 
over $1,500. A severe stonn, which swept this section May 3, 1903. did 
damage to the extent of over $500 to his Iniildings. and lie found it necessary 
to repair all of this. 

Mr. Loyd was married September 2, 1896, to Miss Lulu \'oelker. born 
and brought up in Atchison county, a few miles north of the city of Atch- 
ison. To this union five children have been born: Myrtle Ceina. Edna Lula, 
rad \oelker, a weaitiiy and pniminent farmer residing on one of the finest 
good educations by their ambitious parents. ]\Irs. Loyd is a sister of Con- 
rad Voelker. a wealthy and prominent farmer residing on on.e of the finest 
farms in llie county, alxiut four miles north of .Atchison, and who 
earned tlie title of "Cabbage King" of Kansas, because of his wonder- 
ful success in growing that vegetable some years ago. Mrs. -Loyd 
was Ijorn July 14. 1872, and is a daughter of Karl \'oelkcr. who immigrated 
to this country from Germany in 186 1, and operated a dairy and truck farm 
in Shannon township for several years. The mother of Mrs. Loyd was 
Christina Neuhaus, of German parents. Further details of the history of the 
Voelker family are found elsewhere in this volume. Conrad M.. a nephew 
of Mrs. Loyd, is' county clerk of Atchison county. 

Mr. Loyd is a Republican, but gives little or no attention to political 
affairs, other than to vote as his conscience dictates. He is affiliated with 
the Central Protective Association, and is a memljer of (lood Intent lodge, 
of Shannon township. While Mrs. Loyd was reared in the Lutheran faith, 
the members of the Loyd family attend the Methodist church, b'or a man 
who was forced to make his own way in the world, Mr. Loyd, with the 



688 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

assistance of his faithful wife, has accomplished a great deal, for whicli he 
deserves credit and honor among his neighlxirs. 



JULIUS KAAZ. 



The life storj' of Julius Kaaz, founder and proprietor of tlie manufac- 
turing concern which bears his name, is an account of the achievements of 
a self-made man who left his native land to seek opportunity and fortune 
in Atchison, and found it. During the period of thirty-four years of his life 
which has been spent in his adopted city, Mr. Kaaz has succeeded even beyond 
his expectations and has made a place for himself an enviable one in the city. 
He arrived in Atchison in 1881 without a dollar, but endowed with a willing- 
ness to do whatever came to hand, imbued with a desire to succeed where the 
opportunity awaited him. The Julius Kaaz Manufacturing Companv is a 
monument to his industry and ambition. This is one of the thriving and 
important establishments in the city of Atchison, and is widely known as one 
of the city's leading industries. The extensive plant covers two floors of a 
building, 52x130 feet, and from eighteen to twenty men are employed in 
the mill proper, and from five to thirty-five men are given employment at 
outside work. The factory is conveniently located at 1200-1208 Main street 
and is fully equipped with all modern machinery to facilitate the manufac- 
ture of the high grade products which consist principally of bank, church 
and store fixtures, made to the order of the purchaser. An example of the 
high grade work turned out by the Kaaz plant can be seen in the interior 
fixings and furniture of the German-American State Bank of Atchison. Mr. 
Kaaz ships his output to Kansas and Nebraska cities and all parts of the 
United States, and it is unsurpassed in quality and finish. 

Julius Kaaz was bom March 26. 1854, in Prussia, German Empire, a 
son of Daniel and Christina (Schroeder) Kaaz. who were the parents of four 
children : Willielmina Loeproeck, a widow residing in Atchison countv ; Ern- 
est, Atchison ; Mrs. Christina Schmeling, deceased ; Julius, the youngest of the 
family. Daniel Kaaz was a carpenter by trade and came to Atchison from 
Gennany with his family in 1881. He resided with his son Julius upon his 
retirement from active labor until his death in 1902. His wife. ChrLstina. 
was bom in 1821, and died in 1895. 

Julius Kaaz attended the schools of his native land and studied archi- 
tecture. He learned the trade of carpenter under his father, but could not 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 689 

content himself to settle down in his native land and follow in the footsteps 
of his forebears. When still a voung man the germ of ambition called him to 
other lands, and his goal was America. His desire to better his condition led 
him to set sail for this counti-y in 1881, arriving in Atchison, where he at once 
sought employment. His first work was cutting cordwood in the timber land, 
south of the city, during the winter, and in the spring of the following year 
he worked on the Missouri river, making and placing riprap. Soon afterward 
he was gi\en a jcb working at his trade for $1.50 per day. For one year he 
worked for wages, and at length decided to embark in business for himself and 
began taking contracts at a time when he had no capital worth speaking of. It 
was even necessary for him to borrow the saw and hammer which be used in 
his work. In 1885 be formed a partnership with Henry Braun in the contract- 
ing business which continued until 1909, when they dissolved partnersliip. In 
1907 Mr. Kaaz erected his first planing mill which has grown into his pres- 
ent extensive establishment consisting of plant, yards and warerooms. 

He was married to Ida Schmeling in 1883, and to this union have been 
born nine children, as follows: Emil, Lena, Robert, Lydia, Julius E., Otto, 
Fred, Arthur, Martha. Of these children Martha is deceased, Lydia is her 
father's secretary, Fred is also employed in the office, and Otto H. is employed 
in the mill. Mrs. Kaaz was born September 6, 1856, in Prussia, German Em- 
pire, and is a daughter of August and Ernestine fPolzien) Schmeling. She 
left her native land when sixteen years of age and came to Atchison. 

Mr. Kaaz, while, politically allied with the Republican party, is an inde- 
pendent voter who believes in voting for the individual who seems to lie most 
capable of serving the people, rather than supporting an avowed politician. 
He and the members of his family are affiliated with the German Lutheran 
church and are liberal supporters of this denomination. 



GEORGE \V. REDMOND, M. D. 

A greater service in behalf of mankind than a life devoted to healing the 
sick and curing the halt and the lame can not be considered, and when this 
service has been rendered far from the comforts of the city and during the 
storms of many seasons in the open country from the pioneer era in Kansas 
down to the present time, the value of such service to humanity is inestimable. 
The unsung heroes of the medical fraternity are the large class of country 

44 



690 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

practitioners who go their way year after year, uncomplainingly and satis- 
fied with the good the}- are doing for their fellow' creatures. Great fortune 
is not theirs, but the inevitable reward and the satisfaction of a task well and 
faithfully done is theirs to ha\e. Of this great class the biographer is pleased 
to record the facts concerning the life and career of George W. Redmond, the 
second oldest physician in Atchison county, and one of the oldest medical 
men in Kansas. For nearly half a century Dr. Redmond has practiced his 
profession among the tillers of the soil in the neighlKjrhood of Potter, and 
the southeastern part of Atchison county, and in the northeast part of Leaven- 
worth county, Kansas. During all this time he has remained true to his 
calling, and resisted the call of the towns and cities, where an easier life 
might be lived. He has likewise progressed with the profession and en- 
deavored to keep abreast of the wonderful developments in the science of 
medicine, arriving at the point in his career where he is a specialist in his 
profession. 

Dr. George W. Rechiioiul was liorn in Bourbon county, Kentucky. October 
19, 1849, 3 son of Oscar Redmond and Susan (Orr) Redmond, the fonncr a 
native of Bourbon county, and the latter a native of Nicholas county, Ken- 
tucky. Both were bom in the same year, 1820, and the mother of Dr. Red- 
mond was a daughter of William Orr, a captain in the American army in the 
War of 18 1 2. William migrated to Kentucky from Pennsylvania shortly 
after peace was declared between England and the United States, and was 
one of the pioneers of that State. Oscar F. Redmond, father of George W., 
was a son of William Redmond, was also one of the pioneers in the settle- 
ment of old Kentucky. Both the Orr and Redmond families were of tliat 
sturdy Scotch Presbyterian stock, who were prominent in the early history 
of Kentucky, and were noted as true pioneers in several of the middle 
Western States. Oscar F. Redmond was a farmer in Kentucky, and reared 
a family of twelve children, of whom George W. was the fourth child. In 
1856 the Redmond family remo\ed to Cooper county, Missouri, where they 
remained until 1858, and then settled in Platte county, Missouri, where the 
father made a permanent home for many years, afterwards ending his days 
in Muscotah, Atchison county, Kansas. The mother of Dr. Redmond died 
in Kansas City in 1892. 

When the Redmond family left Kentucky, George W. was five years 
of age. He received liis primary education in the district schools of Platte 
county, Missouri, and graduated from the Gaylord Institute, after which he 
began the study of medicine with his uncle. Dr. H. B. Redmond, in Saline 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 69I 

county, Missouri, with whom he studied one year. He then entered the St. 
Louis Me(h"cal College, of St. Louis, Mu., completed tiie prescribed two-vears' 
course, and graduated therefrom in 1869. While trying to decide upon a 
location, and almost having his mind set upon a city location, he recei\ed 
a letter from his sister, Mrs. Samuel E. King, in Atchison county, informing 
him that Dr. John Parsons, of Mt. Pleasant, was in need of a young assistant 
and partner, and he could have the place if he came to Kansas. This letter 
decided his course, and he came at once to Atchison county and began his 
practice with Dr. Parsons. At this period Mt. Pleasant was an important 
inland town, but it has long since passed into the realm of "disappeared cities." 
Dr. Redmond remained in Mt. Pleasant a little over two years, and then 
located in Oak Mills, where he owned a farm, and l^uilt up an enormous med- 
ical practice in tlie village and surrounding countryside. He jjvacticed in Oak- 
Mills for thirty years, although prevailed upon by his many admirers in Atch- 
ison to remove to the larger city and open an office. During the winter of 
1903 and 1904 he pursued a post-graduate course in the post-graduate 
school of Chicago, and upon his return to Kansas, in the spring of 1904, he 
located in Potter, Atchison county. Of late years Dr. Redmond has become 
a specialist in the diseases of women, and it is in this branch of practice that 
he is achieving his greatest successes. Obstetrics has long been his specialty, 
and he undoubtedly holds the record in Kansas for the number of successful 
confinement cases at which he has officiated, and it can be said of him, that 
in all of his many years of practice he has never lost a confinement case, 
although there have been times in his career when he has had three and four 
cases of this character in one day. 

Dr. Redmond has been twice married, his first marriage occurring in 
1874 with Anna Douglass, a daughter of J. M. and Sarah Douglass, who 
were among the earliest of the Atchison county pioneers. Four children 
blessed this union : Ethel, of Leavenworth, Kan. : Edith, wife of Charles Mun- 
.ger. of Atchison county. Kansas; Virginia, living in Leavenworth. Kan.; 
Georgia Redmond, also residing in Leavenworth. Dr. Redmond's second 
marriage took place in 1906 with Carrie A. Sprong, a daughter of D. H. 
Sprong, an early pioneer settler of Kansas, a sketch of whom appears in this 
volume. 

While Dr. Redmond is a Democrat in politics, he has never found the 
time to take an active part in political affairs. For the past thirty-five vears 
he has been a contributor to various medical journals, among them being the 
Medical World, of Philadelphia, one of the oldest and most widelv read med- 



6g2 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

ical publications in the United States. He is a member of the Atchison 
County Medical Society, the Kansas State Medical Society, and the American 
Medical Association, and was one of the organizers of the county society in 
1869. and is the only surviving original member of the society. He is a 
member of Kickapoo Lodge. No. 4, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. 



FREDERICK W. LINCOLN. 

From small beginnings larger things very often naturally grow. The 
candy and soft drink manufactory of Frederick \\'. Lincoln on South Fifth 
street, Atchison, had its inception in a very modest beginning. In fact, Mr. 
Lincoln first began manufacturing his fine candies at his residence, corner of 
Seventh and S streets, but the constant growth of the concern soon required 
larger quarters, and his present factory, erected in 1893, is the result of his 
enterprise, a building 20x60 feet in extent, with the basement in use. 
He employs ten people the year round, and is his own traveling salesman, 
his son, Edward, having charge of the business during his father's absence on 
the road. The products of the Lincoln factory are in demand, and are noted 
for their excellency. In 191 2 the manufacture of soda and soft drinks was 
added to supplv a demand in Atchison and the surrounding territory. The 
manufactured goods of the Lincoln factory are distributed to all points in 
Kansas and western Missouri. 

Frederick ^^'. Lincoln was born in England January 29, 1852, a son of 
Edmund B. and Jane (Barrell) Lincoln, the father being born in Norfolk, 
Intwood county, England, and the mother being a native of County Cling- 
ford, England. They were the parents of four children : Edward, a veteran 
of the Civil war, and inmate of the National Soldiers' Home at Sandusky, 
Ohio; Mrs. Mary King, of Michigan; Mrs. Emily S. Moffit, deceased; Fred- 
erick W.. with whom this review is directly concerned, and who was reared 
bv an uncle, ATr. Barrell, who taught him the baker's trade. The Lincoln 
family immigrated to .\merica in 1853, and settled in Ohio, where Fred- 
erick was reared to manhood in the home of his uncle. He worked at his 
trade of baker until 1875, when he came to Atchison, and was employed in 
tlie hardware store of W. W. Marlborough for a few years, after which he 
worked in a candy shop for W. B. Howe, who taught him the candy maker's 
trade, .\bnut i88o be embarked in the manufacture of candies with T. L. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 693 

W'liite. with whom he was associated for a short time, and e\enUially engaged 
in business for himself, starting in his home, making a \-ery modest begin- 
ning. His first shop was near his residence, but the business soon outgrew 
the demands made upon the Httle shop, and larger quarters soon became 
necessary. The business is the direct outcome of the persistence, integrity 
and industry of the proprietor, and the future of this flourishing concern 
is bright with promise, as the years see it extend its natural field, and it 
achieves a natural and deserving growth. 

Mr. Lincoln was married January 26, 1879, to Laura A\erill, born July 
20, at Cooper, Maine, a daugliter of Joseph and Julia A. (Whitney) Averill, 
natives of England and Scotland respectively. Mrs. Lincoln came to Atch- 
ison with her mother and resided with her stepfather and mother until her 
marriage with Mr. Lincoln. To Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln have Ijeen born the 
following children: !Mrs. Leona Andrews, of Atchison; Edward E., born 
May II, 1883, educated m the public and high schools of Atchison and 
brought up with his father in the business, married in 1905 to Freda Spatz, 
w'ho was born November 9, 1896, in Atchison, a daughter of Jacob and Jose- 
phine (Latenser) Spatz, natives of Germany and St. Joseph, Mo., re- 
spectively : the third child being Frank, a machinist, employed at Horton, Kan. 

Mr. Lincoln is a Republican, and is fraternally allied with the Ancient 
Order of L^nited Workmen, the United Commercial Travelers, and the 
Modern Woodmen of America. He and the members of his family belong 
to the Christian church. Mr. Lincoln's career is an exemplification of the 
adage, "Success never comes to him who waits," and his standing in tiie 
commercial life of Atchison today is due to the fact that he made his oppor- 
tunity and is justly entitled to proper recognition as one of the city's leailing 
factors. 



JOHN C. VALENTINE. 



John C. Valentine, owner and proprietor of the Northern Kansas Tele- 
phone Company of Effingham, for more than forty years has been a resi- 
dent of Atcliisnii county. The Northern Kansas Telephone Company, of 
which he is the head, was organized in 1903 as a coo])erati\'e concern, but 
is now owned and operated by Mr. Valentine and his son, A. G. Valentine. 
The lines of the company cover a section of country within a radius of six to 
ten miles of Effingham. Twenty-six lines are supplied with good service, 



694 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

and the company has over 435 subscribers at the present time. The plant 
is well equipped and is noted for the excellent service given the patrons. 

John C. \'alenline is a native of Dearborn county. In(Hana. and was liorn 
in the Hoosier State July 28, 1845. a son of George and Sarah (Comforth) 
Valentine. His father was born in New Jersey, and accompanied his parents 
to the IMiddle W^'est, locating in Cincinnati when George was a child. He was 
reared in Cincinnati, and later settled in Indiana. His mother was the daugh- 
ter of pioneer stock of English descent, and was connected with the Eubanks 
familv. which figured in the early history of Indiana. Sarah Valentine died 
in 1863, and George married again, after which he settled in Illinois, and died 
near Xenia, that State. He was a soldier in the Civil war, and served in an 
Ohio cavalry regiment throughout the conflict. John C. Valentine enlisted 
in the 134th regiment, Indiana infantry, in the spring of 1864, and served 
until his lionorable discharge in the fall of tlie same year. His health be- 
came poor while serving in Tennessee, and he was transferred to Louisville, 
Ky., and sent home from that city. He was kept on the reserve force while 
serving in .Alabama, and was in the breastworks at Decatur, Ala. At this 
place he was exposed to a hot fire, and recalls that it was a very uncomfort- 
able place in which to be. During the winter of 1866 he taught school in 
Decatur count}-. Indiana. He remained at home with an uncle. William Saw- 
don, at Aurora. Ind., after returning from the wlar, until September, 1867, 
at which time lie went to Ft. Madison, Iowa, and there met some friends. 
He worked on farms in the neighborhood until Christmas of that year, and 
then left for Kansas, arriving at Leavenworth January i, 1868. 

During his first year in Kansas he broke prairie land for a living; the 
next year he sold sewing machines, and made good at that avocation ; the 
second year, winter of 1868-69. '^^ taught school in Leavenworth county, and 
two years after coming to this State he was married. He and his brnt'.ier. 
Charles, broke prairie with their two teams in Jeffer.son county, and for four 
years after his marriage, Mr. Valentine had great success in farming in that 
county, raising immense crops of wheat. In the year 1874 he came to .Atch- 
ison county and settled on a farm four miles northwest of Effingham on 
the soutli side of the Parrallel road. He at first bought a tract of eighty 
acres and erected a small house on his land, erecting otlier buildings as he 
was able. Mr. Valentine has prospered in the years following his first pur- 
chase of land in this county, and he and his son now own a total of 200 acres 
of well improved land. He resided on the farm until January of 1806. then 
turned over the farm to the management of his son, and came to Effingham. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 695 

For ten years following' he traveled as salesman, and in 1905 engaged in the 
telc];hiinc Im-iness hy the jnirchase of the cooperatix'e compan\- which 
formerly owned the lines he is now operating. 

Mr. "V^alentine was married April 7, 1870, to Miss Lena Smith, of John- 
son county. Kansas, who was l)orn in 1855. The children born to this union 
are: Albert G.. on the home farm, married Alice Frame, and is the father of 
one son and five daughters; Mrs. Mattie Stevenson, of near Beloit, Kan.; Ed- 
ward died at the age of twenty-two _\-ears. and Robert died at the age of 
thirteen years. 

Mr. Valentine is a Republican in politics, and has always remained loyal 
and steadfast to the party of Abraham Lincoln. He has served as city coun- 
cilman and mayor of Effingham. He is an Odd Fellow, and a member of 
the Grand Army Post. No. 176, Effingham. 



GUSTAVE STUTZ. 



Gustave Stutz. fanner and stockman, of Atchison county. Kan., was 
born April 20, 1867. in Lancaster township, this county, and is the son 
of Christian and Katherine (Schweitzer) Stutz. Seven children were born 
to them, as follows: Caroline (Demel), of Central City, Neb.; Katherine 
(Wilkins), Atchison, Kan.: Frederick, policeman, Atchison, Kan.: Christo- 
pher \\\. Center township. Atchison county: Gustave. subject of this sketch; 
John. Center township: and one child died in infancy. The father of Gustave 
Stutz was bom March 25, 1825, in German}'. He left there in 1853, and set- 
tled in Jackson county, Missouri, and in 1859 came to .\tchison count}', 
where he bought eighty acres of land in Lancaster towliship. The land was 
timber and prairie country, and he employed a man to break it up with 
oxen. Mr. Stutz made extensive improvements on his farm, and added more 
land from time to time. When he died. December 28. 7 8q8. he owned 380 
acres of land. The mother of the subject of this sketch was born in Ger- 
many, in February, 1829. She died in Lancaster township in December. 1888. 
She is buried in Maple Grove cemetery. 

Gustave Stutz was reared on his father's farm and attended the ])ul)!ic 
schools of Lancaster. Tn 1893 he rented a farm from his father for a year, 
and then bought 160 acres in Center township. Five years later he sold that 
and bought eighty acres near the Madison school house. Having made a 



696 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

number of improvements, he sold this farm and bought the present one of 
160 acres. When he took this land there were only a few ramshackle build- 
ings on it, but he has made it one of the most modern farms in the State. 
He built a large seven-room house at a cost of $4,500, which is fitted with all 
modem conveniences, including hot and cold water, electric lights, bath, and 
a basement fitted up as a laundry. The house is lighted by electricitv, which 
is generated from a private plant located on the farm. ^Ir. Stutz was the 
first to install one in Atchison county. In 191J he built a barn, 5.2X-I-6 
feet, for general purposes. 'Sir. Stutz is a Ijreeder of Sliorthorn cat- 
tle and takes great pride in his herd. He has a herd of thirty fine Shorthorn 
cattle, including four pure breds, and has been gradually improving his herd 
for the purpose of embarking in the business of breeding Shorthorns for the 
trade. He is a stockholder in the Independent Harvester Company, of Piano, 
111. He is a Democrat in politics, and was for a time road supervisor of Lan- 
caster township. 

Mr. Stutz was married October 10, 1893, to Margaret Waltz, who was 
born April 30, 1875, in Shannon township, Atchison county. She is a daugh- 
ter of Charles and Margaret (Diesback) Walz, both natives of Germany. 
The father died February 4, 1890. at the age of sixty-two. He immigrated 
from Germany in 1847. The mother is living in Atchison county. Mr. and 
Mrs. Stutz are the parents of three children: Albert, born June 2, 1895; Ed- 
ward, born January 3, 1898, and Pearl, born June 24, 1899, all living at 
home. Mr. Stutz attends the Presbyterian church, and is a member of the 
Independent Order Odd Fellows. 



THOMAS O. PLUMMER. 



There is some distinction in being a pit^nee*- in the State of Kansas, and 
there is certainly considerable distinction coming to the man who can justly 
lav claim to licing the first white child born of pioneer ])arents in a component 
part of a great county like Atchison. Thomas O. Plummer, p-osperous 
farmer and stockman of Grasshopper township, Atchison county, is the first 
white child born within the borders of his township, and has lived all of his 
fifty-nine years within the borders of the township. 

T. O. Plummer was born December 6, 1857. a son of Leven Vincent and 
Matilda (Norman) Plummer. both of whom were born in Kentucky. Leven 
\''incent was a son of Lewis Plunimir. a native of (iermanv. who immigrated 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 697 

to America when quite young and married a Miss Vincent in Kentucky. 
She (his wife) was a daughter of Enghsli parents and was a large woman. 
The fact that her descendants are all men of large physique is explanatory 
of the inheritance of strength and size which predominates in the men (if the 
Plummer family. The mother of Thomas O. was a daugliter of Lewis Xor- 
man. a Kentucky pioneer and expert blacksmith, who was of French-English 
descent. He (Lewis) was a maker of plows and farming implements which 
he would manufacture in his shop, load on a river boat and sell in the towns 
and villages on the banks of the Ohio river. On one of his trading expedi- 
tions he was shot by the crew of a rival trading boat. 

Leven Vincent Plummer was the father of eight children, as follows : 
Mary Elizabeth Baker, Oklrdioma ; Dempsey died at the age of sixteen years; 
Charles died in 1907; Thomas O. and Benjamin F., (twins), Arrington, Kan. ; 
Leonidas, Atchison ; Commodore, Oklahoma ; Harriet Ratley, Cowley county, 
Kansas ; Lucullus, on old home place. 

In the year 1854 he left Kentucky and migrated to Platte county, Mis- 
souri, where he resided until 1855 and then made a settlement in Grasshopjier 
township, Atchison county. He was the first white settler on Brush creek in 
the Kickapoo Indian resen-ation lands. He did his trading at old Kennekuk. 
It is recalled that the old Monnon trail passed by his home and Mr. Plummer 
remembers the stor\- of a large party of Mormon immigrants being stricken 
with the cholera and over loo of them died as a result of the terrible 
attack of the dread disease. The dead bodies of the victims were hurriedly 
buried in shallow graves, but, unfortunately were rooted up by hogs owned 
by the Indians. Inasmuch as the white settlers \vere afraid to bury the bodies 
again the hogs were permitted to eat the bodies. Leven Plummer was on 
extremely good terms with the Indians of the neighborhood and several of 
them worked for him at different times. When the Indians disposed of tlicir 
land holdings to the Government and moved to a new reservation, he pur- 
chased of them lOD of their "razorback" hogs and io,coo fen.cc rails 
at a cost of ten cents a hundred rails. He hauled the rails to his place in im- 
mense wagon loads, hauled by two yoke of oxen and a team of horses. He 
became fairly well to do and was a large feeder of live stock, frequently feed- 
ing as high as ico head of cattle, four-year-old steers and 400 head of 
hogs. He died in 1867, at the age of forty-seven years, leaving eight chil- 
dren to the care of his widow. Leven Plummer was noted as one of the 
strongest men of his day and was a man of large stature who could perform 
feats of strengtli which would appall the average man. 



698 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Thomas O. Plummer attended tlie district school of his neighlmr- 
hood and when twenty-one years of ag-e began for himself. His first ^m- 
])lovment away from home was for six months with Martin W. Ham. He 
then worked for a bachelor neighbor at ten dollars per month. In 1879 he 
began renting land on his own account. From boyhood he has always had 
to hustle for himself and has made good. He made his first purchase of land 
in 1893 and has accumulated a total of 241 acres of well improved farm lands 
in Grasshopper township. 

In 1884 Air. Plummer was united in marriage with Mary Ratley, and 
the union was blessed with one son, James Oliver Plummer. who is now the 
efficient superintendent of highways in the township. Mar}' (Ratley) Plum- 
mer was the daughter of John and Hannah Ratley, and departed this life 
in September 15, 1887. In September of 1893. ]\Ir. Plummer was again 
married to Miss Mary E. Clark, who has l;orne liim ime child. Thomas McKin- 
lev Plummer, who as a youth attended the agricultural college at Manhat- 
tan, Kan., and is much interested in scientific farming. Mrs. Mary (Clark) 
Plummer died March 13, 1908. She was a daughter of P. J. Clark, a very 
earlv settler of Atchison county, and formerly a member of the Atchison city 
police force. The third marriage of Tliomas O. Plummer occurred March 2, 
1909. with Mrs. Bessie May De Bord (Floyd), widow of James Floyd, a 
native of Kentucky, and to this union have been born two children : Theodore 
Ole, and Calvin Vincent Plummer. By her first marriage, Mrs. Plummer 
has one child. Ruby Jewell Floyd, born September 30, 1905. 

Air. I^lummer is one of Atchison county's best known and successful 
self-made men and everything he owns lias been earned by hard labor and 
diligence, combined with good management. Besides his farming interests 
he is a stockholder in the Farmers Grain Elevator and the Mutual Telephone 
Company, at Muscotah. He is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the 
Mvstic W'orkers and the Modern Woodmen of America. 



HOWARD E. NORTH. 



Howard E. North, farmer, of Lancaster township, Atchison count}-, was 
born January 25, 1867. in W^alnut township, this county, and is a son of 
Edwin T. and Elizalieth (McCully) Nortli, natives of New Jersey. Of the 
eight children born to them si.x are living, as follows: Walter M., Atchison. 
Kan.: Joseph 11.. of Kansas City. Mo.; Percy, of Ottawa, Kan.; Claude, Lan- 



HISTORY OK ATCHISON COUNTY 699 

caster. Kan., and Mrs. Sadie Dunkle. of Los Angeles, Cal.. besides How- 
ard E. North, subject of this sketch. The father was born April 23, 1830, 
in Burlington county, New Jersey, of English descent. Leaving there about 
i<'^65, he came west and settled in Atchison county, Kansas, living one year 
in Walnut t(^wnship, and then bought a farm in Lancaster township. He 
made improvements, and later sold the farm to his son, Howard E., and 
retired in 1896. In December, 1912, he died, after having lived a long and 
useful life. The mother was born in New Jersey, as was her husband, and 
was born in the same year, 1830, of Scotch descent, and died in March, T902. 

Howard E. North was reared on his father's fami, and attended the 
pulilic school at Lancaster, and also the Bell district school. No. 59. He was 
bom on the place which he now owns, and it has been his home since boy- 
hood. It consists of 180 acres, and is exceptionally well improved. Extra 
attention has been given to stock raising facilities. Mr. North takes a great 
deal of interest in fine cattle, hogs and horses, and has some excellent Short- 
horns and some valuable Poland China hogs. Mr. North has a graded stock 
of horses, some of which are the best in this part of the country. He is a 
stockholder in the German-American Bank at Atchison, Kan. Politically, he 
is a Republican, and has always been a loyal citizen, taking keen interest in 
tl-.e welfare of his community and his county. He is a member of the school 
board of Bell district. 

In 1896 Mr. North was married to Alice Guyer, who was born October 
I, 1866, in Union county, Pennsylvania. Mrs. North was a daughter of 
Israel and Catharine (Brown) Guyer, natives of Pennsylvania, and who lived 
and died in the land of their nativity. Mrs. Alice North came to Kansas in 
August of 1893. and joined her sister, Mrs. Annie Gemlierling. who now 
resides in a home on the Parallel road, near Lancaster, Kan. One child, Em- 
lin E., has been bom to Mr. and Mrs. North. Mr. North is a member of tlie 
Methodist churcli. and of the Independent (.)rder of Odd Fellows, and Motleni 
Woodmen of America. 



NICHOLAS BOOS. 



Nicholas Boos, proprietor of one of the best improved farms in Shan- 
non township, has resided on the land which be now owns for over fifty 
years, and is widely known as a progressive fanner who has applied his 
accurate knowledge of the best farming methods to such good account that 



700 . HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

he is now the owner of 250 acres of good land, upon whicli he erected in 1912 
a handsome brick residence, modern throughout, at a cost of $4,500. Mr. 
Boos installed his own light and water plant, and in the rear of his handsome 
home he has built a large and commodious bank barn. His residence faces 
the main highway running northward from Atchison, and presents a sub- 
stantial evidence of the enterprise of its owner. 

Mr. Boos was born November 1 i, 1862, in Germany, a son of Nicholas 
and Catharine Boos, who left their native land with their two children and 
came to Atchison county, Kansas, in Ji^il)' of 1865. After one month's stay in 
the city they removed to a point in Shannon township, about three miles north 
of Atcliison, and settled ujion eiglity acres of land which the elder Boos pur- 
chased. Nicholas Boos and his wife reared their children here, and lived on 
the farm until death called them away. Nicholas Boos, Sr., was born in 1833, 
and died in October of 1899. Catharine, his wife, was born in 1833, and 
died in November of 1898. Their two children are : Nicholas, with whom this 
narrative is directly concerned, and Catharine, now known as Sister Hilda 
of the Order of St. Benedict's, Mt. St. Scholastica Academy, Atchison. 

Upon the death of their parents, Nicholas Boos and his sister inherited 
the eig'hty acre farm upon which they had been reared. Nicholas Ixnight his 
sister's .share of the estate, and by dint of hard, unremitting labor, and the 
exercise of frugality and good financial judgment, has added 170 acres to tiie 
original tract. There are 205 acres in the home farm on the east side of the 
highway and forty-five acres on the west side, some distance from his home. 

Mr. Boos was married May i, 1889, to Mary Wolters, born in Atchison 
county, and daughter of Matthew and Catharine Wolters, both of whom were 
natives of Germany, Matthew being now deceased and his widow residing in 
Mr. Boos' home. Ten children have been born to tiiis estimable couple, 
namely : William, aged twenty-five years ; Alljert, aged twenty-three, em- 
ployed by Dolan Mercantile Company ; Nicholas, aged seventeen )ears ; Ed- 
ward, twelve years of age; Harold, aged eiglit years; Hilda, twenty-three 
years of age. and a dressmaker; Marie, aged twenty-one, second bookkeeper 
for John J. Intfcn, grocer; Frances, aged eighteen, bookkeeper for Byrnes' 
drug store ; Bertha, aged fourteen, and Rosa, aged ten years ; Williain. an 
employe of the Symns firocer Company, married Marie McCiraff. Mr. and 
Mrs. Boos have endeavored to give all of their children good school and 
college educations, and ha\-e succeeded in rearing a fine and worthy family, 
of which they have a good and just right to be proud. 

Mr. Boos is a member of St. Benedict's Catholic Church and is a liberal 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 7OI 

suppniiei" of Catliolic institutions. He is affiliated witli tlie Modern Wood- 
men lodge. While a Democrat in politics, he endeavors to exercise the right 
of suffrage in a manner befitting his own ideas, and supports such candidates 
for office as come the nearest to his ideal of a good man and official regard- 
less of political prostestations. 



JUNE E. MOORE. 

June E. Moore, president of the Symns Grocer Company, of Atchison. 
Kan., is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and a son of Thomas H. and Lydia Ann 
(Gordon) Moore, the fonner a native of Virginia, and the latter of New Jer- 
sey. The ]\Ioore family came to Kansas in 1865, and the father engaged in 
the mercantile business at Iowa Point, Doniphan county. He was engaged 
in business there about ten years, or until 1876, when he sold his Ijusiness and 
removed to Kansas City, where he remained until his death, in 1889. His 
wife died in 1886. June Moore, the subject of this sketch, received a good 
common school education, and remained at home, at Iowa Point, until 1873. 
wlien he came to .Vtchison and accepted a position as bookkeeper in the grocery 
house of A. B. Symns. About three months later he went on the road as trav- 
eling salesman for Mr. Symns. and was the first man to represent Mr. Symns 
in that capacity. y\fter remaining in Mr. Symns" employ for about three 
years, he went to Falls City. Xeb., and engaged in the mercantile business for 
himself, and conducted a business there for seven years. He tlien returned 
to Atchison, and in 1879 engaged in the grocery business for himself. Mr. 
Moore continued in the grocery bttsiness in Atchison from 1879 to 1887, when 
he again became connected with the Symns Grocer Company, which had been 
re-organized in the meantime. Since that time Mr. Moore has been con- 
nected with the Symns Grocer Company, which is one of the leading institu- 
tions of the kind in the State. From 1889 until 1907 Mr. Moore had charge 
of their Topeka branch. During the year of 1907. M. S. Peterson, who had 
been the buyer of the company for a number of years, died, and Mr. Moore 
was obliged to return to Atchison to assume the responsibilities in connec- 
tion with the purchasing department. He looked after the ]nirchasing de- 
partment of the company for one year, when be became president of the com- 
pany, and has since capably filled that responsible position. Mr. Moore is a 
stocklujlder in the company, and is one of the men who have contributed many 



702 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of the best days of their h\e.s to t'.ie upljuilcling and development of this great 
commercial institution, of which the people of Atchison are justly proud. 

Mr. Moore was united in marriage July 27, 1871, to Miss Rebecca Arm- 
strong, a native of North Carolina. Mrs. Moore was a daughter of Francis 
K. .Armstrong, of \'irginia. who moved to North Carolina, ami there married 
Jerusha Eliza Belt, and returned to Virginia, and in 1859 migrated to Mis- 
souri, remaining in St. Joseph until the fall of i860, and then settled on a 
farm in Doniphan county, Kansas, where he died in November, 1861. Mr. 
Moore is a member of the Masonic lodge, and one of the substantial business 
men of Atchison. 



W. PERRY HAM. 



The pow:ers of leadership are inherent in some individuals, and there 
are in every community such men who seem naturally gifted to lead their 
fellows in political affairs. In reviewing the life career of W. Perry Ham, 
the official head of the Republican party in Atchison county, the fact is 
brought out that his natural gifts have tended to lead him to activity in 
political affairs, and that he is gifted with ability of a high order, which 
is uni\ersally recognized by the men of his party who look to him for leader- 
ship. Mr. Ham is a thorough American, whose ancestry goes back to the 
earliest days of the foundation of the Republic. 

W. Perr}^ Ham was born October 11, 1861. at Flemingsburg, Fleming 
county, Kentucky, a son of James P. and Eliza (Jones) Ham, both of whom 
were born and reared in Kentucky, and were children of pioneer parents. 
James P. was the son of William and Mary E. Ham, and the great-grand- 
father of W. Perry was John Ham, better known as "Jackie," a native of 
Greenbrier county, Virginia, who married a Miss Woods, and migrated to 
Kentucky in the days of the illustrious Daniel Boone, the famous hunter. 
These were troulilous times in Kentucky, and the Indians fiercely disputed 
the advent of the white settlers into their favorite hunting grounds. The 
motlier and two sisters of "Jackie" Ham were captured by the Indians, killed 
and scalped, and their liodics burned in the cabin firejilace In' blood-tliirsty 
Indians. The Ham family is of Welsh extraction. James P. Ham, although 
a southerner by birth and breeding, was a strong Union man, who was op- 
posed to the institution of slavery. While still residing in Kentucky, in the 
year 1865, he received a telegram from liis lirnther, Jo.seph, calling him to 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 7O3 

Buchanan county, Missouri, where his life was in danger from Union men. 
Joseph kept a general store at DeKalh, and was forced to go in hiding to 
preserve his life, he being a southern sympathizer. It was his desire that 
James P. come to Missouri and take charge of his store until times were 
better, and- it was safe for him to ajipear. James made all haste to comply 
with his brother's request, and \\-ith his wife and fafnily made a hast_\^ trip 
to Buchanan county, only to find on his arrival that his brother's store at 
DeKalh had been burned to the ground. The wife of James P. was over- 
come by the excitement, and her strength overtaxed by the trials of the family, 
and she died in 1865. This left the father with three children to care for, 
and he removed to Atchison in 1866. Here he engaged in market gardening, 
and took more or less interest in political affairs until his demise, November 
2, 1894, at the age of sixty-six years, in Rural township, Jefferson county, 
Kansas, where he removed a few years after coming to Atchison. 

W. Perry Ham was reared in Kansas, and attended the common and 
high schools of Atchison county. From the time he was six years of age he 
found it necessary to shift for himself, and secured his education mainly 
through his own efforts. He did chores and worked for farmers in return 
for his board and schooling, and generally had a hard time of it trying to 
make his own way in the world. During the famous "grasshopper" years the 
family lived in Jefferson county, and ])ri\ation and suffering were pre- 
dominant among the settlers. Periy was sent twice each week a distance of 
seven miles, astride his pony, to the nearest relief station for food and cloth- 
ing. His first position was in the old Grant bakery, operated by Gerber & 
Hagen, and he was employed there for two years. He afterwards bought the 
grocery business at Tenth and Laramie streets, and \\as engaged in business 
for another period of years until he bought a farm near Atchison and moved 
upon it. He farmed this land for two years, and in 1895 returned to Atchison, 
and again entered the grocery business, at Ninth and Parallel streets. In 1898 
he disposed of his business and accepted a traveling position in the interest of 
the Select Knights of the Ancient Order of United W'^orkmen as State man- 
ager and organizer. He continued in this position until 1901, and then 
opened a feed and poultry business, in which undertaking he was engaged 
until 1909, when he sold out. He served as chief of police of Atchison dur- 
ing 1908 and 1909 under Mayor S. S. King, and has been a member of the 
city council for three terms during his residence in Atchison. Since 1909 
Mr. Ham has been general organizer of the Fraternal Aid Union, and has 
made a great success of his work, which requires that he oversee the work 



704 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of organizing in the States of Kansas. Oklahoma and Nebraska. His rep- 
utation as an organizer in the interest of the Fraternal Aid Union is unsur- 
passed, and it is in this capacity that his remarkable gifts have received full 
play. 

Mr. Ham was married in 1883 to Rosa Frommer, who has borne him 
children as follows : Lloyd Perry, clerk in the Atchison postof fice : Mable 
Rose, wife of Roy Castle, of Falls City, Xeb. ; James Harwi Ham, of Atch- 
ison ; Walter, of Atchison : Herbert, a jeweler, of Atchison ; Myrtle, at home 
with her parents ; and Luther, in the city high school. The mother of these 
cliildren was born and reared in Germany, near the city of Stuttgart, and was 
a daughter of John Frnmmer. who was a stone-cutter by occupation. Mrs. 
Ham came to this country in 1879. 

Mr. Ham is a member of the Odd b'ellnws, the M. B. A., the Knights 
and Ladies of Security, the Mystic Workers, the Central Protective Associa- 
tion, and the Fraternal Aid Union. In political matters, Mr. Ham has been 
for years a prominent figure in Atchison county and Kansas, and enjoys a 
wide and favorable acquaintance among the political leaders of the Republican 
party in Kansas. He has been a member of the central executive committee 
of his party for several years, and is at present the county chairman and vir- 
tual leader of his party in Atchison county. 



FRANK BEARD. 



Frank Beard, furniture dealer, of Potter, Kan., was born on a farm 
near Abingdon. Knox county, Illinois, a son of ^^'illiam M. and Sarah ( Haw- 
thorne) Beard, the former a native of Tennessee and the latter of Maryland, 
both of Scotch Presbyterian ancestry. William M., the father, was bom in 
Wilson county, Tennessee, on a farm not far from Nashville. The grand- 
father of Frank Beard was Rev. John Beard, bom of Virginia ])arents. who 
were among the earliest settlers of Tennessee. The Beards are a family of 
pioneers, the pioneering of the family having begim over 100 years ago when 
the parents of Rev. John Beard crossed the mountains and made a settlement 
in westem Tennessee, where John Beard was bom December 25, 1800. The 
home of the family was not far from the birthplace of .\ndrew Jackson, with 
whom John was personally acquainted. The family later became pioneers in 
Illinois, and ever moved westward until they came to Kansas, and were among 
the first of the sturdv characters to build homes in the new State. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 705 

Rev. John Beard was a minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian denom- 
ination. He left Tennessee in 1848 and settled in Knox county, Illinois, and 
in 1856 came to Kansas, and was one of the first men to preach the Gospel 
in Atchison county. He was an ardent Free State man who was emphatically 
opposed to the institution of slavery and fearlessly attacked the pro-slavery 
party and its principles from the pulpit. On one occasion he preached a ser- 
' mon in Mt. Pleasant and laid a huge revolver on the pulpit beside his Bible 
with the remark, "I hope there will be peace during the services," and there 
was peace. This action was in keeping with the fearless character of the man 
liiniself. Rev. John Beard died at the age of sixty-six years. No pictorial 
likeness of this famous pioneer is availalale or his grandson, Frank, would have 
it inserted in tlie history. His last sermon was preached at Pleasant Groxe 
church in South .\tchison. During- his career he ser\ed the Round Prairie and 
High Prairie churches in Leavenworth county, the \\'olf Creek congregation in 
Brown county, and the Pleasant Grove church in Atchison county. He was 
traveling at all times, to and fro, in northeast Kansas while engaged in the 
Lord's work. His son, William M., left Illinois in 1862 and settled in Brown 
county, Kansas, and in 1865 came to Atchison county. Border ruffians at 
one time raided the home of William Beard in Brown county. Mattie Beard, 
a three months' old babe, was awakened by the noise made by the raiders and 
screamed loudly. One of the ruffians walked to the cradle, drew his revolver 
and said: "I'll stop her noise." The mother made frantic bv this threat picked 
up a chair, and with all her strength, a,ugmented by lier fright, rushed at the 
raider and knocked liim down. After this occurrence the Beards left Kansas 
and returned to Illinois, where people were more of one mind on the subject 
of slavery and life was much safer. They remained in Illinois until the clf)se 
of the war and then came again to Atchison county, settling on a farm in 
Walnut township. This farm has been owned bv the Beard familv for fiftv 
years and is now in possession of John Beard, a son of William. Rev. Tolm 
Beard died in Atchison county in August, 1866. William M. died in igo;, 
and his faithful wife followed him to the great beyond two years later, in 
1907. The father of Sarah Hawthorne Beard was also a pioneer settler of 
Knox county, Illinois, and planted the first apple orchard in that section of 
the State, and was the first and only apple exhibitor at the first county fair 
ever held in Knox county, Illinois. 

Frank Beard was a 1)oy of seven when In's parents removed to Atcliison 
county and was reared on the fann in \\'alnut township, receiving his scliool- 
ing in district No. 60. He followed farming until 1909, when he came to 

45 



7o6 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Potter and engaged in the general merchandise business in partnership with 
Mr. Hodges. This partnership continued until 191 1, when he sold out his in- 
terest in the general store, and in July of that year purchased the furniture 
and undertaking business which he is now conducting successfully. 

Mr. Beard was married in 1898 to Miss Bee Henson, a daughter of A. 
T. and Amanda (Cox) Henson, the former a native of Kentucky and the 
latter having been born in Missouri. The Hensons migrated to Kansas in 
1854 before the organization of the State and settled in Jefferson county. 
They were Free State advocates and took part in the struggle which made 
Kansas a Free State. Mr. and Mrs. Beard have one child, Leona Beard, 
born in 1903. 

The Democratic party has always claimed the allegiance of Mr. Beard 
in National affairs, but he is inclined to independence of voting in local, 
county and State affairs. He is a member of Kickapoo Lodge, No. 4, Ancient 
Free and Accepted Masons, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Modern 
Brotherhood, and the Knights and Ladies of Security. Mr. Beard is one of 
Potter's best and well respected citizens, a successful and prosperous business 
man who is ever willing to put his shoulder to the wheel to advance the inter- 
ests of his home communitv. 



THOMAS HIGHFILL. 



The late Thomas Highfill, of Easton township, Leavenworth county, 
Kansas, was born April 9, 1844. on a farm near the city of Madison, in 
Foutheastem Indiana. He was a son of William Highfill, who was bom in 
South Carolina of German parent>. and was there reared to young manhood, 
went to Kentucky from South Carolina, and there met and married Elizabeth 
Bonnell, born in Kentucky of German ancestry. Shortly after their marriage 
William Highfill and his wife crossed the Ohio river and settled near Madison 
on the Flat Rock river. He had charge of the toll-gate entrance of the bridge 
crossing the Flat Rock at that time. When Thomas was four years of age, 
or in 1849, tlic father and his family loaded their movable effects on wagons 
and started across the plains, en route to California, consuming six months 
on the long trip, their wagons being hauled by slow-moving oxen. The family 
remained in California for four years, and William spent the time profitably 
in placer mining for the yellow metal, after which they returned to the middle 
West, this time making the return trip with horses instead of oxen. They 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY • 707 

settled in Platte county, Missouri, and resided there until 1862, when William 
Highfill made a final settlement in Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison county. 
He died the same year in Atchison county. George Highfill, son of Thomas, 
is now the owner of the original home place of the Highfill family in Atchi- 
son county. 

Thomas Highfill was eighteen years of age when his father came to 
Atchison county. He assisted in the operation of the home farm until his mar- 
riage. Xo\ember 24, 1864, to Elvira Porter, who was born in Cascv county, 
Kentucky, February 7, 1847, ^ daughter of George and Sarah Ann (Foster) 
Porter, both of whom were born in Kentucky, and resided in their native 
State until November, 1850, when they removed to Buchanan count}-, Mis- 
souri, and there farmed for two years on the McDonald farm, near Wallace. 
The Porters came to Atchison county, Kansas, among the earliest of the 
])ioneers in the spring of 1855 a:i(l settled on a tract i:)f land just one-jialf 
mile west of the present town of Potter. George Porter filed on 160 acres 
of land in the fall of 1854 which has never changed ownership but once and 
has never been out of the family, being now owned by George Highfill, the 
eldest grandson of George Porter. The elder Porter, although born and bred 
in a slave State, abhorred the institution of slavery, despite the fact that his 
father, Isaac Porter, was a slave owner. He saw the evils of slavery when a 
youth and determined never to support it, because it was utterly wrong. He 
came to Kansas imbued with the determination to do his part in making 
tlie State free. He suffered considerably from the forays of the liordcr ruf- 
fians and his homestead on the banks of the Big Stranger was raided fre- 
quently by the pro-slavery element. At one time Mr. Porter had a fine saddle 
horse stolen from him by border ruffians. As soon as he learned of the theft 
he set out after the thieves armed onlv with a bowie knife stuck in his boot 
top. He followed them to Atchison and lay hid in a clump of jimson weeds, 
near tine camp of the ruffians on the spot where the Santa Fe railroad yards 
are now located. The marauders were drinking and carousing in seeming 
safety and had no idea that they would be followed. As a consequence of their 
neglect in not placing a sentrv Mr. Porter was enabled to secure his horse and 
return home in safety at 4 o'clock in the morning. At the outbreak of the 
Civil war Mr. Porter enlisted in the Thirteenth Kansas regiment and served 
throughout the war. While absent in defense of the Union his wife and five 
children were left to shift for themselves as best they could. George Por- 
ter was a stanch Republican in his political affiliations and was a member of 
the Grand Army of the Republic. He died February 19, 1887. at the age of 
sixtv-five vears. having been horn Tanuarv 21, 1822. Plis wife, Sarah .\nn. 



JoS HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

died June 23. 1897. They were the parents of eight cliildren. of whom Mr?. 
Thomas Highfill was the eldest. Mrs. Highfill was ten years old when the 
Porter family located in Kansas, and during tlie days of the Civil war, when 
the breadwinner of the family was absent fighting for the Union, this brave 
woman ploughed with an ox team and did the hardest kind of farm labor. 

To Thomas Highfill and wife were born the following children : George, 
born September 8, 1865, and is the owner of the farm preempted by his grand- 
fatlier Porter; John, born December 12, 1866; Sarah Elizabeth, wife of P. H. 
Fleer, of Potter, Kan., was torn June 2t,. 1868, and died May 11. 1909: 
Thomas J., born April 8, 1870, residing in Potter; Mrs. Rose, wife of Clar- 
ence Binkley. of Atchison, born December 23, 1878 ; Abigail, wife of Ashton 
Hundley, of Atchison county, born October 19, 1879; ]\Iartina, wife of Louis 
Linville, of Spring Lake, Texas, born November 14, 1880; and Benjamin F., 
born June 10, 1884. The mother of these children resides on the Highfill 
place, west of Potter. Her son, George, is a prosperous farmer and good 
business man, who is connected with the Farmers State Bank of Potter. 

Thomas Highfill departed this life March 7. 1899. He was a well re- 
spected and industrious citizen who did well his part in th.e development of 
.'Xtchison countv. 



JOHN H. BEAN. 

John H. Bean, having been a resident of Atchison county for n period 
of nearly sixty years, is naturally considered as one of the pioneers of the 
county. He has lived in the county since the year 1857. when his fatlier. 
Michael Bean, filed on a Government homestead in Mt. Pleasant township, 
seven miles southwest of Atchison. John was liorn im a farm in Illinois 
Octoljer 22, 1850. His parents were Michael, l)orn in Wincliester, Ky.. and 
son of William Bean, a native of Virginia, and Rebecca Xorthcutt. wife of 
Michael, who was born and reared near Winchester, 111. Michael Bean came 
to Atchison February 5, 1853, filed on a claim, as stated above, and developed 
it into a splendid farm. On account of border troubles he returned to Inde- 
pendence, Mo., and remained for four years, and then returned to his claim. 
Michael died December 9, 1893. when a little over sixty-five years of age. 
He was a soldier in tlie Union army, having enlisted in Company F (^f the 
Thirteenth Kansas regiment in 1862 and served until the close of the war. He 
was mustered out at Ft. Leavenwortli, after taking an active part in mili 
tarv operations in southeast Missouri, Ft, Smith and Little I\i)ck. Ark. To 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 7O9 

Michael and Keliecca Bean were Ijorn seven children, namely: Jnhn 11.: Mrs. 
Mary Barber, deceased: William, in Cdlnrado; Paul, deceased: Airs. Minnie 
Ledger, of Kansas City: Mrs. Ida Mayfield, living on the old homestead in 
Mt. Pleasant township; Aivin, farmer, living in Shannon town.ship; Barbara 
died in infancy: Mrs. P>arl)ara Melen Hayes, of Lincoln, Xeb. The mmher 
of these children died in 1903. at the age of seventy-five years. 

When John H. Bean was twenty-three years of age he left hdnie and 
went to Colorado, where he spent the intervening years until 1893 in the gold 
and silver mines of the State with intermittent fortunes attending his efforts. 
After two vears' residence in St. Joseph, Mo., he spent four years engaged 
in lumbering in the woods of northern Michigan. He then returned to Atch- 
ison, and after two years on the .\tchison police force, and for four years, 
from 1909 to 1913, inclusive, he was cell-keeper in the State reformatory at 
Hutchinson, Kan. He returned to Atchison and was attached to the Atchison 
police department as one of its most efficient and faithful members until 
October i, 1915. when he became gate-tender for the Atchi.son Bridge Com- 
pany. He has been twice married, his first wife being Florence Bridges, 
who bore him one child, Mrs. Armina Bolen, of Leon, Kan. His second 
wife was Ella ^Mitchell, who died in Michigan in 1898. 

Mr. Bean has always been a Republican in politics, but has ne\er been a 
candidate for any political office. In this respect he follows in the fijotsteps 
of his father, Michael, who was an active politician in his day. although he 
never sought official preferment. Michael Bean was considered as one of the 
really influential men of .\tchison county in pohtical affairs and was a great 
and stanch friend of Senator J;)hn J. Ingalls. besides having a wide and 
favorable acquaintance with the people of the county. He counted among his 
friends manv of the famous men of Atchison and the State. Vov thirteen 
years he "was in charge of the county poor farm, and during that time he 
made a record since unsurpassed for management of the farm. Michael was 
a large man, ])hvsically, of the true pioneer type — one of those outsjiokcn. 
honest fellows, who said outright what he thought, and was a friend to ;dl 
who knew him and trusted him. It is said that no needy settler went to 
Michael Bean for assistance when in dire need and came away empty-handed. 
If a settler needed money to buy a cow or horse, it was forthcoming without 
the usual sccurit\- or note which accompanies latter-da)- transactions nf this 
character. Liberal in his views, he was liberal with his means and was always 
read)- and willing to hc'l]) an ac(|uaintance. 



■lO HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



ANDREW SPEER. 



Andrew Speer, county commissioner for the second district of Atchison 
county, Kansas, was born in this county, February 20. 1863. He was a son 
of Joseph and Mary (Fountain) Speer, both of whom were natives of Law- 
rence county, Indiana. In 1859 Joseph and liis wife left the old home in In- 
diana, en route to Kansas, and stopped during tiie winter in Iowa, where the 
oldest child of the family was born. Joseph came on to Kansas, leaving his 
wife in Iowa among friends, and preempted a quarter section of land in Grass- 
hopper township, three miles northeast of Muscotah, now owned by William 
Speer. In the spring of i860, the year of the great drought, tlie father of the 
family returned to Iowa and brought his wife and son, William, to the new 
home which he had prepared for them on the Kansas plains. While the 
drought of their first year in Kansas worked considerable hardship upon the 
settlers, Joseph was better prepared to withstand this hardship, because of 
the fact that he liad brought considerable means with him, wliich enabled 
him to successfully weather the crop failure of that year. Joseph Speer was a 
man of more than ordinary education and had been a school teacher in Indiana 
in his younger days. All of his life, he was a student and was a fine mathe- 
matician. While teaching in Indiana he had read law to some extent, and be- 
came a justice of the peace in Grasshopper township, a position which he held 
for many years. He also served several years as township trustee. Nine 
cliildrcn were born to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Speer, of whom Andrew is the 
third in order of birth. (See biography of D. Anna Speer, county superin- 
tendent of schools, for further details regarding the Speer family.) 

Andrew Speer, with whom this review is directly concerned, was educated 
in the district school of his neighborhood, and brought up on his father's 
farm. His marriage occurred after a trip to the western part of Kansas in 
1888, and he then rented a farm. He has. continually been engaged in farm- 
ing and is now cultivating the Moore farm of 320 acres in Grasshopper town- 
ship. When the Cherokee strip was thrown open to settlement in the Indian 
Territory by the Government in 1892 Mr. Speer, with eleven other Kansans 
from his neighborhood, made the run for homesteads on the opening day. 
Six tliousand or more men were lined up ready for the great race and all 
ruslied forward when the cannon boomed for the start. Andrew drove a 
wagon and was unfortunate in staking out his claim wliich proved to be a 
quarter section of school land. Each of the other eleven men who accompan- 
ied him secured a good claim. 

Mr. Speer was married May i, 1889, to Miss Alida Gilliland, who has 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY /II 

borne him five children, namely : Myrtle, wife of Fixd Draper, a farmer of 
Atchison county; Albert, at home; Joseph, a teacher at Prospect Hill, Atchi- 
son county, and the first school teacher ever graduated from the ]\Iuscotah 
schools and directly became a teacher; Stephen, a pupil of the eighth grade of 
the Muscotah schools, and Nicholas, deceased. Tlie mother of these children 
was born in Illinois, October 22, 1863, a daughter of Josiah and Delitha 
(Maxwell) Gilliland, who died when she was but a child four years of age. 
She then went to the home of an aunt, Mrs. Kline, living in Jackson county, 
Kansas, who reared her to young womanhood. Josiah Gilliland lives in 
Nebraska, aged eighty-three years. He was a veteran of the Civil war from 
Illinois, and served in the Union army, and moved to Missouri directly after 
the war ended. 

The Democratic party has always had the unswerving allegiance and 
support of Mr. Speer, and he stands high in the councils of his party in Atchi- 
son countv. He was first elected to the office of township trustee and served 
for four years. Two years after his term of office as trustee expired he was 
elected to the office of county commissioner of the second district. Mr. Speer 
has perfoiTued the duties of his official position with great credit to himself 
and for the benefit of his constituents. He is an honest and capable county 
official who has the best interests of the entire county at heart. He is a mem- 
ber of the Masonic lodge of Muscotah, the Modern Woodmen of America, 
and the Central Protective Association. Mrs. Speer is a member of the 
Methodist church, the Eastern Star lodge, the Royal Neighbors and the Mys- 
tic Workers. 



SAMUEL EDWARD FIECHTER. 

Samuel Edward Fiechtcr, now living retired on his beautiful suburban 
place near Atchison, which is located on the west side of Forest Park, is a 
native of Missouri. He was born in Andrew county August 25, 1856, and 
is a son of John George and Anna (Bright) Fiechter. The father was born 
in Baden, Germany, January 27, 18 15, and died in Brown county. Kansas, 
December 20. 1893. .\nna Bright, his wife, was born in Berne, Switzerland, 
October 26, 1822, and died in Brown county, Kansas, .\ugust 8, 1900. 
George Fiechter immigrated to America with his parents about 1835. They 
located in Missouri, and George engaged in farming in .Andrew county, that 
State. In i860 he traded his Missouri farm for a farm in lirown c<iunty. 
Kansas, where he was successfully engaged in farming until he retired. He 



712 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

accumulated considerable property, and at the time of his death owned some- 
thing over 400 acres. To John George and Anna (Bright) Fiechter were 
born the following children : John resides in Brown county ; Fred, deceased ; 
Louise, deceased ; George, deceased ; Susan married S. E. Rush, and resides 
in South Dakota ; Samuel E., the subject of this sketch ; Jacob, deceased : Tina 
married Oscar Dean, and resides in Chase county, Kansas. 

Samuel Edward Fiechter was reared on the farm, and received a good 
common school education. At the age of twenty-one he engaged in farming 
for himself, and later rented his father's farm, and cared for his parents dur- 
ing their li\es. He followed farming in Brown county until 1902, when he 
removed to Atchison, and after residing in the city for eight months pur- 
chased his present place. His farm is one of the best improved places in 
Brown county, consisting of 360 acres of land, under a high state of 
cultivation. 

Mr. Fiechter was married Xovember 20, 1884, to Miss Sarah Parker. 
She was born in Andrew county, Missouri, July 17, 1863, and is a daughter 
of William and Rachel (Esslinger) Parker, the former a native of Indiana, 
bom Alarch 12, 1835, and the latter was bom in Andrew county, Missouri. 
September 20, 1842. William Parker came to Missouri with his parents, 
Daniel and Sarah (Davis) Parker, when he was a cliild. Tlie parents were 
natives of Kentucky, and after coming to Missouri, spent the remainder of 
their lives in tliat State, Mrs. Fiechter was the oldest of a family of six chil- 
dren : the others in order of birth are as follows : Frank resides in Colorado 
Springs, Colo,; Jennie resides with her parents; Daniel. Boise. Idaho; Mrs. 
]\Iae Zimmerman. Boise. Idaho; and Stella Allen died September 16. 191 5, at 
Cosljy, ^lo. To Mr. and Mrs, Fiechter has been born one child, Edna, who 
•married Ray McGaughey, and resides on a farm in Brown count}-. Mr. 
Fiechter is a member of the ^lodern W^oodmen of America, and is a Repub- 
lican. The familv are members of the Lutheran church. 



MRS, JEXXIECIRTWILL. 



Mrs. Jennie Cirtwill, of Lancaster, Kan,, is tiie widow of Richard X. 
Cirtwill, one of the well known and sul)stantial farmers of Atchison county, 
who was among the early settlers of tliis county. Richard X. Cirtwill was 
born in Jefferson county, Xew York, September 20, 1828. He was reared 
to young manhood in Xew York, and at the outbreak of the Civil war offered 
his services in defense of the L'nion. Mr. Cirtwill enlisted Augu.st 24. 1864, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY "l ^ 

in Cnmpanv I, One Ilumlrcd and Eighty-sixth regiment of Xcw ^'o^k infan- 
try, and served until his hnnorable discharge, Jnne 2, 1865. He was color 
bearer of his reg"iment, and fought at the battle of Petersburg- and at the siege 
and capture of Richmond. Mr. Cirtwill carried the regimental colors at 
Petersburg and during tin's fierce engagement his clothing and flag were rid- 
dled with bullets, and he received a slight wound in his side. His son. Al- 
bert D., was also a member of the same company and regiment, as his father 
and was wounded at the battle of Petersburg. ^Ir. Cirtwill was first mar- 
ried in New York State to Susan Burns, who departed this life in 1885. 

Mr. Cirtwill came to Kansas in 1871 and developed a fine farm and be- 
came well-to-do. 

In January, 1889, Mr. Cirtwill married Mrs. Jennie (McClain) Cam- 
eron, whose first husband was James Cameron, a native of Carrickfergus, Ire- 
land, born in 1848. When a young man, James Cameron became a sailor, 
and was first mate on a vessel sailing the Atlantic ocean. At the outbreak 
of the Civil war, Mr. Cameron enlisted in the Union army at i Bangor, Me., 
and served until the close of the war. In 1869 he came to Muscotah, Kan., 
and worked as a contractor and brick mason. Six children were born of 
this marriage : Frank, deceased ; William, a traveling salesman, Kansas City, 
Mo.; John R.. a rail\\a\- operator, of Mountain Home. Idaho; Rose died 
in infancy: Frank J., a railroad conductor, St. Joseph, Mo., and Walter 11., a 
travehng .salesman, Kansas City, Mo. The father of these cliildren died 
in 1903. 

Mrs. Jennie Cirtwell was born at the Bank Cottages, Scotland, May r. 
1849, a daughter of William and Rosanna ( Saul) McClain, who emigratefl 
from their native heath in 1855, and first .settled in Illinois, where the father 
became a contractor and builder in the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad 
Company. He, too, became a soldier, thus making a remarkable coincident, 
wherein Mrs. Cirtwill was the daughter of a soldier, and both of her former 
husbands were Union veterans. Mr. McClain served with bravery in an 
Illinois regiment of volunteers. In 1870 he came to Atchison county and 
enga,ged in the lumber and Ijuilding business at Muscotah, Kan. He became 
the owner of several farms and was well-to-do at the time of his death. Feb- 
ruray 13, 1907. The mother of Mrs. Cirtwill died in 1915. at the ripe old 
age of ninel\-three years. Both parents are buried at Lancaster. Kan. .\ 
bright spot in the memories of Mrs. Cirtwill is the fact that she was ])erniilted 
to care for her aged ])arents in their declining years and made a lK)me and fur- 
nished everv comfort for them. 



714 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

When residing in IMuscotah, Mrs. Cirtwill. nee Cameron, was left almost 
destitute with the care of her five children on her hands. She was forced 
to do the hardest kind of work to keep them in comfort and send them to 
school. She worked as a tailor and seamstress in order to do this, and long 
and exacting hours of toil were necessary to hold the little family together, 
but later, better days came and she has had tlie extreme satisfaction of seeing 
her children, for whom slie made sacrifices in those earlier days, become sub- 
stantial and well-to-do citizens of their respective localities. 

A brother of Mrs. Cirtwill, John McClain, was killed by a horse when 
four years of age. William, the only brother reared to manhood, was a 
banker at Huron, Kan., but sold his interests there and removed to Peni, 
Kan., where he started a bank of his own. Three years later he went to 
Coffeyville, Kan., and lived there for a short time. Ver}' early he began to 
see the future value of oil lands in Oklahoma, and invested heavily in Okla- 
homa land which proved to be a very profitable investment. Besides being 
a capitalist and builder he was a speaker and public man, well known in Atchi- 
son county and Kansas. He died in Coffeyville, Kan., January 5, 191 1, at 
the age of fifty years. He left a widow and one daugliter. 

The mother of Mrs. Cirtwill, who was Mrs. Rosanna (Saul) McClain, 
was a skilled seamstress, and had the honor of attending the coronation cere- 
monies of Queen Victoria in England. Her father was Thomas Saul, a poet 
of unusual ability, endowed with a wonderful memory and an ability to quote 
poetry and the classics which his daughter inherited to a great extent. 
Through her great-grandmotlier, Rosanna Saul McClain was of royal lineage, 
having been born in a royal golden bed of honor, only vouchsafed to those of 
kingly lineage. This great-grandmotlier became very wealthv and left a 
large estate to her two daughters. Rosanna and her sister were highly skilled 
in tailoring and needle work and embroidery, and were highly rewarded by 
Queen Victoria for making and emlimidering a Ijeautiful dress for the queen 
to wear on state occasions. 

Mrs. Cirtwill is the owner of considerable property in Atchison county, 
including 260 acres of fine land, a store building and a home in Lancaster, 
Kan. She has two grandchildren : Cecil Mae, and Jeanette Rose Cameron, 
children of Frank J. Cameron. Resides her Atchison county property this 
well-to-do Atchison county woman has several vacant lots and residence 
properties in St. Joseph. J\Io., and is considered to be an able business woman. 
She is a member of the Rcbekah lodge, of Lancaster, and is a prominent mem- 
ber of the Alethodist Episcopal cliurch. I'or many years she has tauglit a 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY yi-. 

Sunday school class, of which she is very fond. Mrs. Cirtwill usually spends 
the summer seasons in traveling- and during the summer and fall of 1915, she 
spent several weeks in the West, principally in Denver and vicinity. 



ASA BARNES. 



The name of Barnes figures prominently in the early history of Kansas 
and Atchison county, and the history of the family in Kansas dates from the 
spring of 1S58 when Capt. Asa Barnes came from the ancestral home of the 
Barnes family in New Jersey, and settled in Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison 
county, and immediately identified himself with the Free State party. 

Asa Barnes, the present representative of the family living on the old 
Barnes homestead in Mt. Pleasant township, five miles northwest of Potter, 
w-as born in January, 1854, in New Brunswick, N. J., a son of Asa and Harriet 
(Cook) Barnes, the former a native of Connecticut and the latter of New Jer- 
sey of English descent. Asa Barnes, the father of the subject, was born 
in 182 1, and became a papermaker in New Brunswick, where several of his 
children were born. In 1858 he disposed of his belongings and property in 
New Jersey and migrated to Kansas, settling in Mt. Pleasant township, Atchi- 
son county. His wife and children followed him in April, 1859. When he 
first came to Kansas he was a Democrat in politics, but changed his political 
belief soon afterward and espoused the cause of the Free State party. He 
took a prominent and active part in political affairs and became well known 
throughout the State as an able and influential champion of freedom. On 
two different occasions he was elected to represent Atchison county in the 
State legislature and served the people with distinction and ability. When 
the Civil war broke out between the States he organized Conijiany .\ of the 
Twelfth Kansas cavalry and served as captain of the company; he also helped 
to organize a company for the Thirteenth Kansas infantry. He was further 
distinguished by his war service in a manner which reflected credit upon him- 
self and his home county. Captain Barnes died January 12, 1889. Asa 
Barnes was the father of ten sons and one daughter, as follows : R. A., de- 
ceased ; M. N., deceased; Enoch, deceased; Asa, Jr., Fillmore died in New 
Jersey; Frank, living in California; Laura (Willis), Coming, Kan.; Louis, 
living at Binger, Okla. ; Harry, Bisbee, Ariz. ; Orrin, of Nevada ' Reuben C, 
deceased. The mother of these children died February 12, 1909, at the age 
of eighty-two years. 



7l6 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Asa Barnes, tlie younger, was one of three sons of Capt. Asa Barnes, and 
grew to manhood on his father's farm in Atchison county. He remained at 
home and assisted his father in the management of the home farm until he at- 
tained his majority. After his marriage in 1874 he rented land on his own 
account for six years and then bought the home farm of 207 acres from his 
father and the heirs, part of wliich is now owned by his sons. He !ias fol- 
lowed a plan of general farming and has prospered to a considerable extent. 
Mr. Barnes was married Xovember 5. 1874, to Miss Kate Thompson, of Atch- 
ison county. This marriage has been blessed with five children, as follows : 
Fannie, deceased; Herbert, at home with his parents; Bertha, wife of A. J. 
Pease, of Atchison; Leola, wife of A. J. Saggs, of Falls City, Nebraska; 
Ernest L., at home; Dora, wife of Ed Lee, of Atchison county; Cora, de- 
ceased. The mother of these children was born October 2, 1854, and is a 
daughter of Hon. George W. Thompson, now living in Atchison, and who is 
probably the oldest living pioneer settler of Atchison county, and concerning 
whose career an extended review is given in this volume. 

In political affairs ^Ir. Barnes, while favoring the Progressive party 
principles, is inclined to be independent in his voting. He is a member of the 
Christian church, and is well and favorably known throughout this section 
of Atchison county, being rated as a substantial well-to-do farmer, who is 
deserving of considerable credit for what he has accomplished. 



CHARLES ARTHUR CHANDLER. 

Charles Arthur Chandler is one of the self-made men of Atchison. Sonie 
men are successful because of a fortunate chain of circumstances attending 
their efforts which we commonly refer to as "good luck"; others by dint of 
steady employment, saving their surplus funds and investing- them wisely, are 
enabled to secure the necessary wherewithal to embark in l)usiness and attain 
a substantial modicum of wealth. It is to the latter class that Mr. Chandler 
properly belongs. \\'hile good fortune has generally attended his industry 
and plans, his success is due to the husbanding of his resources, and planning 
alicad with the cooperation of a faithful wife, so that he could eventually be 
his o\\m employer and engage in mercantile pursuits for himself. Since Jan- 
uary I, 1910, he has been engaged in the lumlicr l)usincss in connection with 
the Shulz-Fisk Lumber Company, one of the oldest concerns in the city. Four 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 717 

men are employed to take care of the extensive Imsiness which comes to the 
yards. Lumber, hme, cement, plaster and building material of all kinds are 
sold in large quantities. The e.xtensive yards, 100x250 feet, are rated as 
among the best equipped and most modern in northeastern Kansas, and the 
management is constantly imi)r(>\-ing the appearance and facilities of the 
buildings. 

Mr. Chandler was burn November 22. i860, in Fond du Lac, Wis., a son 
of Charles and Maria ( Moore) Chandler, natives of Munson, Mass., and 
Montreal, Canada, respectively. The Chandler family is a very old one in 
America, and an extensive genealogy of the family has been compiled. \\'il- 
liam Chandler, progenitor of the family in this country, emigrated from the 
ancestral home in England to Roxbury, Mass., in 1637, dying there November 
26, 1641. He had a son named John, born 1635, who married Elizabeth 
Douglas, of Roxbury, Mass. Succeeding generations are as follows, in a 
direct line to C. A. Chandler: Captain Joseph Chandler, born June 4, 1683, 
wife, Susannah Perrin, of Ro.xbury, Mass. ; David Chandler, born May 28, 
1712, wife, Alary Allen, of Pomfret, Conn.; Elijah Chandler, born May 3, 
1737, wife, Sarah Frizzel, of Woodstock, Conn.; Charles Chandler, born June 
23, 1779, wife, Margaret Edgerton.'of Monson, Mass.; Charles Chandler, 
boni February 21. 1822, wife, Maria Moore Shepard ; C. A. Chandler, born 
November 22. i860, wife, Effie Rook, of Atchison, Kan. Elijah Chandler 
was a soldier in the French and Indian war. Charles Chandler, father of 
the subject of this review, was a "Forty-Niner," who made the long trip to 
California across the plains in 1S49. He mined gold in the placer fields of 
the Golden State for some time, and then returned to the East, via the 
Nicaraugua route,' settling down in Fond du Lac, \\'is., where he engaged in 
the grain business with fair success. He died at his home in Fond du Lac 
in 1896, at the age of seventy-five years. He was the father of three chil- 
dren : Mrs. Charles E. Rogers, Fond du Lac ; Fred Shepard, also of Fond du 
Lac, and Charles A., with whom this review is directly concerned. The 
mother of these children, Maria Moore Shepard, was born in 1826, and is 
a direct descendant of Governor William Bradford, of Massachusetts. The 
genealogical tree in a direct line from the colonial governor is as follows : 
Gmv. William liradford; his son, Maj. William Bradford; Alice Bradford 
married Alaj. James I-itch, 1649-1727; Daniel Fitch, 1693-1752, wife. .\nna 
Cook: William l'"itch, 1720 — ■. wife, Mary Paine; Abigail Fitch, 1745-1785, 
married Joseph Moore, 1 745-1823; Anna Moore, 1770-1854, married Timo- 
thy Shepard, 1764-1817; Maria Moore Shepard, 1826, etc. 



7l8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

C. A. Chandler was educated in the pubhc schools of his native city and 
fitted himself for the profession of civil engineer by a considerable amount of 
home study and practical experience. After getting launched in his chosen 
profession, he entered the employ of the Missouri Pacific railroad and re- 
mained in the employ of this railroad for a period of twenty-five years. He 
first came to Atchison in May,- 1885, and has since been a resident here. 

Mr. Chandler is the owner of the Graham farm of 310 acres near Cum- 
mings, Atchison county, Kansas. Every dollar's worth of property which he 
owns has been accumulated by his own endeavors; not one dollar was ever 
received iiy him through inheritance or gift, and he and his wife have the great 
satisfaction of knowing that what they have and own is theirs by right of 
industry and thrift. Mr. Chandler is a Republican, a member of the Episco- 
pal church, and is fraternally associated with the Masonic order, a member of 
Active Lodge, No. 158, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and the Ancient 
Order of United Workmen. He was married February 4, 1891, to Effie 
Rook, of Atchison. To this union have been born : Horace ¥.,. born Septem- 
ber 19, 1896, a graduate of the Atchison High School, class of 1913. and now 
a sophomore in Kansas University, Lawrence: Esther, born March 5, 189S, 
senior student in the Atchison High School, class of 1916. The mother of 
these children is a daughter of Judge Florace M. Jackson, a biography of 
whom is publislied in tliis volume. 



GRACE CROSBY POWER. 



The city of .\tchison is fortunate in lia\ing as the jiresent super- 
intendent of the city hospital a lady of talent and ability, which, com- 
bined with great personal charm, constitute a splendid equiiiment 
for the important position which Miss Power holds. She is eminently quali- 
fied by training and executive capacity to perform the exacting duties re- 
quired of a hospital superintendent, and she is fast becoming deservedly pop- 
ular among the people of Atchison, who support this justly famous instiluiion. 

Grace Crosby Power is a native of Indiana, born October 23, 1880. in the 
town of Milroy, Rush county, and is a daughter of William Strange and 
Mary E. (Crosby) Power. Her father was also a native of Rush county. 
Indiana, born in 1837, a son of an Indiana pioneer family. His parents were 
John .A. and Mary A. (Smisor) Power, both of whom were natives of Ger- 
many and Scotland, respectively. They immigrated to America from Germany 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY ^icj 

ill an early day, and cleared a farm from tlie dense wilderness of Rush county 
by dint of hard labor and the exercise of fortitude. This German-American 
:ouple had the satisfaction of gaining a substantial competence from the soil 
ind of bequeathing a good family of sons and daughters to their adopted 
(and. William Power was one of the first fine live stock breeders of Rush 
;ounty, and his farm became famous for the Hambletonian horses which it 
produced. He died in 1906 in his home town, ]\lilroy. His wife, Mar}-, 
was bom in Milroy, Ind., in 1837, a daughter of Michael and Lucinda Crosby, 
natives of Ireland, and also early settlers of Rush county, Indiana. The 
Powers were all members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and have been 
prominent in the affairs of Rush county for many years. William Power 
was one of the well-to-do men of the county. To yir. and Mrs. William 
Power were born four children : Cora Estelle, wife of Prof. E. F. Engel, of 
Lawrence, Kan. ; Kathrine, wife of Rev. W. F. Smith, of the Methodist 
church, at Huntington, Ind. ; Frank A., Wichita, Kan., a director of the 
Power-Myers music house; Miss Grace Crosby Power, with whom this re- 
view is directly concerned. 

Miss Power received her elementary education in the public schools of 
Milroy, Ind., and afterwards entered DePauw University, at Greencastle, 
Ind., where she pursued a music course for two years. She then came to 
Kansas and studied in the liberal arts dejjartment of Kansas University, at 
Lawrence. While her original intention had been to perfect herself in art 
and music, she became imbued with the idea of becoming a nurse, feeling 
that a wider field was offered in the art of caring for tlie sick, and that she 
could be of greater service to humanity. Accordingly, Miss Power entered 
the University Medical Hospital of Kansas City, Mo., in 1905, and began 
the studies which were to prepare her for her life work as a hospital nurse. 
She applied herself diligently to her medical studies and was graduated from 
the Kansas City institution in 1908. She was then offered the position of 
superintendent of the Galesburg, 111., hospital, and accepted, remaining there 
until 191 1. She was not yet satisfied with her professional preparation, and 
resigning her position, she spent one year in Europe, traveling and studying 
the methods in vogue in the hospitals of the old world. Returning to Kansas 
City in 191 2, she was employed by Drs. Jabez and Jackson, of that city, in a 
professional capacity, until she was called to her present post, September 29, 
191 5. Since taking charge of the Atchison City Hospital, she has given 
every evidence of being eminently fitted for the duties of her position and 
calling. Miss Power" is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and 
is affiliated with the A. X. V. sorority, of DePauw University. 



■J20 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

WILLIAM H. THOMPSON. 

The lale William H. Thompson, of Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison 
county, was born on a Kentucky farm, near the city of Louisville, in 1838. 
His parents were Benjamin and Nancy (Baxter) Thompson, and both were 
born and reared in Kentucky, their old home ])cing- located on a small stream 
called Dry Beauty. Nancy Baxter Thompson was the belle of the neighbor- 
hood and was a famous beauty in her day. In 1848 the Thompsons migrated 
from Kentucky to Platte county, Missouri, where they resided until the spring 
of i860, and tlien came to Atchison count}' and purchased the farm where 
William H. lived until his death, in 1884. Benjamin, the father, was born 
in Kentucky in 1799, and died on his Kansas farm in 1861, just after locat- 
ing in this county. He was a man of fair education, who was self-taught. Pie 
taught school in his native State, and his father was a famous hunter in the 
earlv days of Kentucky history. He disappeared while absent from home on 
a hunting expedition, and it is supposed that he was killed or captured by 
Indians, leaving a wife and three children. Times were hard and educational 
advantages were either very poor or absent altogether. Benjamin educated 
himself by night study and home reading, and became well versed in books 
and knowledge. 

William H. Thompson was ten years of age when tiie family removed 
to Missouri, and he was reared to young manhood on the pioneer farm in 
Platte county. After his marriage in 1862, he and his wife lived with his 
widowed mother after the death of Iiis father, October 26, 1861. He came 
into possession of the home place and cultivated the land until his demise in 
1884. He was married July 6, 1862, to Matilda Thompson, and eight chil- 
dien were l)orn to this marriage: Annie, wife of Frank Williamson, of Cali- 
fornia; Ada, wife of Henry Knobloch, of Atchison county; Robert Lee, at 
home with iiis mother: William H., a mining expert, in Colorado; Gertrude, 
wife of Ed. Myer, of Atchison: Sirena Ella, deceased wife of Patrick Burns; 
Benjamin Isaac, at home; Gladis, deceased wife of Eugene Thornburg. The 
mother of these children was born in 1842 in Buchanan county, Missouri, a 
daughter of Isaac Tiiompson, born in New York State, on a farm near New 
York City, in 1804. The grandfather and a great-uncle of Isaac came to 
America from England some time before the American revolution, and be- 
came separated and never saw each other again. They were of Scotch origin. 
The paternal grandmother of Mrs. Thompson was a Miss Fi.ske of the New 
York family of Fiskes. Isaac Thomp.son married Elizabeth Fiscus in In- 
diana. In the _\ear 1808, the ])areiUs of Isaac Thompson removed from New 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY yz 1 

York to Ohio and twelve years later migrated westward to Shelby county, 
Indiana, where the parents died. After his marriage Isaac migrated to 
Buchanan county, Missouri, in about 1839, and developed a fine farm in that 
county. In about 1847 he sold his farm in Missouri and set out on the long 
overland journey to Oregon. A large party were en route to this new country 
and the outfit comprised twenty-one wagons and teams. An incident of this 
journey is here wortli recording. W^hile the emigrants were encamped for the 
night at a point hundreds of miles from any human habitation, an Indian came 
to the camp and informed them that a band of hostile red men intended to 
attack them and destroy the outfit. A band of emigrant Mormons drove 
up and joined them and they at once formed a corral with their wagons and 
prepared to defend themselves against the threatened attack, but the attack 
did not take place because of the preparations made. The Thompson family 
remained in Oregon for five years. Isaac went to California in 1848 and 
engaged in gold mining. Mr. Thompson was fortunate in his pros- 
pecting and accumulated a small fortune. During tlie winter of '49 
he was shipwrecked while making a voyage from California to his 
Oregon home, the vessel being driven far and out of its course by terrific 
storms and he was forced to spend the winter on the Sandwich Islands. Af- 
ter arriving home safel}-, he again went to California and continued his gold 
mining. In 185 1 the family returned to the Middle West. They boarded 
a ship at Portland, Ore., journeyed to San Francisco, where they took a ship 
for New Orleans. On the way down the coast tlie party was landed on the 
west coast of the Isthmus of Panama and the emigrants were packed across 
the Isthmus to the east side, where they boarded a vessel whicli carried them 
to New York City, arriving there on Christmas day of 1851. Prom New 
York they went to Philadelphia where Mr. Thompson had his gold minted 
at the Government mint. From Philadelphia they traveled to Pittsburgh, and 
here tlie ciiildren all contracted measles and two of them died. From 
Pittsburgh they went down the Ohio river by steamer and up the Mississippi 
to St. Louis where they boarded a Missouri river steamer which took tlicm 
to Camden, Mo. Here the wife and mother died. At Camden Mr. Thoni])- 
son purchased oxen and wagons and took the family to Buchanan count}-. 
Missouri, arriving there in the summer of 1852. They lived in Missouri 
until 1856 and then made a permanent settlement in Kansas preempting land 
and locating on Walnut creek in Mt. Pleasant town.ship, about four miles 
southwest of the city of Atchison, which is now the Herzog farm, .\fter eiglit 
vears' residence here they again moved, this time to Illinois, where tliey livet' 
46 



-22 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

tor three years and came again to Kansas, this time setthng in Xcmaha 
county. Isaac died in Nemaha county in 1871. His was certainly a rich and' 
varied experience and his hfe was filled with adventure and continual changes. 
Mrs. Matilda Thompson, widow of William H.. although having attained 
the age of three score and thirteen years, is active, spry and in full possession 
of her mental faculties. She is a wonderful woman for her age and is fond 
of relating reminiscences of the old days when the family crossed the plains 
and traveled lialf way around the world in quest of riches and adventure. 



JOHN HENRY NASS. 



\\'hen the soul of the late John Henry Nass departed from its earthly 
habitation to go to his Maker, the city of Atchison lost one of its excellent 
citizens and merchants who had lived all of his life in the city of his birtli. 
The late J. H. Nass was born in Atchison, February 15, 1865, a son of Jacob 
and Johanna Nass, both of whom were born and reared in Germany and 
emigrated from the Fatherland in 1856, to America. They first settled at 
Weston, Mo., but a short time later came to Atchison, Kan., where Jacob Nass 
became the first brick manufacturer of the city. He erected the first brick 
plant and made brick for many of the large brick buildings still standing in 
the city. Jacob Nass continued actively in the brick business until 1875, when 
he retired and the business was carried on by his four sons. During the course 
of his business career he established the hardware store which was later owned 
b}- his son. the suliject of this review. He left at his demise, in 1899, a consid- 
erable estate consisting of tlie brick plant, a hardware store, and real estate. 
Jacob and Johanna Nass were the parents of six children, namely: Werner, 
J. H.. Theodore. Herman, all living in Atchison; Gertrude, and Mary Nass, 
who is caring for her aged mother. 

J. H.. or Henrj' Nass, as he was lictter known by Iiis friends and asso- 
ciates, was reared in Atchison and attended the parochial schools and St. 
Benedict's College. At the age of sixteen years he entered his fathers hard- 
ware store, and took complete charge of the business when he attained the 
age of eighteen years. In 1886, with a partner named Frank Hess, of ^^'es- 
ton, Mo., he purchased the hardware store of his father. Six years later he 
bought out his partner and became the sole owner of the store, which he con- 
ducted until his demise, in 1903. He was married September 27, 1893, to 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



723 



Bertha Fleming, who bore him chil(h-en as follows : Charles, born September 
16. i8(j5. educated in St. Benedict's College, and is now in the employ of the 
Dolan Mercantile Company of Atchison; Raymond, born July 31, 1898, a 
graduate of St. Benedict's College, and is now with the Harvvi Hardware 
Company of Atchison ; Rose, born October 31, 1899, at home with her mother; 
r^Iargarette. l;orn June 2, 1901, student in St. Louis parociiial school; Wil- 
liam, born November 19, 1902, a student in a St. Louis school; Henry John, 
born December 7, 1903, and died at the age of eighteen months. Mrs. Nass 
is justly proud of her children and has endeavored to rear them so that they 
will lead upright lives and be a credit to her and the public. The Nass home 
is located near St. Benedict's Cdllege, and it is a happy one at all times. \\'hen 
Mr. and Mrs. Nass were married in 1893 their honeymoon trip included the 
\Vorld's Fair at Chicago. She was born in Holland, a daughter of Lambert 
and Rosa (Johnson) Fleming, both of whom were born and reared in Holland 
and married there, after which they immigrated to America witli their family 
and settled in Atcliison where Lambert made wooden shoes for a lime and 
later moved to a farm where he died June 15, 1880. Mrs. Fleming died 
in 1903. 

J. H. Nass was moderately successful in his business pursuits, and left 
his family comfortably provided for. Lie was a Democrat but did not take 
a ver}- active interest in political matters. He was a member of St. Benedict's 
Catholic Church. Llis life was a good and useful one and his main interest 
was in tlie well l^eing of his family, of whom he was very thoughtful and 
treated kindly and just)}'. 



FRANK M. WOODFORD. 



Frank M. Woodford, the well known cashier of the Atchison Savings 
Bank, was born at Niles, ]\Iich., November 29, 1874. He is a son of James 
H. and Emma (Bickell) \\^oodford, both natives of Niles, Mich., the former 
born in 185 1 and the latter in 1855. James H. Woodford is a son of Benja- 
min Woodford, who was a native of New York, and an early settler in Mich- 
igan. His wife, Emma Bickell, is a daughter of Thomas J. Bickell, a Vir- 
ginian. James H. Woodford came to Kansas with his family in 1887. and 
located in Atchison, and was an emploxee of the Missouri Pacific Railroad 
Company for a number of years, and later purchased a farm in Atchison 
countv, where he now resides. Frank M. Woodford is the onlv son born to 



724 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

James H. and Emma (Bickell) Woodford. He attended the public schools 
and graduated from the Atchison High School in the class of 1894. In 1896 
he entered the tmploy of the Exchange National Bank of Atchison, and 
worked in the collection department of that institution for two and one-half 
years. He then entered the employ of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company 
as yard clerk rind later served in tlie capacity of inspector and bookkeeper 
August I, 1900, he became bookkeeper of the Atchison Savings Bank, and in 
1910 succeeded to the cashiership of that bank, and has capably filled that 
position to the present time. Mr. Woodford possesses the safe and conserva- 
tive judgment of the successful bank cashier and is recognized for his effi- 
ciency in that important branch of the commercial world. Mr. Woodford 
was united in marriage December 21, 1898, with ]\liss I\Iabel Santchfield, of 
Macon, Mo., and two children liave been born to tliis union : Millard, aged 
eleven, and Maurice, aged eight. Mr. Woodford is a Royal Arch Mason, a 
member of the Knights of Pythias, Fraternal Order of Eagles. Knights of 
tlie Maccaliees, Modern ^\'oodmen of America, and Knights and Ladies of Se- 
curity. He is a Democrat and a member of tlie Baptist cliurch. 



HOLMES DYSINGER, D. D. 

Holmes Dy singer, D. D., dean of the Western Theoolgical Seminary of 
Atchison, Kan., was born March 26, .1853, in the town of Mifflin, Juniata 
county, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Joseph and Mary Amelia (Patterson) 
Dysinger, both natives of Pennsylvania. ' The genealogical record of the 
Dvsinger family traces its beginning in America to the seventeenth century, 
the ancestry on the paternal side being South German and on the maternal 
side, of English origin. The members of the family for succeeding genera- 
tions were farmers and carpenters, Joseph Dysinger being a carpenter and 
contracting builder in his younger days, and later became a farmer. He died 
on his farm in Pennsylvania, near his birthplace. There were six sons and a 
daughter in the family which Joseph Dysinger reared, as follows: Holmes, 
with whom this review is directly concerned; George Washington Dysinger, 
a practicing dentist at Minneapolis, Minn. ; Rev. William Stewart Dysinger, 
a minister of the Lutheran church in Los Angeles, Gal. ; Prof. James H. Dys- 
inger, a teacher at Los Angeles, Gal., and a daughter died at the age of six 
months. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 725 

Holmes Dysinger was reared on his father's farm and received his ele- 
mentary education in the district school of his neighborhood. The initial part 
of his higher education was obtained in the Airyview Academy at Port Ro3-al, 
Penn. The means at the disposal of the Dysinger family did not permit of 
Holmes continuing his studies unterrupted, and lie found it necessary to make 
his own way through the higher realms of learning. Consequently, in order 
to make his way through college and the university, he began teaching at the 
early age of seventeen years, and has taught continuously since that time, with 
the exception of tiiree years in college and a few years in a pastorate. In 1878 
he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts from Pennsylvania College at 
Gettysburg, Pa., and taught in the academic department of that college for 
a period of four years, while studying theology in the seminary at that 
place. His next position was as professor of Latin and Greek in the Nortli 
Carolina College, Mt. Pleasant, N. C, from 1882 to 1S83. From 1883 to 
1888, inclusive, he was professor of Latin and Greek at Newberry Colleg"e, in 
South Carolina, and from 1888 to 1895 he filled the position of president of 
Carthage College, Carthage, 111. From 1895 to 1900 he filled the pastorate 
of the Lutheran church at Polo, 111. ; he was pastor of the First Lutheran 
Ciiurch of Kansas City, Mo., from 1900 to 1902, and had charge of the Luth- 
eran church at Vandergrift, Pa., from 1902 to 1905. He became dean of 
tlie Western Theological Seminary at Atchison, Kan., in November of 1905. 
He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Wittenberg College, at 
Springfield, Ohio, in 1889. 

Dr. Dysinger was united in marriage with Ada Frances Ray. of Blairs- 
ville. Pa., September 22, 1886, and to this union have been born five chil- 
dren : Mary Ray Dysinger, librarian of Midland College, Atchison ; Cornelia, 
Helen Frances and Dorothy Homes, at home with their parents, and Mrs. Dr. 
C. F. Malmberg, of Greenville, Pa. 



CHARLES LANGE. 



Charles Lange, farmer. Center township, Atchison county, was born in 
Germany, January 11, 1865. He is a son of Karl and Marie (Poos) Lange, 
who were the parents of three children, as follows: Charles, subject of this 
sketch; Mrs. Mary Rathcrt, Center township, Atchison county, and Minnie, 
married C. Kloepper, living in Jefferson county. Karl Lange, the father, 
was born March 13, 1838, in Germany, and left his native land in the fall of 



726 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

1874, coming to Atchison county, where he rented for a short time. Fie tlien 
bought the place where his son now hves, which contained 140 acres. The 
place was fenced with rails and a log cabin had been built, and the bam was of 
straw. Taking this primitive farni n 1874, Mr. Lange began impro\ing 
it, and in 1883 he built a fine six-room house and made a number of other 
improvements. In 1902 he retired and moved to Nortonville, Kan., where 
he- died in 1910. The mother of Charles Lange was born in Germany, July 
31, 1841. She is now living in Nortonville, Kan. 

Charles Lange attended school in Germany four years and also went to 
the district school in Center township, Atchison county. He has always lived 
on his present farm, and looked after his father's affairs until the latters 
deatli. He now owns the old home place, which includes ^/^ acres, sixty acres 
of which is in corn. He is a thorough farmer and keeps high grade stock. In 
1 901 \lr. Lange was married to Martha Straub, who was born January 17, 
1881, in Baden, Germany. At the age of five years she left Germany with 
her parents, Joseph and Salme ( Hilderbrandt) Strauli, who came to America. 
In 1904 they settled in Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison county, where the 
father followed farming. Mr. and Mrs. Lange have six children, all of whom 
are living at home. They are : Erna, Charles, Jr,, Henry. Emma, Julius, 
and Ella, Mr. Lange is a Republican, and attends the Lutheran church. 



CHARLES L. ALKIRE. 



Charles L. Alkire, proprietor and manager of tlie Troy laundry of Atchi- 
son, was born December i, 1876, in Saline county, Missouri, a son of George 
A. and Ellen H. (Dickson) Alkire, who were the parents of two children, as 
follows : George D., a farmer of Bronaugh, Mo., and Charles L. George A. 
Alkire was born August 28, 1846, in Illinois, and was a son of George Alkire, 
who had the distinction of founding the Texas town which bears his name. 
In early life he was a merchant, and came to Missouri when a young man, and 
established a general merchandise store in Saline county. Later he engaged 
in banking and was cashier of the bank at Blackburn, Mo. For six years he 
served as county collector of Vernon county, Missouri. He is now living a 
retired life in Dallas, Tex. His father, George Alkire, was an extensive fruit 
grower, after whom the town of Alkire, Texas, was named and who died 
there. Ellen H. (Dickson) Alkire, mother of Charles L., was bom on a 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUXTY 727 

farm near Booneville, Tipton county, Missouri, September 3, 1839. and is 
living in the famil)' home at Dallas, Texas. 

Charles L. Alkire received his education in the schools of his native 
county, and attended the State school at Nevada, Mo., graduating from busi- 
ness college in Nevada. He served as deputy collector in Vernon county 
under his father, and then went to Norman, Okla., where he embarked in 
the newspaper business, running the Troy laundiy in connection with his 
publishing duties, from 1899 to 1902. He then disposed of his holdings in 
Norman and located in Kansas City, Mo., where he had charge of the shoe 
department in G. B. Peck's drygoods store, until his removal to Atchison, Kan. 
He was first employed in the freight department of the Chicago, Burlington 
& Ouincy railroad, and was then engaged in the inspection bureau of the 
Western Weighing Association of Railroads. He served as traveling sales- 
man for the A. J. Harwi Hardware Company until he purchased the Troy 
laundry, in Octo1>er of 1915. He was a successful traveling salesman, and 
is making a marked success in his latest business venture. 

Mr. Alkire was married in 1899 to Elizabeth H. Clapham, and to this 
union one child, Elizabeth, has been born. Mrs. Alkire was born March 12, 
1878, in Fremont, Xeb., and is a daughter of Edward and Anna (Bradley) 
Clapham, natives of England, who came to Iowa from their native land with 
their parents when both were infants. Mr. and Mrs. Clapham have been 
dead for a number of years. Mrs. Alkire was educated in the University of 
Oklahoma and graduated from that institution. Mr. Alkire is an independ- 
ent voter and is not allied with any particular political party, being self- 
reliant in such matters as he has always been in his business affairs. He is a 
member of the Baptist church and his wife is a member of the Methodist 
church. 



W. D. CHALFANT. 



A\'. D. Chalfant, a prominent farmer of Shannon township, .\tchison 
countv, is a native of Pennsylvania. He was born at Browns\ille, I-"ayette 
county, August 2, 1862, a son of Benjamin M. and Mar\- Amanda (Lynn) 
Chafant, both natives of Pennsyvania, the former bom in 1838. and the 
latter in 1836. The Chalfant family is of English origin, and was founded 
in America prior to the Revolutionary war. Benjamin M. Chalfant was a 
son of James Chalfant, of Fayette county, Pennsylvania. Benjamin M. owned 
the old Chalfant homestead in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, and in 1882 he 



728 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

sold his Pennsylvania property and came to Kansas, locating in Shannon 
township, Atchison county, where he purchased 320 acres of land, and was 
successfully engaged in farming until his death, which occurred June 3. 1914. 
He was accidentally killed at the railroad crossing at Fourth street, Atchison, 
wliile walking across the track. Tn an effort to avoid an approaching car, he 
did not notice an approaching Missouri Pacific train, which struck him. His 
wife died January 18, 1905. They were the parents of the following chil- 
dren : James M. resides in Graham county. Kansas ; Elsworth died in in- 
fancy ; William D., the subject of this sketch; Mary B. Bean lives in Kinginan 
count)% Kansas : Henry died at the age of ten, Alice died at tlie age of 
ten, and Elvira P. resides in Atchison. 

William D. Chalfant was twenty years of age when he came to Atchison 
county, and has resided in this county since 1882, with the exception of two 
years, one of which he spent in California and the other in Nemaha county, 
Kansas. He bought the home place in 19 14, shortly after liis father's death. 
He was united in marriage in 1891 to Miss Mary Mann, a native of Monroe 
county, \\'est ^^irginia, and a daughter of Austin and Susan Mann. The 
father is deceased, and the mother resides in Arkansas. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Chalfant have been bom eight children, as follows : Bonnie Miller resides in 
West Virginia, and lias two children, Raymond and George: Benjamin M. 
resides at home ; Delilah, Jenette, Helen, Henry, Marie, and Mildred. Jenette 
and Henr}- died in infancy. Mr. Chalfant is a Republican, and his fratemal 
affiliations are with the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Central Protective 
Association. 



JACOB BUTTROX. 



He of whom this review is written is one of the enterprising and success- 
ful farmers of Lancaster township, Atchison county, and is a son of Henry 
Buttron, a pioneer settler of the county, and who at the time of his death was 
one of the wealthiest and best known citizens of Lancaster township. A biog- 
raphy of Henr}- Buttron appears in this history. 

Jacob Buttron was liorn in Lancaster township, April 16, 1872, and has 
always lived in the vicinity of his early home. He was reared on his father's 
farm and attended llie school in the Bell district. No. 59. He re- 
mained on the farm and gave his best endeavors to assisting his father in 
building up the family estate until 1904. at which time he started out for him- 
self on a rented farm. He first rented 160 acres of land ivom his father. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 729 

Later lie bouglit an equal amount of the north quarter of the Cloyes farm. 
He has through his father, at the present time, one of tlie best improved and 
productive farms of Lancaster township and is on the high road to prosperity. 
Mr. Buttron has his farm stocked with only the best grades of live stock and 
has made an excellent record as a stockman. 

He was married December 14., 1904, to Miss Emma Flattre, and four 
children have blessed this union, namely : Bertha, Emma, Alice and John. 
Mrs. Buttron is a daughter of Thomas and Emma (Manson) Flattre. Mr. 
Buttron is a Republican in politics, but has never sought prilitical preferment 
of any kind, and contents himself in doing his duty at the polls at election 
time. While he professes no religious creed, he is a church goer and is con- 
sidered to be an upright and exemplary citizen who has many friends in his 
neighborhood, who esteem him highly for his industrious liabits and honest 
demeanor. 



GEORGE SCHRADER. 



George Schrader, farmer and stockman, of Center township, Atchison 
county, was born in Lancaster township, January 25, 186S, and is a son of 
Nicholas and Kathrine Schrader. He was one of si:^ children. The parents 
w^re born in German}', but each came to America when young. They were 
married in the United States about 1856, and came directly to Kansas, set- 
tling in Lancaster township, Atchison count}-. Later they removed to Mount 
Pleasant township, and followed fanning until the father retired. The mother 
died in 1907, aged seventy-three years, and the father lived with his children 
until his death, in 1914, at the age of eighty-six. George Schrader grew to 
manhood on the home farm in Atchison county, and at the age of nineteen be- 
gan to work as a farm hand. A year later he went to California and worked 
on a ranch. In 1890 he returned to Atchison county and rented his father's 
farni for a year, when he bought 180 acres, located on the Topeka State 
road, two and one-half miles north, and one-half mile west of Cummings, 
Kan. The farm had only scanty improvements, with a house in bad condi- 
tion and a small barn. He built a good two-story, modern, nine-room house, 
which is situated in one of the finest building places in the count}-, com- 
manding an excellent view. He then erected a large barn, 36x50 
feet, with a cement basement. It is well equipped and built especiall}- for a 
stock barn. Mr. Schrader takes great pride in his stock, which includes fine 



730 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Hampshire hogs, Percheron and Coach horses. His farm consists of 200 
acres, forty acres of which is timber land. 

When a young man M:*. Sclirader operated a threshing outfit, and con- 
tinued in that business for many years as a sideline. He is also a carpenter, 
and built most of the buildings on his farm. In 1894 he married Carrie Kuhn, 
who was born in Atchison county in 1874. She is a daughter of Fred and 
Anna (Gniner) Kuhn. The father was a native of Germany, and the mother 
of Illinois. Both parents are living. Mr. and ]\Irs. Schrader have three 
children : Herbert, Lester, and Ida, all living at home. ]\Ir. Schrader is a 
Republican, and is treasurer of Center township. He is a member of the 
German Evangelical church. He is a stockholder in the Cummiiigs State 
Bank. ]\Ir. Schrader. is a citizen active in the interest of his community, and 
takes pride in his farm and in his community, and is always in favor of any 
movement wliich will be for the good of the community. 



WILLIAM T. HUTSON. 



^^'illianl T. Hutson. an Atchison business man, who has extensive in- 
dustrial and commercial- interests, and is a large land owner, is a nati\e of 
Missouri. He was born in Platte county August i, 1874, and is a son of E. P. 
and Johanna (Kelley) Hutson, the former a native of Clay county, Missouri, 
and the latter of Dublin. Ireland. E. P. Hutson, the father, had a very 
successful 'career, and at the time of liis death, which occurred in Platte 
county. Missouri, in 1892, he ownied over 2,000 acres of \aluabie land. He 
and his brother, Isaac, went to California in 1850, shortlj- after the discovery 
of gold. They were interested in the live stock business on the coast at that 
early day. buying cattle and driving them to the mining camps, where they 
found a ready market at \ery good prices. Tliey were engaged in this busi- 
ness for twelve or thirteen years, and were very successful in a financial way. 
Isaac's health failed while on the coast, and he returned to his Platte county 
home, where he died in 1864. After returning to Missouri, E. P. Hutson 
followed farming, and looked after his extensive interests until about the time 
of his death. 

William T. Hutson, whose name introduces this sketch, is one of a 
family of six children, as follows: William T., the subject of this sketch; 
G. E., farmer, Platte county, Mis.souri ; Capitola married W. P. Page, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 73 r 

Platte county, Missouri ; Pluma married Dr. Kirkfast, Austin. Neb. ; 
Goldie married Barney Nolan, Sioux City. Iowa, and Galena married 
Edward Back, Atchison, Kan. William T. Hutson was reared on the home 
farm in Platte county, Missouri, and received his education in the public 
schools, and has made farming the chief occupation of his life. He and his 
brother, G. E.. now own and operate i,ooo acres of land in Platte county, 
Missouri, where they are extensive growers of wheat and other grains. They 
are also extensive hog raisers and are among the most extensive farmers of 
Platte county. 

Mr. Hutson came to Atchison in December, 1909, and since that time 
has been closely identified with industrial Atchison. He is president of the 
Atchison Paving Brick Company, and is a director in the First National Bank 
of Atchison. He was united in marriage in June, 1909, to Miss Esther Jack- 
son, of Bigelow, Mo. She is a daughter of Richard and Varney Jackson, 
members of old and highly respected Platte county families. Mr. and Mrs. 
Hutson have one child, Virginia Lee, bom June 23, 1912. Mr. Hutson is a 
Democrat. 



JOHN BEYER. 



John Beyer, banker and stock buyer of Arrington, Atchison county, 
Kansas, was born in Kapioma township, on October 9. 1871. His parents, 
Asa and Susan Beyer, were both natives of Penns}-lvania, the father having 
been born there in 1835. They came to Kansas in 1868, and settled in Ka- 
pioma township, Atchison county, where the father died in 1898, and the 
mother is still living. John Beyer is one of eleven children, as follows : Mrs. 
Mary Lewton, Benton township; Samuel, Kapioma township; Mrs. Christen 
High, Texas; David, farmer, Kapioma township; Jane, living on the home 
place ; Clarissa, deceased ; Martha Schiffbauer, Sumner county, Kansas ; John, 
the subject of this sketch; Albert, Caldwell. Kansas, and Luctria Dodson, 
Kapioma township. 

John Beyer attended the Cole Creek district school and at the age of 
twenty-one started out in life for himself. He bought an eighty-acre farm 
from his father, and worked this place five jears and made a success of it. 
In 1900 he moved to Arrington, Kapioma township, and engaged in the 
livery business. He ran this until the following year when he sold out and 
bought the elevator on the Union Pacific railroad at Arrington. He bought 



732 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

and sold grain for six years, but owned the elevator until 1912. The year 
previous he began to deal in live stock and has continued in that business 
since. In 1904 the need of a bank was felt, and John Beyer, together with 
other leading citizens of Arrington, organized the present bank. For the 
past eight years he has been assistant cashier of the institution. Mr. Beyer 
owns farm land in Kapioma township. 

In 1897 ^r- Beyer married Maud A. Coots, who was born in Holt county, 
Missouri, January 13, 1875. She is a daughter of Presley W. and Sarah 
(Campbell) Coots, both Missourians, wliose parents were from Kentucky. 
The father is now living in Muscotah, Kan. Mr. and Mrs. Beyer have one 
child, Flossie A., who is living at home. Mr. Beyer is a Republican and a 
member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 



JOSEPH H. WATOWA. 



Joseph H. Watowa, a prosperous Atchison county farmer, is a native of 
Missouri. He was born in Buchanan county, January 24, 1864, and is a son 
of Joseph and Catharine (Fischer) Watowa, both natives of Austria. They 
were married in their native land, and immigrated to America in 1855, first 
settling in Wisconsin. Later, they located in Buchanan county, Missouri, and 
in 1879 came to Kansas, locating in Shannon towship, Atchison county, on 
the place where Joseph H., the subject of this sketch, now resides. They 
were the parents of six children, as follows : Frank resides in Atchison 
county; Mary, deceased; Henry resides in Atchison county; Amelia; Joseph 
H., the subject of this sketch ; and Paulina. 

Joseph H. Watowa is one of the successful farmers of Atchison county, 
and has one of the fine farms of that section in the State, consisting of 160 
acres of well improved land under a high state of cultivation. His land is 
located in an ideal j;pot, and a fine tract of timber is located on the place. 
He is an e.xtensive alfalfa grower and an all around practical modern farmer. 

Mr. Watowa was married in 1892 to Miss Thresa, daughter of Joseph 
and Johanna Zeit, natives of Austria and early settlers in Atchison county, 
where they still reside. To Mr. and Mrs. Watowa have been born the follow- 
ing cln'ldren : Mary, age nineteen ; Johanna, age eighteen ; Elizabeth, age 
seventeen ; Helena, age sixteen ; Joseph, age thirteen ; Bertha, age twelve, and 
Catherine, age four. Mr. Watowa has lived on his present place for thirty- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 733 

six years, and, although still a young man, he counts himself among the old 
landmarks of Atchison county. He is a Democrat, and has always supported 
the policies and principles of that party. He has taken a commendable part 
in local politics, and has served as town clerk for six years. He and his family 
are members of the St. Benedict Catholic Church at Atchison. 



NATHAN T. VEATCH. 



Nathan T. Veatcli, superintendent of the Atchison city schools, is a 
native of Illinois. He was born near Astoria, Fulton county, and reared on 
a farm. After receiving a common school education, he began his career as 
a teacher in the district schools of Schuyler county, Illinois. Later lie 
attended the State Normal school of Illinois, and was graduated from that 
institution with the class of 1881. He was principal of the graded school at 
Butler, 111., for two years, and later was principal of an eighth grade ward 
school in Little Rock, Ark., for four years. He served as superintendent and 
principal of the Rushville city schools at Rushville, 111., for fourteen years, 
and in 1901 was elected superintendent of the Atchison city schools, and has 
held that position to the present time. 

Mr. Veatch was married in 1883 to Miss Lizzie Montgomery, of Rush- 
ville, 111. She was a successful teacher prior to her marriage. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Veatch have been born two children, as follows: Nathan T., Jr., born 
at Rushville, 111., and is now a civil engineer, and a member of the firm of 
Black & X'eatch, consulting engineers, Kansas City, Mo., and Francis M., 
bom at Rushville, 111., a sam'tary engineer, in the employ of Kansas 
LTniversity. 



JAMES L. ARMSTRONG. 



James L. Armstrong, farmer and breeder of jirize winning Percheron 
horses, was born in Winnebago county, Illinois, July 11, 1867. He comes 
of sturdy Irish stock, his parents having been born on the Emerad Isle. The 
father, James Armstrong, was born October 22, 1836, in County Sligo, Ire- 
land. He was a farmer there, and at the age of twenty-four sailed for Amer- 
ica and found his first job in Philadelphia. In a short time he came west and 
followed fanning in Illinois. Several years later, in 1867, to be exact, he 



734 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

came to Atchison county, Kansas, and bought eighty acres of land near Huron, 
Kan., in Lancaster township. He farmed this place until his death in 1886. 
In addition to his farming he was an extensive breeder and feeder of cattle. 
His wife was also born in Ireland, the date of her birth being December 25, 
1830. Slie died in 1902. They were married in Ireland and three children 
were born to them there. After coming to America five other children were 
born. Both parents were members of the Methodist church. 

James L., Jr., the subject of this sketch, grew up in Lancaster township, 
and attended school in district Xo. 44. He remained at home with liis par- 
ents until they died. He then bought 320 acres in Kapioma township and 
built an unusually fine residence at a cost of about $4,000. The interior is 
finished in white oak, and a cement basement underlies the house, and all 
modern conveniences have been installed, including hot and colt running water. 
He keeps all of his buildings painted and in repair so that everything around 
the place presents a fresh and orderly appearance. Horses are Mr. Arm- 
strong's hobby, and several times he has won prizes at the Effingham fair 
with his Percherons, and now has four thoroughl^red Percherons, registered. 
He is a shareholder in the Muscotah elevator. He is unmarried and has a 
man and his wife, who care for the household. Mr. Armstrong is a member 
of the Christian church and has affiliated himself with the Republican party. 
He is a member of the Percheron Society of America. He has received as 
high as $600 for Percheron horses bred on his place. 



JOHN FERRIS. 



A man's usefulness in his community need not necessarih- be confined to 
working entirely for his own individual aggrandizement, and there are fre- 
quently found conspicuous examples of good citizenship who are broad- 
minded and entei-prising enough to extend their activities outward, so as to 
embrace the well-being of their fellowmcn. John Ferris, banker and prosper- 
ous farmer, of Center township, Atchison county, is a shining example of 
broad and upright citizenship, with whom family, church and social ties have 
been preeminent during his long residence in the county. Successful as a 
farmer and stockman, his ambitions have led him into banking pursuits with 
consideral)le success to his credit. His deeply religious nature liaving en- 
dowed him with a love for church work, many fruitful years of his life have 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



/OO 



been devoted to Sunday school and church work, which have won him high 
esteem and infinite respect among the people of his neighborhood. - 

The twenty-eight years of Mr. Ferris" residence in Center township have 
been productive of much material good on his part, and he is rated as one 
of the really successful men of the county. This period marks his rise from 
comparative poverty to a position of affluence and prestige, attained by few 
citizens. Mr. Ferris saw opportunity and embraced it, and has made good in 
more ways than one. 

John Ferris is a man whose pluck and industry have brought him out of a 
long struggle with high honors. Starting out in life as a poor boy, he worked 
long and hard, until now he lives in" comfort and security. Mr. Ferris was 
born at Sharonville, Ohio, November 25, i860, and is a son of Peter and Het- 
tie (Phares) Ferris, who were the parents of seven children, as follows: John, 
the subject of this sketch; Joseph, Winchester, Kan.; Alice, wife of W. T. 
Birt, Topeka, Kan. ; Louvinca, wife of F. L. Stephens, Topeka, Kan. ; Thomas, 
Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison county ; Peter, farmer, on old Eastman place. 
Center township, Atchison county, and Mrs. Delia Coppinger, deceased. The 
father was born August 8, 18,39, i''^ Sharonville, Hamilton county, Ohio. He 
was a son of John and Rebecca (Myers) Ferris, natives of Pennsylvania, 
who came to Ohio as early settlers, in 1804. The father of John F^ris, sub- 
ject of this sketch, was reared on the farm in Ohio. He came to Kansas in 
1878, and settled in Osborne county. Two years later, after being starved out 
by the ravages of the grasshoppers and the hot winds, which burned up his 
crops, he went to Rawlins county, Kansas, where he preempted 640 acres of 
land. He did not live there, but came to Nortonville, Kan., and began work 
as a laborer and farmer. 

In 1887 he came to Center township, where he rented for five years. He 
then rented 640 acres south of Nortonville. In 1892 he and his son, John, the 
subject of this sketch, bought 160 acres in Jefferson county. Then, for a 
number of years, they bought and sold farms in Atchison and Jefferson coun- 
ties, until 1903, when they bought the farm of 215 acres, which John and 
his father are working. This land is located in Center township and includes 
the northwest quarter of section ,3 and the southwest quarter of section 34, 
and includes ten acres of natural timber. He has thirty acres of alfalfa and 
fifty acres in corn each year. Mr. Ferris also devotes considerable attention 
to his stock. He keeps only graded animals on his farm, and makes a specialty 
of feeding hogs and cattle for the market. He started out with little capital, 
and had to begin as a laborer at dav wages, but he saved his earnings and 



736 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

invested tliem wisely, and, now, besides being a substantial farmer, he is a 
shareholder and president of the State Bank of Cummings. Mr. Ferris is un- 
married. His mother was born in Little Rock, Ark., in 1840. She is a 
daughter of Joseph and ]\Iatilda (Todd) Phares. The father came from New 
Jersey, and the mother from Tennessee. In politics, Mr. Ferris has identi- 
fied himself with the Republican party. He is a member of the Pardee Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church and takes an active part in its organization. He is 
a steward, and for many years has been superintendent of the Sunday school. 
He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and of the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellow: lodges of Cummings. Air. Ferris is a con- 
spicuous example of the self-made man. His career proves the possibilities 
of a man, who, though handicapped liy lack of capital, is willing to 'work con- 
sistently and save judiciously. 



MARCUS J. LAIRD. 



The history of the Laird family in Kansas begins three score years ago, 
in the old days when the first sturdy pioneers were coming from the older 
states to find new homes in the unpeopled waste of Kansas, and to break 
the way for others who have since followed in increasing numbers. It is a 
long reach which witnesses the transformation of a wilderness of prairie and 
woods to a beautiful, productive landscape of peace and plenty, but Marcus 
J. Laird and his wife have been fortunate in growing to maturity with Atch- 
ison county. Few families in this county can claim an older lineage than the 
Lairds or Cummings families, and no family is more respected than that of 
Marcus J. Laird. His father, J. B. Laird, was one of the earliest pioneers of 
Atchison county, and on the other hand the father of Mrs. Laird was another 
pioneer, W'illiam Cummings, who founded the town of Cummings, thus 
leaving a monument which will perpetuate his name for all time to come. 
Through the medium of these historical annals of .Atchison county these 
pioneers will be dulv honored and this volume is dedicated to their ever- 
lasting memory in order that the story of Atchison county might be trans- 
mitted truthfully and accurately to posterity. 

Marcus J. Laird has been successively, farmer, merchant and postmaster, 
and is proud of the fact that lie is a native l)orn citizen of Kansas, and a son of 
one of the earliest pioneers of the State. Like a good many men who have 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 737 

been reared lo farm life, after a successful career as merchant and public 
official, he has returned to the fami where living is sure and certain and a 
competence is the inevitable reward of years of labor. 

Marcus J. Laird was born August 26, i860, in Center township, Atch- 
ison county, and is a son of James B. and Marinda (Martin) Laird, who were 
the parents of fourteen children as follows : Mary died in infancy ; Thomas 
died in infancy; James W.. Jackson county, Kansas; Marcus, the subject of 
this sketch; Abraham, Jefferson county, Kansas; Mrs. Emma Leland, Atch- 
ison. Kan. ; John, deceased; Ulysses, deceased; Rose, wife of C. Barnes. Chase 
county. Kansas ; Robert, Jackson county, Kansas ; Paul, a teacher. Durant. 
Okla. ; Mrs. Amanda Hanson. Nortonville, Kan. ; Mrs. Mabel McDonald. 
Muscotah, Kan., and Frank. Seattle, ^^'ash. James B. Laird, the father, was 
born in Zanesville, Ohio, June 13. 1834. and was a son of Thomas and Elton 
(Saffle) Laird, both natives of Pennsylvania. The Lairds are of Scotch 
descent. James was brought up on his father's farm, and when he was thir- 
teen years of age his parents removed to Livingston, Mo., where he grew to 
manhood. He then went to Buchanan county. Missouri, where he was mar- 
ried to Marinda Martin, the wedding taking place at DeKalb. Mo., in 1854. 
Marinda (Martia) Laird was born August i, 1836, in Morgan county, Indi- 
ana. She is a daughter of Hanson and Mary (Holman) Martin. Her father 
was a farmer in Kentucky before coming to Atchison county. Kansas, in 1856, 
where he died in 1878. and the UKJllier died in 1840. at the age of thirty years. 

James B. Laird and his bride came to Kansas in the fall of 1854 and set- 
tled in Mt, Pleasant township. Atchison county, where they homesteaded t6o 
acres of prairie and timber land. They drove from Missouri in a covered 
wagon pulled by oxen. Atchison. Kan., had but one house at that time; it 
had been moved there from Missouri. James Laird built a sawmill on his 
farm the first year he was there and sawed i.ooo feet of lumber, but a flood 
swept it all down into Crooked creek. They built a log cabin on the place, 
and the first child. Mary, was born there. The fact that Mt. Pleasant, which 
was only three miles away, provided a nearljy m.arket, helped the Lairds out 
considerably. They farmed the homestead until i860, when tliev snld it for 
$900 and moved farther west and bought 276 acres in Center township. This 
propertv became the old home ])lace and the La'rds owned it for manv x-ears. 

James B. Laird moved to Cummings and conducted a general merchandise 
store for a few \-ears precediu'^' his de''t!i. in 1892. The widow returned 
to the farm with the children, where she Iirought them up and educated them. 
Tn 1000 she left the home place nnrl lin^; sin<-c lived with her children, and at 

47 



/^8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

present she lives with Marcus, the subject of this sketch. Marcus J- Laird 
grew up on the home place and attended school in district No. 36, Center 
township, and at the age of sixteen he left home and worked as a farm hand 
for al)out a. year, and later rented land from his father. In 1883. at the age 
of twenty, he bought sixty acres in Center township and farmed it a- year 
when he traded it for a stock of merchandise at Cummings and was in partner- 
ship with Nelson Cox there for five years. Selling his interest in the business 
he rented land and fanned for a while. In 1892 he bought the place wiiich he 
now owns and has increased the original eighty acres to 104. He has always 
kept good stock on his place and takes pride in keeping his animals up to 
standard. In 1884 Mr. Laird married Britamore Cummings, who was born 
August 20, 1866, in Center township, Atchison county. She is a daughter of 
William and Sarah (Quiet) Cummings. Her father was a founder of Cum- 
mings, Kan., and was a native of Pennsylvania. He came to Kansas in 1855 
and engaged in farming. He died July 27, 1900, at the age of eighty-six. 
The mother, Sarah, was born in Illinois and is now living in Kansas City, 
Kan. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Laird, as follows: James W., 
Kansas City, Mo. : Meda B., wife of L. Reynolds, Center townsliip, Atchison 
county. Kansas ; Anna McKanna, living at home Edith Hammer, Effingham, 
Kan. ; Blanche, a teacher, living at home. Mr. Laird is a Republican. He 
was postma.ster of Cummings for thirteen years. He is a member of the 
Baptist church and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Ancient 
Order of United Workmen. 



ALLEN T. BILDERBACK. 



Tlie history of the Eilderliack and Johnson families in Kansas goes back 
to the old freighting and pioneer days when the hardships of the first setters 
were many and conveniences were few. The father of Allen T. Bilderback, 
whose name heads this review, was one of the early stage coach drivers whose 
route took him on many journeys from Kansas to Denver, and otlicr Colorado 
points, .\aron Bilderback drove a stage coach from Atchison to Denver and 
Central City, Colo., beginning in 1864, for several years, until he finally set- 
tled on a farm in Center township, Atchison county. Jesse R. Johnson, grand- 
father of Mrs. Bilderback. had the honor of assisting in establishing the first 
Methodist church in Kansas, and Methodism is said to have had its origin 
in the State from a Sunday school which was started in his home at Oak 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



739 



Mills, nearly sixty years ago. From this small beginning a great religious 
denomination had its inception in the newi State of Kansas. 

Allen T. Bilderback, with whom this review is directly concerned, is a 
native born Kansan, a man of good education, who has been useful as an edu- 
cator and farmer during his residence in his native county. He was born in 
Center township July 21, 1878, and is a son of Aaron and Sarah (Jonesi 
Bilderback, who were the parents of two children ; Allen, the subject of this 
sketch, and Leslie, who lives in Atchison. The father was born in Indiana 
September 17, 1843. When a young man he came to Kansas in 1855, and 
freighted across the plains to Denver. The trail extended from Atchison to 
Denver, and Aaron Bilderback drove a stage coach and a prairie schooner. He 
later bought forty acres of land just south of Cummings, Atchison county, 
where he remained a few years. In August, 188 1, he bought the farm 
which his son now owns. He improved it and lived there until his death, 
January 4, 1890. Allen Bilderback's mother was born in Mt. Pleasant town- 
ship, Atchison county, in 1855. She was a daughter of Vincent Jones, an 
early settler in Kansas. She died in 1885, at the age of thirtv years. Both 
parents died when Allen was very young, and he was brought up by his uncle, 
Gabriel T. Bilderback. He attended school in District No. 36, Center town- 
ship, and later attended the Atchison county high school at Effingham. .\t 
the age of twenty-one he began teaching m District No. 19. Mt. Pleasant 
township. In 1902 he went to Granada, Colo., where he started a liverv busi- 
ness. Three years later he returned to Atchison county and taught school 
again. After a term of teaching, he took charge of the old home place and 
engaged in farming. He now owns 149 acres and has graded stock. 

On ]\Iarch 28, 1906. Mr. Bilderback married Edith E. Jones. wlH) was 
born November 15, 1884, near Mayetta, Jackson county, Kansas. She also 
was a teacher before her marriage, having taught for a numlier of years 
in Jackson county, Kansas. She is a daughter of Samuel R. and Sarah J. 
(Johnson) Jones. The father was born in Miami county, Ohio, and came 
to Atchison county in 1856, settling near Oak Mills. For a lime he farmed 
there, at first using oxen, and lived in a log cabin. A number of years later 
he moved to Jackson county, Kansas, where he died January 23, 1916. His 
wife was born in Virginia, a daughter of Jesse and Nancy (Davis) Johnson, 
Her father was born in New York April it, 1819, and came to Kansas in 
1854, settling near Oak Mills, and helped organize the first Methodist church 
in Kansas. For some time a Bible class met at his house, and when it grew 
to a membership of forty, a Methodist church was organized bv Rev. Bowen. 
That was the origin of Methodism in Kansas. Jesse Johnson died in 1904. 



740 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

and his wife died in '1907, at the age of eighty-three. Mr. and Mrs. Bilder- 
back have three children, all living at home, as follows: Allen, jr., Ijorn 
March 18, 1907: Sarah Naomi, torn July 27, 1909, and Lucile Elizabeth, 
born June 8, 1913. Mr. Bilderback is a member of the Methodist church, and 
now holds the office of trustee. He belongs to the Modem Woodmen of 
America, and is president of the farmers' institute at Cummmgs. 



WILLIAM M. NITZ. 



America is proud of her citizens of German birth, and glories in their 
accomplishments, their successes, and affluence, wherever they are located. 
It is an undisputable fact that the farmers of German birth or ancestry in 
Kansas today are rated as among the most prosperous of this great common- 
wealth. Atchison county has its quota of successful German agriculturists, 
and William M. Nitz. of Center townshi]), is one who is deserving of special 
mention. It is a noteworthy rise from a ]3oor German immigrant boy to be- 
come one of the large landed proprietors of the county, Init Mr. Nitz has 
accomplished all this. His 400 acres or more of land in Center township 
were all obtained by hard labor, economy, intelligence and good financial 
judgment. The rearing of his large family of nine children, and their gift to 
the county and counlrj' as sturdy and upright citizens, is alone a matter for 
praiseworthy mention. 

Williain M. Nitz was born in Germany, March 26, 1864, and is a son 
of Ludwig and Johanna Louisa (Linstad) Nitz, who were the parents of 
eleven children, eight of whom are living. The father was born in Germany, 
in August, 1836, and left bis native land in 1883 with his wife and one child, 
coming to America. He came west and worked a year as a laborer, and then 
bought eighty acres of land in Doniphan county, Kansas, where he farmed 
until 191 1. He then removed to Kansas City, Mo., where he and his wife 
now live. His wife, the mother of William Nitz, was also born in Germany, 
in 1845. William N. Nitz immigrated to America when he was fifteen years 
of age. He worked in Pennsylvania as a farm hand for a year, then he came 
to Doniphan county, Kansas, where he also worked as a farm hand. He then 
rented land in Lancaster township, .Atchison county, for two years, when he 
returned to Doniphan county, where he bought eighty acres of land. In 
1902 he sold out and bought 307 acres in Center township. This farm was 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 74I 

poorly improved, the house and l^arn being old and dilapidated. Mr. 
Nitz proceeded to rebuild and imjirove the buildings. He is now located in 
section ii, and owns 427 acres of land. He is a fancier of good mules and 
keeps graded stock on his farm. Mr. Nitz, together with several other farm- 
ers in his neighborhood, hold stuck in a thresher outfit which they operate 
jointly. 

In 1890 Mr. Xitz married Miss Lena Lawson, a native of Kansas, born 
February 27, 1873. I\Ir. and Mrs. Nitz are the parents of eleven children : 
George, born January 12, 1893. famier. Center township; Charles, born No- 
vember II, 1891, on his father's farm of 120 acres; Otto, born August 28, 
1894, living at home; Johanna and Nava, deceased; Edward, liorn June 26, 
1898, living at home; Oscar, born January 28, 1903: Irvin, born October 22, 
1906, and Ida, born March 5. 1913, living at home, and two children died in 
infancy. Mr. Nitz is an inde])en(Ient in politics and he and his wife are mem- 
bers of the Lutheran church, as are Charles and George. Though Mr. Nitz 
could not read or write the English language very well when a voung man, 
he has always been a student of new conditions, and was cjuick to learn the 
customs and language of his adopted country and has proved himself to be a 
useful member of his community. Of late years he has become very pro- 
ficient in reading English and keeps abreast of the times by reading the daily 
newspapers. 



HENRY GLATTFELDER. 



Henry Glattfelder, farmer. Center township, Atchison CDunt}-, Kansas, 
was born in the township where he now lives, September 16, 1871, and is a 
son of Henry and Margaret (Kuntz) Glattfelder. They were the parents of 
seven children: Elizabeth married J. Meyers, died in Atchison, Kan.; Maggie 
married widower of her deceased sister, and he is a baker and merchant, Atchi- 
son ; .\nna, wife of J. Kuhii. Atcliison, Kan.; Fannie married 11. 11. Severs, 
Manning, Iowa ; Mary married M. L. Dilgert, Atchison ; Bertha married W. 
A. Dilgert, Mt. Pleasant township, and Henry, the subject of this sketch. 
The father was bom in Switzerland, January. 1827. He came to America and 
settled in Atchison county, on a rented farm in Mt. Pleasant township. He 
worked this from 1863 until his death in 1871. The mothei was also born 
in Switzerland, December 18, 1832, and died in Atchison, Kan., in 1904. 

Henry Glattfelder, the subject of this sketch, attended the district schools 



742 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of Center township, and grew up on his mother's farm and began farming 
for himself when he was twenty-two years old. He bought 125 acres of land 
in Center township, and now owns 130 acres. He has made many improve- 
ments on his place since taking possession of it, and keeps graded stock. In 
1894, the year in which he started out for himself, he was united in marriage 
with Miss Anna Cline, a daughter of Peter J. and Bersheba Cline. Mrs. 
Glattf elder was born March 21, 1877, in Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison 
county, Kansas. Her father was a native of Iowa, and her mother of Mis- 
souri. To Mr. and Mrs. Glattfelder have been born six children : Leona, 
Ellsworth, Harold, Kennith, Lucile, all living at home. One child, Henry, 
is deceased. Mr. Glattfelder is an independent voter. He attends church 
but does not profess any creed. He is a practical farmer and is a liberal giver 
to all movements for the benefit of tlie community. Never has Mr. Glatt- 
felder allowed his selfish interests to stand in the way of the community's prog- 
ress and he has proven himself a patriotic citizen of the commonwealth. 



THOMAS W. TUCKER. 



Thomas W. Tucker, live stock dealer, Effingham, Kan., is a native of 
Atchison county, and has lived all of his life in Benton township. He was 
born on a farm three and one-half miles northeast of Effingham, November 
27, 1872. His parents were J. Martin and Polly (Cummings) Tucker, both 
of whom were born in Crawford county, Indiana. J. M. Tucker was the son 
of Sloan Tucker, also a native of Indiana, who emigrated to Kansas in i860. 
When he attained young manhood the father of Thomas W. rented land for a 
few years in Doniphan county, and then bought a farm in Atchison county. 
He prospered and became the owner of two farms in Benton townsliip, aggre- 
gating 280 acres. When old age came he and Mrs. Tucker retired to a lionie 
in Effingham, where they spent the remainder of their days in peace and com- 
fort. J. M. Tucker was born in 1831 and died in 1896, and his wife was born 
in 1838 and died in October, 1910. Mr. Tucker served in the Kansas State 
militia during the Civil war. The following children survive J. Martin and 
Polly Tucker: John R., a farmer living west of Effingham; Mrs. C. C. Ander- 
son, of Atchison, Kan. ; Thomas W. ; Albert, a resident of Atchison. 

Thomas W. Tucker attended the Majile (irove school wlien a I)oy and 
lived on the home farm, assisting in its operation, until he attained the age of 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 743 

twenty-two years. In 1894 he engaged in the Hvery Ijusiness in Effingham 
and continued operating the same until 1898, when he sold out and sjient 
one year cultivating the home farm. After his marriage in 1898, he removed 
to the Noffsinger farm, east of Effingham, and managed it for six years, re- 
turning to Effingham in 1905. While on the farm he became interested in 
the buying and selling of live stock, and since taking up a permanent residence 
in Effingham, he has devoted his entire time and attention to this business 
with signal success. His live stock dealings embrace the purchase and ship- 
ment of over seventy-five carloads of stock yearly, which is no inconsiderable 
item and involves transactions requiring capital of several thousands of dol- 
lars. He is also interested in real estate and farm lands and has made several 
profitable deals in this line. Mr. Tucker owns one of the best residences in 
Effingiiam and is the owner of some town lots. 

He was married in 1898 to Miss Maude Noffsinger, who was born and 
reared on a farm, four miles southeast of Effingham, a daug"hter of Peter 
and Margaret Noffsinger, residing on their home place, east of Effingham. 
Both Peter and Margaret Noffsinger are deceased, Mrs. Noffsinger dying 
in September, 191 5. Mr. and Mrs. T. W. Tucker are the parents of two chil- 
dren: Ramona, aged fifteen years, and Maurice, aged eleven. 

Mr. Tucker is a Republican in politics and is prominent in the affairs of 
his party, at present being the central committeeman of the Effingham pre- 
cinct, being a part of the county organization. He and his family are mem- 
bers of the Christian, cliurch. He is fraternally affiliated with tlie Ancient 
Free and Accepted Masons, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the 
Modern Woodmen, and the Knights and Ladies of Securitv. 



J. F. FLYNN. 



J. F. Flynn, farmer, resides on the old Flynn homestead in Mt. Pleasant 
township, Atchison county, of which he is the owner and upon which his 
father settled in March, 1835. Mr. Flynn was born on this farm, October 8. 
1855, and has lived all of his sixty years of life on the place. During this lime 
he has simply grown up with Atchison county, and his earliest recollections 
were of tlie \ast stretches of prairie in .Vtchison county, which were awaiting 
the homesteaders and settlers who have since transformed the unpeopled wil- 
derness into a land of homes and plenty. His fatlier was Jeremiah FIvnn, who 



744 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

was bom in County Cork, Ireland, and left his native land wlicn a young man 
and immigrated to America, locating after a time in Kentucky, where he met 
Julia Sullivan, who was born in his own native county in Ireland. The ac- 
quaintance ripened into love and culminated in their marriage at Frankfort, 
Ky., September 24, 1854. In March. 1855. they came to Kansas and set- 
tled on a tract of part prairie and part timber in Mt. Pleasant township where 
both lived and died. 

J. F. Flynn was the first born of ten cliildren of Jeremiah and Julia 
Fh-nn. He received a common school education, supplemented with a course 
in bookkeeping at St. Patrick's common school, district Xo. 14. after which 
he settled down to farming the home place, coming into possession of the 
homestead by inheritance and purchase after his father's demise. For sev- 
eral years he was a successful fruit grower, but of late has devoted all of 
his time and activities to general farming. 

Mr. Flynn was married March 31, 1880. to Mary Desmond, of Missouri, 
and to this union have been born five children : Kathrine, wife of John Beg- 
ley, of Kansas City, Kan. ; John E., at home, assisting his father in the farm 
work; Joseph J., in Kansas City. Mo.: Julia and Mary, at home with their 
parents. 

Mr. Flynn is a Democrat in national politics, but is inclined to be an in- 
dependent voter who votes for the best man who seems- qualified for the 
office regardless of his political affiliations. He and all of his family are 
members of the Catholic church, which was the faith of. his parents. 



ERNEST C. HAZEL. 



Industry and effort are generally rewarded. The successful man is us- 
ually found filling the nitch for which he was designed. It affords some satis- 
faction to chronicle the facts in the life of a self-made man wlio has won an 
enviable place in the commercial and manufacturing life in his home city. 
Ernest C. Hazel, vice-president and general manager of the Lockwood-Hazel 
Printing and Stationery Company, of Atchison, has achieved his position by 
industrious application of talents wliich have enabled him to rise above the 
mediocre and general station of the average man. Consideralile credit is due 
him for having been a potent factor in building up the extensive business 
w hich his firm .enjoys. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 745 

The Lockwood-Hazel Printing- and Statiunery Cr)m|)an\- was estalilished 
in 1912. It originated as the Trade Printing Company in 1903. Tliis was 
a small concern but grew constantly until the business reached its iiresenl pro- 
portions. The business is housed in the handsome new Masonic Temple on 
Fifth and Kansas avenues, and occupies the first floor and jjasement of the 
building. The arrangements and equipment are the most modern which can 
be obtained and are especially adapted for a high grade quality of i)rinting 
which this firm turns out. The greatest progress of the firm has been made 
since its organization as the Lockwood-Hazel Co.. in IQ12. The firm is 
composed of C. A. Lockwood, president and treasurer, and E. C. Hazel, sec- 
retary and general manager. The firm manufactures blank books and does 
general printing of the highest grade. The line of printing includes county 
and bank supplies, loose leaf systems, and embossed stationery. They supply 
leading banks with their outfits and deal extensively in wood and steel office 
furniture and equipments, and also vault accessories. C. A. Rowe is manager 
of the sales department which employs three traveling salesmen and the finn 
conducts a large mail order business in eight states. So excellent is the 
product turned out and so fair is the treatment accorded a patron that a first 
order supplied by this enterprising establishment leads to constant repetitions 
from the purchaser when in need of supplies of the character furnished. 

Ernest C. Hazel was born March 30, 1875 in Newman, 111. His parents 
were Thomas and Lydia (Kinney) Hazel, natives of Virginia and Ohio, 
respectively. Thomas Hazel was born in Page county, Virginia, a son of 
Richard and Elizabeth Hazel. He was a veteran of the I'nion arnu', and 
served his country faithfully during the Civil war in Company E, of the 
Twelfth regiment, Illinois infantry. He served for two years under General 
Grant and was under General Sherman's command for two years and six 
months. His first engagements were at Ft. Elenry and i'"t. Donelson. lie 
fought in the battles of the Wilderness, Lookout Mountain. Mission Ridge, 
Siege of \'icksburg. and was with Sherman on his victorious march from At- 
lanta to the sea. He enli.sted at Springfield, 111., at the first call for volun- 
teers and served until the end of the war. To the end of his days he was a 
member of the Grand Army of the Republic. A brother, John, also fought in 
the Union army and like many other southern families it w-as a house dixicled 
against itself and iJiree Ijrothers. Richard, llenjamin and W'llHam. fought 
on the side of the confederacy. Lydia Hazel was l;orn in Muskingum count\. 
Ohio, and w^as the daughter of Thomas C. and Levina Kinnev. 

In 1876 the family emigrated from New-man, III, and settled on a farm 
near Pawnee Rock, Kan., which the father had lioniesteaded. .\fter s])eiid- 



746 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

ing some years in developing the farm Thomas Hazel removed to Missouri, 
from where he came to Atchison in the year 1888. Here he lived a retired 
life, dying November 19, 1904, at the age of sixty-seven years. Mrs. Lydia 
Hazel resides with her daughter in Leavenworth, Kan. The Hazels are 
descendants from a fine old Virginian family and their ancestry traces back 
to the colonial days. 

To Lydia and Thomas Hazel were born six children, as follows : Mrs. 
Elnora Allen, of Atchison ; Mrs. Ida Stucker, of Leavenworth ; Marion Hazel, 
of Leavenworth ; Ernest C. Hazel, of Atchison. Two children died in infancy. 

Ernest C. Hazel was educated in the public schools of Atchison and 
learned the trade of bookbinding with Mr. Caldwell, beginning at the age of 
fourteen years. After serv'ing an apprenticeship of three years, he was em- 
ployed by the Haskell Show Printing Company. This concern was succeeded 
by the Home Printing Company, and he was employed by them until 1901. 
For a period of two years he was a traveling salesman for the \\'estern Paper 
Company. In 1903 he entered the employ of the Trade Printing Company, 
which was succeeded by the present firm in 1912. He purchased an interest 
in the firm in 190S 

The married life of JNIr. Hazel has been a happy one, and has been in 
keeping with his success in the business world. He was married March 30, 
1897, to !Mary Elizabeth Semple, of Atchison, a daugliter of Andrew and Jen- 
nie Semple. both of whom were natives of Glasgow, Scotland. Andrew 
Semple was one of the pioneer contractors of Atchison. His last contract was 
the Atchison county court house. Mr. Semple is deceased and his widow still 
resides in Atchison. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Hazel have been born five children, namely : 
Ernest C, Jr., seventeen years of age, and a student of Midland College: Rob- 
ert R., fourteen years of age, and also a student at Midland College; Con- 
stance Marie, who died in infancy; Kenneth C-, nine years of age, a pupil in 
the public schools, and Neola Christine, aged five years. 

Mr. Hazel finds time in the midst of his busy life to give considerable at- 
tention to civil and social affairs and is an active member of the Christian 
church of Atchison, in which thriving religious institution he and his wife 
are warmly appreciated for their good qualities. He is a Rei)ul)lican in pnli- 
tics, and is fraternally affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, 
the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and the Fraternal Aid Union, and 
also the United Commercial Travelers. Pronounced ability, combined with 
an engaging personality, have won him this high place in his liome city. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 747 

ALEXANDER H. CALVERT. 

Alexander H. Calvert, lumber and grain dealer, Muscotah, Kan., was 
born on his father's farm in Platte county, Missouri. He is a son of 
Warren Calvert, a native of Kentucky, whose ancestors were among the ear- 
liest settlers in America. It is a matter of tradition that lie was a descendant 
of the original Lord Baltimore, or Cecil Calvert, who founded the .State of 
Maryland, in the seventeenth century. The father of Warren Calvert was 
a pioneer settler in Kentucky and was the owner of a large plantation. War- 
ren Calvert was born in 1815 and died in 1875. With his wife, Lucy Calvert, 
he migrated from Kentucky, accompanied by his retinue of slaves, to form 
a part of the Kentucky colony which settled Platte county, Missouri, in 1835. 
He was one of the original settlers in Platte county, and operated a large 
tract of land. He and his wife, Lucy, reared a family of nine children, 
namely: Presley Hawkins, a retired farmer of Muscotah; James Harvey, de- 
ceased banker of Muscotah, who was a soldier in the Confederate army : Mrs. 
Anne May Buford, deceased ; John Hawkins, who died on his farm near Ar- 
rington in 1910; Ambrose Owens, living in California, near Los Angeles; 
Mrs. Ella (Burt) Jackson, died in 1903. 

A. H. Calvert came to Kansas in the spring of 1878 and settled on a 
farm south of Muscotah in Atchison county. Three brothers came at this 
time, Presley H., James H. and himself. For a number of years Mr. Calvert 
rented land in Kapioma township and then purchased the farm of 220 acres, 
which he owns. He rented land for over fifteen years and then began to 
buy land. His first farm of 135 acres was purchased in 1903, and he has 
continued to invest heavily in farm lands in the vicinity of Muscotah until 
he is now tlie owner of 700 acres, besides a small tract in Leavenworth 
county, Kansas. 

Mr. Calvert resided on his farm until 1897 and then removed to Musco- 
tah where he engaged in the lumber business under the firm name of Calvert 
& Sharp. This partnership continued until 1902 when he purchased his 
partner's interest in the business, which he has since operated. In November 
of 1905 he formed a partnership with M. E. Bevin, of Muscotah, and they 
purchased the grain elevator and engaged in the buying and shipping of 
grain. This firm also does an extensive live stock business, buying and ship- 
ping several carloads of live stock during each year. In addition to his exten- 
sive business affairs, Mr. Calvert is a stockholder in the Muscotah State 
Bank. 



748 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

His first marriage was with Miss Nora Rice in 1881. Two children 
(twins) were born of this union, namely: Ella, wife of Will Warren, of Mus- 
cotah, who served for seventeen years as assistant cashier of the Muscotah 
State Bank; Alma, a highly educated lady who studied in the Camden Point 
Young Ladies' Seminary, the Emporia Nonnal College, and received her 
degree of Bachelor of Arts from Washburn College, at Topeka, now a 
teacher of mathematics in the Atchison city high school. The mother of 
these children was a daughter of D. Rice, a native of Illinois, and a pioneer 
settler of Atchison county. She died in 1883, at the age of twenty-six years. 
In 1889 Mr. Calvert was united in marriage with Miss Hattie Burt, of Platte 
county, Missouri, a daughter of John Burt, who came from Indiana to Platte 
county. Three children have been born to this marriage : George, conduct- 
ing a garage at Effingham, Kan : Marguerite, aged twenty-one years, a 
teacher, at present studying in Washburn College; Charles Cecil, aged fif- 
teen years, a student in the Atchison County High School. 

Mr. Calvert is an old-line Democrat and takes considerable interest in 
local and county political matters. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen 
and the Knights and Ladies of Security. A man of good education and at- 
tainments, he has succeeded in making his own way in the world and has risen 
from comparative poverty to become one of the substantial and best known 
citizens of the countv. 



JOHN STODDARD. 



John Stoddard, a late resident of Muscotah. was born in Allegheny 
county, Pennsylvania, in 1833, and departed this life February 18. 1901. He 
was the son of Robert and Margaret (Jordan) Stoddard. On the Stoddard 
side of the family the lineage is Scotch-Irish. John Stoddard grew to young 
manhood on the Pennsylvania farm, and received a good common school edu- 
cation in his youth, \\nien twenty years of age, fired by the stories of the 
riches being obtained in the gold fields of California, he boarded a vessel in 
New York harbor. It carried him to Aspenwall, on the east coast of the 
Isthmus, which he crossed on mule back. Fie then Ixiarded • the vessel. 
"Golden Rule," which carried him to San Francisco, Cal., from which city 
he journeyed to Sacramento, where he equipped himself with a prospecting 
outfit, and for ten years followed the trail of the elusive metal. He spent 
this time in various mining campaigns and prospecting for gold. He returned 
home by re-tracing the same route which he had traveled on his way to Call- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 749 

fornia, and arrived in Pennsylvania, not rich, but with considerable gold in 
his possession, and the remembrances of a wonderful experience. 

Soon after his return to his Pennsylvania home he remoxed to Iowa and 
purchased a fami. and was married there in 1869, after which he lived five 
)^ears on his first farm in Iowa, and then moved to another farm, on which 
he resided for seven }ears. In 1881 he came to JMuscotah, Kan., and invested 
in 320 acres of land near that city. Mr. Stoddard looked after his farming 
interests and lived a retired life while in Muscotah, and died there in 1901. 
Mr. Stoddard w^s married October 26, 1869, to Miss Martha Piggott, a 
native of Harrison county, Ohio, and a. daughter of Israel and Liddie (Good- 
win) Piggott, the former a native of Belmont county, Ohio, and the latter a 
native of Westchester, Pa. The Piggott familv originally came fmni 
Virginia, where the founder of the family in America settled in early 
colonial da3'S. Israel P. was an early settler in Iowa. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Stoddard were bom four children : Grace, the wife of Dr. J. O. Ward, Mor- 
ton, Kan. ; Gay, a railway mail clerk, Los Angeles, Gal. ; Alice V.. the wife 
of J. C. Thurman, Los Angeles, Cal. ; Eva, wife of Carl Young, of Kansas 
City. Guy Stoddard, the son, who is located at Los Angeles, Cal, is a bright 
young man of more than ordinary ability. After completing the course of 
study in the public schools of Aluscotah, he graduated from the Atchison 
County High School at Effingham. Later, he attended college for a while. 
After completing his education he became the owner and editor of the Mits- 
cofah Record. The newspaper gained a wide prestige and was prosperous. 
After his marriage to Miss Pearl Knox, of Muscotah, he and his wife re- 
moved to Los Angeles, where he I'ccame a member of the reportorial staff 
of the Los Angeles Times. Lie later entered the Cnited States railway mail 
service at Los Angeles. Jdhn Stoddard, the subject of this review, was a 
Democrat during the latter years of his life, and served two terms as mayor 
of Muscotah. Mrs. Stoddard is a member of tlie Congregational church of 
Muscotah, and spends a portion of her time each year in California. 



AARON B. EVANS. 



Aaron B. Evans, pioneer auctioneer and livery proprietor, of Muscotah, 
.'\tcliison county, w'as born .\pril 16, 1857, in Union county, Tennessee. He 
was a son of George W. and Orlena (Wolfenbarger) Evans. His mother 
was a native of Granger county. Tennes.see, and was of German extraction. 



750 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

George W. Evans, the father, was the owner of a large farm on the south 
side of CHnch river, in Union county, Tennessee, just opposite the old home 
of the Vansell family. A. B. Evans and M. C. Vansell, of Grasshopper town- 
ship, were boys and play-mates together in Tennessee, and are first cousins. 
Like most boys living in tlie South, during that period, and in the time of the 
Civil war, their early education was sadly neglected. In fact, during the war 
the school system of Tennessee was entirely destroyed. When Aaron B. 
Evans was twenty years of age he left home and came direct to Kansas. He 
had no means wherewith to pa}^ his transportation, and borrowed sufficient 
money from a neighbor to pay his railroad fare to Atchison. When he 
arrived at Atchison he had no money with which to pay for a meal or hotel 
accommodation. He and M. C. Vansell, who accompanied him on the trip, 
walked from Atchison to Kennekuk, where they stopped at the home of their 
uncle, M. C. Willis, for a few days. 

Mr. Evans' first employment in Kansas was on the farm of Dave Moore, 
located three and one-half miles northeast of Kennekuk, in Atchison county. 
He worked for various farmers in the county until he saved sufficient money 
to buy his first farm. For two years previous to his marriage, in 1881, he 
was in the employ of George Storch, who at that time was engaged in the 
general mercantile business at Muscotah, Kan. In 1881 Mr. Evans moved 
to a farm three miles northeast of Kennekuk, where he resided for three 
years, and was very successful in his farming operations. He then bought 
ninety-six acres of land near Kennekuk, w'hich he cultivated for two years, 
when he sold it at a good profit. After selling his first farm he moved to 
a rented fann west of Muscotah, which he operated for one year, and in- 
vested in partnership with M. C. Vansell, and divided the land in a quarter 
section of raw prairie land, three miles northwest of Muscotah. He erected 
improvements on this farm and resided upon it for eighteen years. He sold 
his farm in 1901. and in May of the same year invested in a livery bam, and 
also entered upon his career of auctioneer, which he has followed since that 
time with considerable success. Mr. Evans also maintains a breeding stable, 
for the equipment of which he went to Lexington. Ky., in 1906 and pur- 
chased the best jack to be had in the Lexington market, and shipped him to 
Muscotah. This animal is the first high class jack ever brought to this sec- 
tion of Kansas. During this same year Mr. Evans also bought a pure bred 
black Percheron stallion, which he lost during the first year of his owner- 
ship. At the present time the Evans barn stands two high class jacks and one 
pure bred grey Percheron stallion. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 75 I 

On January 27, 1881, Mr. Evans was united in marriage witli Recy 
Tannyhill, who was born in Marion county, Ohio, a daughter of VViHiam and 
Nancy Tannyhill, both of whom were natives of the Buckeye State, and emi- 
grated to Kansas when Mrs. Evans was but eight years of age, and set- 
tled on a farm in Grasshopper township, Atchison county. Mr. and Mrs. 
Evans are the parents of seven children : Elizabeth, the wife of J. L. Morgan, 
St. Joseph, Mo. ; William George, a farmer. Grasshopper township ; Fred, 
who is associated with his father in the liven,'^ business; Orlena, the wife of 
Bert Annis, Chicago, 111. ; Nannie, living in Des Moines, Iowa ; Nora, St. 
Joseph, Mo., and Frank, at home. 

Mr. and Mrs. Evans are members of the Christian Ad\ent church of 
Muscotah. He is a stanch and true Republican of the uncompromising 
variety, and has been one of the political leaders of his section of Atchison 
county for many years, serving as delegate several times to the Republican 
county conventions. He has always been an advocate of educational advance- 
ment, and has offered his children every opportunity to acquire a good com- 
mon school education. He was one of the pioneers in the auctioneering pro- 
fession in Atchison county, and was the second man to enter the business of 
crying sales. 



RALPH A. ALLISON. 



Ralph A. Allison, the capable, efficient and obliging cashier of the 
Muscotah State Bank, was born and reared in the town where he resides. 
He was born July i, i88g. at Muscotah, Kan., a son of Webster C. and 
Irene (Alexander) Allison, the foiTner a native of Illinois, and the latter of 
Wisconsin. Webster C. Allison was born in 1861 on his father's farm in 
Illinois, and was the son of John Allison, who was born and reared in Penn- 
sylvania, and immigrated to Illinois in the pioneer days of that State. Webster 
C. Allison attended the district schools of bis native State, and assisted his 
father on the home farm until he was eighteen years of age. He then came 
to Kansas, where his first employment was on a farm west of Muscotah, 
owned and operated by A. B. Harvey. He worked for Mr. Harvey for one 
year, and then went to Jackson county, Kan., where he broke up and de- 
veloped a tract of prairie land which he purchased. He improved his farm 
and cultivated it with profit until 1888. when he came to ^Juscotah 
and established a hardware store which he conducted successfully for twentv- 



•JZ,2 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

five years. In 1913 Mr. Allison disposed of his interests in Muscotah, and 
removed to Horton, Kan., where he is now conducting a iiardware and im- 
plement business. 

To Webster C. and Irene Allison were born the following children: 
Lola, wife of Luther Cortelyou, assistant cashier of the First National Bank 
of Parsons, Kan. : Minnie, vAie. of Charles Hail, an oil operator, LeRoy, 
Kan.: Jennie, wife of William McClennon. Owasa, Iowa: Ralph A., with 
whom this review is directly concerned. Ralph A. received his primary edu- 
cation in the public schools of Muscotah, after which he completed a course 
in the Atchison County High School at Effingham, from which institution he 
graduated in 1907. For one year follo\\-ing his graduation he served as 
stenographer for a wholesale fruit company, and then entered his father's 
hardware store in Muscotah, where he remained until the stock was sold in 
1913. In 1914 he became manager of the Farmers Elevator Company of 
Muscotah. He became cashier of the Muscotah State Bank July i, 1914, 
and is filling this responsible position to the satisfaction of the bank patrons, 
and in a manner which" reflects credit upon himself and the bank's officials 
and stockholders. Mr. Allison was married in April, 191 2, to Miss Ella 
Ellson, who was born in Muscotah, a daughter of Charles Ellson, proprietor 
of the local meat market. Mr. and Mrs. R. A. .Mlison are the parents of one 
daughter, Priscilla, born April 17, 1913. 

Mr. Allison is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church. He is affiliated with the Ancient I'ree and Accepted 
Masons and the Modern Woodmen of America. 



FRED SUTTER. 



Fred Sutter, president of the Farmers and Merchants State Bank of 
Effingham, is a native son of Atchison county and prominently identified with 
the affairs of his county. Mr. Sutter is rightly considered as one of the 
real leaders of the county, and it can lie said of him that he has met with 
unusual success in anything which he has undertaken. To him and his in- 
fluence, more than any other individual, the farmers of the county are in- 
debted for the inauguration of a skilled county farm expert. Kindred things 
of this character in belialf of the welfare of the county have been Mr. Sutter's 
linbbv for several vears past. 




SS>; 



^ 




HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



753 



Fred Sutter was Ijorn July 20, 1869, on a pioneer farm in Walnut 
township, and is a son of Fred Sutter, who was born in Bath, Germany, in 
1827, and immigrated to America about 1844, and died in Atchison county 
in September of 1887. Fred Sutter, Sr., landed at New York City and made 
his way from there to St. Louis, Mo., where he married Fredericka Miller, 
who was born at Bath, Germany, September 23. 1837. She died in Atchison 
county September 10, 1914. The elder Sutter had learned the trade of car- 
penter in his youth and he plied his trade in St. Louis until 1857, when he 
came up the ^Missouri river by steamer to old Sumner, then in the heyday of 
its brief glory and prosperity. He found plenty to occupy his talents at Sum- 
ner and helped to build a great many of the first houses ther It might be 
well to add here, however, that the first home of the famib. a Kansas was 
at old Port \\'illiam, where one or two of the children were boi i. From Port 




^ 



Fred Sutter's Residence. 



William the family removed to Sumner, and in the course of time Fred Sutter, 
Sr., made his home on a farm in the northwestern part of Walnut township, 
near the Mt. Pleasant and Walnut line. The family lived there until the 
spring of i88c, during which time he worked at his trade. !n 188c he moved 
to Benton township, and for the first seven years of his residence there he 
rented the A. G. Otis farm, about two miles west of Effingham and then 
purchased the farm. The next investment was made by his sons in the Os- 
born tract of 480 acres of school land. Two years after buying this an addi- 
tional quarter section was added, making 640 acres in all, which was owned 
by this enterprising family. During all these vears in which he was nccumu- 
48 



754 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

lating valual)le farm lands, the elder Sutter had the assistance of his sons, and 
the greater part of the estate is still tilled and owned by the children of this 
pioneer. Fred Sutter, Sr., came to this country a poor man and worked in a 
planing mill and furniture factory at St. Louis until he heard of the opening 
of the Kansas territory, when he determined to be one of the first to settle in 
the new State. He was farseeing, and by the practice of rigid economy and 
the better plan of holding his family together, was able to leave a C(jnsiderable 
estate at his demise. He was an honored and respected member of the com- 
munity and was well known throughout the county. The children born to 
Frederick and Fredericka Sutter were as follows : Kate, deceased wife of H. 
W. Barkow, of the Kessler-Barkow Saddlery Company, of Atchison; Mrs. 
Augusta McAdam, of Effingham ; Fannie, housekeeper for her brother, 
William, who resides on the old home place ; Mrs. Anna Shannon, of Effing- 
ham; Carl F., of Kipp, Kan.: ^Vil]iam and Fred, and Frank, on a farm one- 
half mile west of Effmgham. 

Fred Sutter, with whom this review is directly concerned, received his 
education in the district schools, and for three years after his father's death 
Hved on the home place, or until 1S90. He settled on part of the family estate, 
consisting of 640 acres held jointly by the Sutter sons, improving the property 
until his removal to Effingham, where he resided for three years, and then 
purchased his present farm, which is just at the edge of Effingham. He has 
160 acres of fine land within sight of the town upon which he has erected 
(\n iQog) one of the handsomest, modern ten-room farm houses in tlie county. 
He also built a new barn, 40x40 feet, which is in keeping with the rest of his 
farm property. 

Mr. Sutter was married May 20, 1908, to Sarah, daughter of Robert 
McPhilimv, and to this union have been born the following children : Mabel, 
aged five years, and Geneva, aged three years. He has been connected with 
the Farmers and Merchants State Bank since 1905 and was elected president 
of this thriving financial institution in 1906. Mr. Sutter is a Republican and 
is one of the wheel horses of the party in Atchison county. He was appointed 
a member of the Atchison County High School board in September of 191 3, 
reelected to the office in the fall of 1914 and is now sending as treasurer of 
this board. He is a member and trustee of the Presbyterian church of Effing- 
ham and is a liberal contributor to tlie support of this rehgious denomination. 
He is affiliated fraternally with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the 
Benevolent and Protected Order of Elks of Atchison, and the Central Pro- 
tective Association, being one of the original members of Effingham Lodge, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



/05 



No. 158, Central Protective Association, and has been its treasurer for the past 
four years. 

While Mr. Sutter is connected with the Presbyterian church of Effing- 
ham, his ideal of a church for a small town is the community church which 
can be used by the entire population of the town for public and social pur- 
poses. To this end he was the prime mover in the erection of the handsome 
Presbyterian church building in Effingham, at a cost of $14,000, which was 
dedicated in June, 1913. This church building is used for many public pur- 
poses and has been a decided benefit to Effingham in many ways. Mr. Sutter 
started the movement for the building of this church and headed the subscrip- 
tion list, never desisting in his work until the church was erected and dedi- 
cated. Another monument to his enterprise is the farmers' institute, with 
which he was connected for five years and assisted materially in organizing. 
His energy and influence kept the institute going in fine shape for the five 
years with which he was connected with the movement. Mr. Sutter has a 
likable personality and is one of the forceful and influential men of .Vtchi- 
son county. 



EDMOND W. ALLEN. 



Edmond \V. Allen, merchant, of Muscotah, Kan., is a leading and suc- 
cessful retailer of his city, and one of the hustling citizens of Muscotah. The 
grocery and meat market of which Mr. Allen is proprietor was first estab- 
lished by Jacob P. Sprang, with whom Mr. Allen liecamc a partner in 1902. 
He became the sole owner of the business in igio. Allen's store is nicely 
located in one of the large business rooms, 80x25 feet in extent, on 
the main street of Muscotah, supplemented with an ice house and a 
ware house for feed and flour. In addition to conducting the grocery and 
meat market, Mr. Allen is a retailer of ice and conducts a produce exchange, 
whicli enal>led him to shi]) eggs and poultry in considera1)lc (|uantit\- tn dis- 
tant markets. 

Edmond W. Allen was born January 29, 1868, on a farm adjoining the 
present county farm on tlie northwest comer, consisting of eighty acres, in Mt. 
Pleasant township, Atchison county. He was the son of M. L. Dunlap and 
.•\manda (Walker) Allen, natives of Kentucky. Amanda (Walker) Allen 
was the daughter of Philip Walker, who immigrated to Kansas from Ken- 
tucky, settled on the prairies of .Atchison county, but later moved to Missouri. 



756 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

M. L. Dunlap Allen moved froin Kentucky to Missouri, and came from that 
State to Atchison county, Kansas, in 1863. He purchased the farm of 130 
acres on which he erected a small house, built out of native sawed lumber. 
In this liouFC of two moms se\eral of his children were born, and as the 
family increased in size, he added four rooms to the residence. He was born 
in 1830, and died in March, 1886. He was the father of eight children, as 
follows : Mrs. Francis J. Bucknum. of Oklahoma City ; Emily, deceased : 
William H., living at Saugatuck, Mich. ; Robert M.. former traveling sales- 
man, who died at Holdredge, Xelx, in 1913: Edmond W.. the subject of this 
review : Mrs. Etta M. Hubbard, living in Michigan ; Mrs. Addie Myrtle Latta. 
of Oklahoma City, and Dudley M., deceased. The mother of these children 
died in 188 1. The senior Allen was again married in 1S83 to Ruth l^obinson, 
who now resides in Wyandotte county, near the town of Piper. One child, 
Ethel, was born of this marriage. 

Edmond W. Allen was reared on the pioneer farm of his father's, near 
Atchison, Kan., and received his primar}'^ education in the district schools of 
his neighborhood, and completed his schooling at Bcloit. Kan. When his 
father died, in 1886. William H. Allen, the oldest son. was appointed admin- 
istrator of the estate, and guardian of the minor children. He removed all 
of them to his home at Beloit, where he was' engaged in the implement busi- 
ness. This was done in order that William might properly care for the 
younger children and look after their education. Edmond W., after finishing 
his schooling, was employed for two years in his brother's store at Beloit, 
following which he worked for one year in a grocery store and meat market 
in Kansas City, Kan... owned by Robert Robinson. His brother, William H., 
in the meantime, sold out his stock in Beloit and removed to Hoxie, Kan., and 
was emploA'ed in a bank for a year and one-half. Financial disaster overtook 
the bank, and he then spent one year in Kansas City, Kan., after which, in 
1891. he went to western Nebraska and entered the employ of Harris Bros., 
a firm of grain dealers with headquarters in Lincoln, Neb. Mr. Allen was 
located in the towns of Stamford. Lebanon, and Republican City, Neb., 
in the employ of Harris Bros, and was then transferred to the main office of 
the firm of Lincoln, Neb., where he remained until 1893. From 1893 to 1895, 
he was in the employ of Hathaway & Williams, fire insurance agents, of Lin- 
coln, and when this firm sold out he traveled for a period of six months in 
the interests of an Omaha fire insurance company. After his marriage, in 
1895. he resided in Michigan for one year, and in 1896 he again entered the 
cnijilov of the Harris Bros. Grain Company, which firm was later incor- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



T:>7 



porated as the Central Granaries, a very rich corporation. He remained with 
this concern until 1898, when he entered the employ of the McCormick 
Harvester Company as bookkeeper, with headquarters at Lincoln, Neb. He 
was in the employ of the McComiick people until 1903. In the meantime he 
had formed a partnership with his father-in-law, Jacob P. Sprang, in the gro- 
cery and meat market business in ^Nluscotah, where Air. Allen has resided per- 
manently since 1903. 

Edmond W. Allen was married in 1895 to Miss Lucie Sprang, and their 
children are as follows : L^na L., born in 1896, and is a senior in the fine arts 
and music department of Kansas University. Miss Una is a teacher of piano 
and violin, and has a large class of pupils. Mrs. Allen was born on a farm 
in Benton township, Atchison county, five miles south of Effingham, and is 
a daughter of Jacob P. Sprang, who built up a fine fann in .\tchison county, 
and established the business which is now owned by Mr. Allen. While Mr. 
Allen is a RepuUican, he votes independentlv on local and county matters. 
He was fomierl}- a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, but since 
coming to Muscotah has united with the Congregational church of this place. 
He is a member of the Knights and Ladies of Security. 



LUTHER CORTELYOU. 



For a citizen of a small Kansas city to achieve State-wide prominence, 
and to become the official head of the body of mercantile men' with whom 
he became affiliated during a long and successful career, is somewhat out of 
the ordinary, and is decided evidence that the recipient of such honors has 
. received them solely because of pronounced ability of a high order. For sev- 
eral years. Luther Cortelyou, farmer, grain merchant, and banker, of Mus- 
cotah, Kan., was the recognized leader among the grain men of Kansas, 
attaining to his position by virtue of executive ability and powers of leader- 
ship. He is one of the first and best known citizens of Muscotah and .\tchi- 
son county, who for more than twenty-seven years has been active in civic 
affairs in the count}'. 

Luther Cortelyou was born December 23, 185 1, in Somerset county, 
New Jersey, and is a son of James G. and Cornelia (Polhemus) Cortelyou. 
James Garretson Cortelyou. the father, was the son of Abraham Cortelyou, 
who was descended from French Hugenot colonists, who first settled on Long 
Island in 1624. The original ancestor of the family fled from h'rance to a 



758 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

safe refuge in Holland during- the persecution of the Huguenots in France. 
Jaques Cortelyou was the founder of the family in America and was prom- 
inent in the affairs of the colony on Long Island. His son. Peter, was a 
governor of the borough in which is now located Brooklyn. The descendants 
of Jaques Cortelyou figured in Revolutionary' historj'. 

James G. was reared in New Jersey, and there married Cornelia, a daugh- 
ter of C. Polhemus, also of an old Holland family. He was the father of 
three children : John Gardner, deceased ; Luther, of this review ; and Peter J., 
now deceased, fomierly a resident of Corning. Nemaha county, Kansas. The 
father died in Middlesex county, New Jersey. 

Luther Cortelyou was reared to young manhood on his father's farm, 
and received his primar\' education in the public schools of Somerset county, 
New Jersey. He received his academic education in Rutgers College, a 
Dutch Reformed college, at New Brunswick, N. J., and then attended East- 
man's Business College, at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. After his marriage he re- 
moved to Mar}dand, where he lived on a farm which he purchased and cul- 
tivated for twelve years. In 1889 Mr. Cortelyou sold his Maryland prop- 
erty and came to Kansas and located in Muscotah, Atchison county. He 
invested his capital in the M. J. Walsh grain elevator, and for eighteen years 
was engaged in the buying and shipping of grain. He extended his opera- 
tions, and owned an ele\ator at Corning, Kan., which he sold in 1909. 
Mr. Cortelyou amassed a considerable competence during the many years 
in which he was engaged in the grain business, and became prominent in 
mercantile circles in the State of Kansas. For seven years he served as presi- 
dent of the Kansas Grain Dealers' Association, and gained a wide 'acquain- 
tance among grain dealers throughout the State and Nation. He served for 
one year as second vice-president of the National Grain Dealers' Association, 
and also filled the post of first vice-president of the national body for one 
year. He disposed of his elevator in Muscotah in 1907, and has since retired 
from active business pursuits other than his farming and banking interests. 
Mr. Cortelyou is the o\\'tier of a fine farm of 250 acres in Grasshopper town- 
ship, and was one of the organizers of the Farmers State Bank of Muscotah, 
of which thriving institution he is the president. 

Mr. Cortelyou was first married in New Jersey in 1876 to Miss Ger- 
trude Stelle, of Middlesex county. New Jersey, and this union was blessed 
with four children, namely: Luther, Jr., assistant cashier of the First National 
Bank at Parsons. Kan., married Miss Lola .\llison. a daughter of Webb .Mli- 
son, of Nortonville, Kan. ; Stelle, foitnerly an engineer in the United States 
Government service, died in Panama of yellow fever, in 1905, at the age of 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUXTY 759 

twenty-two, having been the last victim to die from yellow fever on the Isth- 
mus; Peter J., postmaster of Muscotah; Frank Morgan, born in 1886, a tal- 
ented engineer, who was graduated from Kansas University engineering de- 
partment, and is connected with the engineering firm of Waddell & Harring- 
ton, of Kansas City, Mo., and is now located in Vancouver, Wash., in charge 
of the construction of an immense bridge across the Columbia river, costing 
$1,750,000; this bridge connects Vancouver, Wash., and Portland, Ore., and 
is a link in the Pacific highway. It has twenty-nine steel-spans, and is over 
17.200 feet in length. The largest dredges and pile-dri\ing machinery in the 
world are required in its construction. The permanent roadway of this great 
structure is thirty-five feet wide with sidewalks five feet in width. Frank M. 
married Miss Marney Burney, of Green Forest, Ark. The mother of these 
children was born March 19, 1856, in New Jersey, a daughter of Peter and 
Sarah J. Stelle, and she departed this life February 5, 1905. Mr. Cortelyou 
was again married to Mrs. Alice T. Calvert, widow of J. H. Calvert, deceased 
merchant and banker of Muscotah, February 19, 1907. 

The Democratic party has always had the allegiance of Mr. Cortelyou. 
and he has been prominently identified with the affairs of his party in Atch- 
ison county, and was the candidate of his party for county treasurer in 1896. 
He is a warm admirer of President Wilson and a supporter of the President's 
policies. He was elected mayor of Muscotah in April. 1900, and served one 
term, and also has ser\-ed as a member of the school board of Muscotah. 
Mr. Cortelyou is a member of the Congregational churcJi of Muscnt'ih. tn 
which denomination he has been a liberal contributor; he assisted in the Iniild- 
ing of the church edifice, and has served as trustee of the church for several 
years. For the past thirty years or more he has been a member of the Ancient 
Free and Accepted Masons, and he also is affiliated with the Modem 
\\'oodmen. 



WILLIAM S. HUBBARD. 



Living in comfortable retirement in Muscotah is one of the pioneer set- 
tlers of Atchison county, who fought the good fight with grasshoppers and 
hot winds in the old days of hardships on the prairies over forty years ago. 
William S. Hubbard is one of the fine old gentlemen of Muscotah who came 
to Kansas a poor man, has reared a fine family of prosperous sons and daugh- 
ters, and achieved a competence sufficient to support him in comfort during 
his declining vears. 



760 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

^\'. S. Hubbard was born Marcb 10, 1839, on a farm near Cloverdale, 
Putnam county, Indiana, a son of Asa and Melinda (Holland) Hubbard, 
natives of Kentucky, who founded a pioneer home in the forests of Putnam 
county, Indiana. Asa Hubbard, the fatlier. died when .William S. was a 
child, and his mother married \\'. Davis. In 1844 the family moved to Illi- 
nois, where the mother and stepfather died in later years. The Davis farm 
was located in Henry county, Illinois. Here W. S. was reared to young man- 
hood, and knew ver}- few luxuries in those early days of privation and strug- 
gle. After a two years' residence on a farm near Burlington, Iowa, he de- 
cided to come farther west to find a home and fortune where lands were 
cheap and opportunities seemed to be much better than in Illinois. In 1874 
he set out witli his wife and five children to find a home in Atchison covmty, 
Kansas. All of his worldly possessions consisted of a team of horses, a cow, 
and twelve dollars in cash. His first year on a rented farm in Grasshopper 
township was a disastrous one, and the "hoppers" got his crops, even to a fine 
crop of cabbage, which lie harvested and tried to cover up by piling hay upon 
the cabbages to keep the greedy "hoppers" from eating them. Sad to relate, 
the grasshoppers burrowed down through the hay and ate the cabbage. The 
following year was much better, Mr. Hubbard raising a fine crop of corn. 
During his first year he raised a good flax crop which he sold for one dollar 
and forty cents per bushel. He was eventually able to invest in 220 acres of 
rich bottom land, bordering the Delaware river, at a cost of fifteen dollars 
an acre. Mr. Hubbard had saved ."^00 to make the initial payment on this 
tract, and in nine years succeeded in lifting the debt. During the period in 
which he was paying off the indebtedness on his land he was also paying 
interest on the money at the rate of ten per cent, annually. He sold his first 
farm some years after this and invested in the fine tract of seventy-two acres 
which he now owns. On June 12, 1913. he and Mrs. Hubliard decided that 
they had worked long enough, and left the farm for a liome in Muscotah. 

Mr. Hubbard was married January 29, 1861, to Miss Mary Ann Pence, 
a native of Lycoming county, Pennsylvania. Six children have been bom 
to this worthy couple, namely: William Elsworlli, a farmer, of Kapioma 
township, Atchison county, and the owner of 160 acres of well improved fanri 
land; he married Mattie Roth, and they have six children: Lewis Henry Hub- 
bard, a farmer of this county, owner of 160 acres of land; he married Ann 
Hinxton, and they have two children : Lillie Jane, wife of Malcolm Connor, 
residing on a homestead in South Dakota, and thev have three children : Cora 
Mav, wife of Simeon Routh, Atchison countv: thev have six children. The 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 76I 

Other children are deceased. All of Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard's children are 
prosperous and highly respected citizens of their Tespective communities, and 
are a credit and comfort to their aged parents, who are proud of the family. 
Mrs. Hubbard was born December 27, 1839. 

Few people in Atchison county can point to a better record than .Mr. and 
Mrs. Hubbard, or can look back with greater satisfacti(in over long 
years well spent in achieving a livelihood and rearing a fine family to maturity. 
They came to Atchison county at a time when Indians still roamed the prairies,' 
and very little of the prairie land was improved. 

Mr. Hubbard is an old-line Democrat, and, while he has taken an active 
interest in political affairs in his township and county, he has never been an 
aspirant for office, preferring to play the game for the pure love and fun 
of it rather than to become an aspirant for political honors. He and Mrs. 
Hubbard are members of the Second-Dav Adventist cliurch of Muscotah. 



O. O. BARKER, M. D. 



O. O. Barker, M. D., is one of the younger members of the medical pro- 
fession in Atchison county, located at Muscotah, Kan. During the nine -x-ears 
which he has been located in Muscotah, he has built up an excellent practice 
in his profession, and has demonstrated that he has an accurate knowledge of 
the art and science of medicine. Dr. Barker was born ^larch 30, 1885, in the 
town of True. Sumner county, West Virginia. He is a son of J. Lee and 
Anna (Alilburnj Barker, the former having been born in i860, and the latter 
in 1862, in Virginia. Both parents still reside at True, \\'. Va. J. Lee Barker 
was a son of \l. Calloway Barker, also a native of Virginia, and a descendant 
of an old ^^irginia family. The histoiy of the Barker family dates back to the 
birth of Chaplain Barker, of Liverpool, England, who was born in 1750, and 
immigrated to Virginia in 1785. David Barker, a son of Chaplain Barker, dis- 
tiller, in Richmond. \'a. W'illinm Barker, the son of David, was a tanner 
by trade, and had three sons: A\'illiam A., Joseph, and Isaac. Of these sons, 
Joseph was killed by Indians; Isaac lives at Liberty. Va.. and reared the fol- 
lowing children : James M. Calloway. Mary E., A. L.. Thomas J., Francis, and 
Joseph Ci. Thomas J. liarkcr immigrated to Kansas and liecame a wcallhv cit- 
izen of Kansas City, where he died. M. Calloway Barker lived at True, W. 
Va., and reared a familv of twelve children: William .\., who died in the 



762 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Confederate service during the Civil war: Mary E., deceased; R. T., residing 
in Kansas City, Kan.; J. W., deceased; Thomas B.. living near Hinton, W. 
Va. : Tames L., deceased: Dr.Joseph L. ; J. Lee. father of Dr. Barker: David 
ISI.. of Parsons. Kan. ; Francis I. ; Ollie, living at True. W. Va., and Maria, de- 
ceased. T- Lee Barker has alwaj's been a farmer, and has made a success of 
his life's vocation. He is one of the prominent and well known citizens of 
his section of West Virginia, and for several years has ser\-ed as president 
■ of the school board of True, W. Va. He has reared three children : Orus O., 
with whom this review is directly concerned ; Mrs. Grace M. Skaggs, Topeka, 
Kan., and ]\Irs. Nellie B. Deeds, of Hinton. W. Va. 

Dr. Barker received his primary education in the pubhc schools of his 
native town in West Virginia, and then decided to take up the study of medi- 
cine. He studied for two years in the medical department in the University 
of Marj'land, and completed his medical education in the LTniversity of Louis- 
ville. Ky.. from which institution he received his degree of Doctor of 
Medicine in 1906. After his graduation he came to Kansas, visited for a 
few months with an uncle in Kansas City, Kan., and after passing an exam- 
ination given bv the state board of medical examiners of Topeka, he opened 
an office at Muscotah, Kan., October i, 1906. Dr. Barker is a member of 
the Northeast Kansas Medical Society, the Kansas State Medical Associa- 
tion, and the Country Doctors' Business and Social Club. He endeavors 
at all times to keep abreast of the latest advancement in medical science, and 
has built up an excellent practice in Muscotah and the .surrounding countr}-. 
He was married June 2, 1906, to Miss Ethel M. Morton, a daughter of G. W. 
Morton, of Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Barker is a fraternal member of the Knights 
and Ladies of Security, ^lodern Woodmen of -\merica, and ^lystic \\'orkers 
of the World. 



DR. CHARLES M. LUKENS. 

Charles M. Lukens, dentist, Muscotah. Kan., is a fine type of profes- 
sional man who is self-made, and has achieved success in his profession, 
whi(;h is gratifving and worthy of mention in a favorable manner. Dr. 
Lukens was born June 28. 1872, in Harrison county. Ohio, and is a son of 
William Ellis and Margaret ("McLaughlin) Lukens. both of wliom were 
born and reared in Ohio. William Ellis Lukens was torn in 1849, and was 
a son of Moses Lukens, born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, in 1812, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 763 

and was an uncompromising abolitionist. He was an earlv settler of Har- 
rison county, Ohio, where he conducted a station on the famous "Under- 
ground Railway." He lived to a great age, and it is a fact that longevity 
is a characteristic of both the Lukens and the McLaughlin families. The 
Lukens family was of Quaker origin, and the founder of the family in Amer- 
ica was one of the original followers of William Penn. Another character- 
istic of the Lukens family is the fact that a brother of William Ellis Lukens 
was a dentist, and Dr. Lukens has five cousins who are practicing dentistiy. 

William Ellis Lukens migrated to Holt county, Missouri, in 1882, where 
he resided for four years, and in 1S86 he settled in Nemaha county. He was 
one of the early pioneers in Nemaha county, and first engaged in the live 
stock business at Corning, Kan., where he conducted a grain elevator, and 
bought and shipped live stock. He has become well-to-do, and is the owner 
of two large farms in Nemaha and Jackson counties. Mr. and Mrs. Lukens 
now make their home on a farm in Jackson county, Kansas, south of Net- 
awaka. Their children are: Dr. C. M. Lukens, of Muscotah ; Chester W., a 
farmer, living south of Netawaka, and Kinney E.. a farmer, li\ing in the 
northwest corner of Jackson county, Kansas. The mother of these children 
was born in 1850. 

Charles M. Lukens received his primary education in the public schools 
of Corning, Kan., and then decided to work his way through college. His 
ambition was to become a dentist, and for a period of five years he did all 
kinds of honest labor in order to pay for his tuition and expenses while attain- 
ing his collegiate education. He not only earned his way through college, 
but saved money in the meantime. He followed farming and railroad bridge 
work during this time, and eventually graduated from the Western Dental 
College of Kansas City, Mo., on May 6, 1905. He located in Muscotah, 
June 29, 1905, and has made a sigTial success in the practice of his profession. 
Dr. Lukens also maintains an office at Whiting, Kan., and divides his time 
between the two towns. Whiting and Muscotah. 

Dr. Lukens was married April 10, 1901, at Corning, Kan., to Miss 
Hallie A. Graham, a daughter of Dr. J. W. Graham, of Wetmore, Kan. 
They have one child, Graham St. Clair Lukens, bom June 21, 1902. The 
Republican party claims die allegiance of Dr. Lukens, and he has always been 
active in political affairs in Atchison county, being one of the leaders and 
"wheel-horses" of the party in the county. He is affiliated with the Ancient 
Free and Accepted Masons of Muscotali. and the Fraternal Order of l^agles 
of Horton, Kan., and is a member of the Modern Woodmen. Dr. Lukens 



764 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

is possessed of a likable and generous personality, which enables him to make 
friends easily, and to retain them for all time. He is a good provider for his 
family, and is fast accumulating a comfortable competence. He is a member 
in good standing of the Northeast Kansas Dental Association. 



JAMES ^I. TRIMBLE. 



J. M. Trimble, deceased, was Ixsrn September 10. 1843. in Buchanan 
county, Missouri, a son of Benjamin F. Trimble, a native of Kentucky and 
early pioneer settler of De Kalb. ^lo., where lie conducted a blacksmith and 
wagon shop for a numl3er of years, until his removal to Texas. After living 
in Texas for some years, he finally located in Atchison county, Kansas. James 
M. Trimble purchased a farm in this county and cultivated it until 1905 and 
then removed to Atchison and engaged in the livery business, continuing the 
same until his demise in January of 1910. The first wife of James M. 
Trimble was Margaret ]\IcCreary, a daughter of Solomon McCreary. a pioneer 
settler of Atchison county. To this first marriage were bom the following 
children: J. P. Trimble; A. F. Trimble: K. S. Trimble, Ed. Henry, Roy C, 
sheriff of Atchison county, and T. O. Trimble. 

Mr. Trimble was married the second time, to Mrs. Emma A. (Hayden) 
Gallup, widow of Frank Gallup, January 21, 1892. She is a daughter of 
Levi and ]\Iartha Hayden, natives of Kentucky, and pioneer settlers of Coffey 
county, Kansas. The Hayden family were settlers in Coffey county. Kansas, 
at a time when the county was largely populated by Indians. At one time. 
while a resident of this county. Levi Hayden and a number of other settlers 
were hunting buffalo and were surrounded l)y liostile red-men, who robbed 
the hunting party of their provisions and horses and left the hunters on the 
plains destitute. A terrible snow storm came up, and several of the party 
perished from cold and starvation, Mr. Hayden being among the numl)er lost. 
After his death his widow reared the family of seven children with the excep- 
tion of two sons and a daughter, Emma, who went to reside with an uncle, 
John Hayden, in Iowa. This uncle was a ver\' prominent resident of Taylor 
county, Iowa, and served as county clerk and county surveyor. He ran a 
sur\-ey line from his farm in Taylor county.. Iowa, to a place later named Hay- 
den Junction, near Council Bluffs. He was a school teacher and a man of 
more than ordinary ability and reared Ins adopted children to become good 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 765 

citizens. Emma lix'ed at her uncle's liome until January i, 1874, anrl while 
attending high school at Bedfonl, Iowa, she met Frank ( jallup, whom she mar- 
ried. Mr. Gallup died .\ugust 11, 1888. To this union were born children 
as follows; Xellie M.. wife of Gale Trimble, of Atchison county: Jennie B. 
married Edwin E. Buchanrui, now deceased, and she lives in Atchison; Clara 
Maude, wife of Ed. Trimble, residing near Seattle, \\'ash. : Samuel D., of 
Atchison; Agues Gertrude, wife of Blake Balaock, of Memphis, Tenn. 

At the time of the marriage of Mr. Trimble and Mrs. Gallup, Mr. Trimble 
was serving as superintendent of the Atchison county poor farm. They had 
charge of this institution for over six years and then moved to Mr. Trimble's 
farm, which is now owned by John M. Price, in Mt. Pleasant township. They 
resided on the farm until their removal to Atchison in 1905. After another 
short period of residence on the farm they finally purchased the property 
which is the family home at 1206 South Seventh street, Atchison. Mr. Trim- 
ble conducted a livery and horse trading business in Atchison until his demise. 
He dealt extensively in horses and cattle, and frecjuently conducted farm and 
real estate deals to advantage. 

James M. Trimble was a life-long Republican and took an active and in- 
fluential part in the affairs of his party. He was well and favorably know^n 
throughout Atchison county. He and Mrs. Trimble wxre affiliated w'ith the 
Presbyterian church, and Mr. Trimlile belonged to the Grand Army of the 
Republic b\- virtue of having enlisted for service in a Kansas regiment diuMug 
the Civil war, at the lime of the Price invasion. It can be said of him that 
he was an honest, upright citizen, who cared well for those who depended upon 
him and he was, according to those who knew him best, a good man. 



JOHN EDWARD SULLIVAN. 

For fifty-five years John Edward Sullivan has resided in .\tchison 
county, Kansas, and can be readily classed with the old-timers of the count)'. 
His parents came from Iowa to Kansas when he was but one year old, and 
his father, with the assistance of his sons, Roger P. and John Edward, was 
enabled to rise from poverty to become the owner of half a sectif)n of land 
in Grasshopper township. The account of this family is similar to that of 
several f)thcr prosperous Irish families in Atchison county. 

John E. Sullivan was born May 15, 1859, in Keokuk, Iowa, a son of 



766 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Michael and Bridget (Tobin) Sullivan, both of whom were born in Ireland. 
Michael Sullivan was born in 1826 in Ireland, and lived in his native land 
until he was twelve years of age, and then made his way, alone and unaided, 
to America. His travels for seeking fortune in the n.ew country took him e\'er 
onward, and he was married in Keokuk, Iowa, to Bridget Tobin. who was 
his faithful helpmeet when he was rising from poverty to affluence. Mr. 
Sullivan came to Atchison, Kan., in i860, and for some time was engaged 
in the railroad contract work, and assisted in the grading of the Central 
Branch railroad. With the mone_\- sa\ed in his railroad contract work he 
became the owner of a home in Atchison, which he exchanged for eighty acres 
of land in Grasshopper township, upon which he settled and soon de\;eloped 
into a fine farm. Mr. Sullivan, in the course of a few years, was enabled to 
buy an additional quarter section, and with the help of his sturdy sons, he 
increased his holdings to 320 acres of well improved farm land. When old 
age crept upon Michael Sullivan and his wife they turned the farm over to 
their two sons, who cared for them in their declining years, which were spent 
in peace and comfort. Mr. Sullivan died at the home of his son, John Ed- 
ward, December 24, 1904. He was the father of three children: John Ed- 
ward, the subject of this review ; Roger Patrick, a prosperous farmer of 
Benton township, Atchison county, and Mary, deceased. 

John Edward Sullivan attended the public schools of .\tchisoji until he 
was fourteen years of age, and after his parents removed to the farm in 
Grasshopper township he remained at home and assisted his father on the 
home farm until he was thirty years old. He then purchased his present 
farm of 160 acres, made improvements upon it, and has brought the land up 
to a high state of cultivation. Mr. Sullivan has his farm stocked with well 
graded horses and cattle, and has frequently exhibited his fine draft colts 
and mules at the county fairs, held at Effingham, Kan. 

Mr. Sullivan was married in 1890 to Anna Small, and to this union were 
born eight children, namely: Mary E., deceased: Anna, John, Lauretta, Leo, 
and Lucy, all at home with their parents ; Grace, deceased ; one child died in 
infancy. Mrs. Sullivan was born October 29, 1864, in Ireland, a daughter 
of Patrick and Elizabeth (McVay)' Small, who immigratetl to America, 
settling in Pennsylvania, and came to Atchison, Kan., in 1879: they were en- 
gaged in farming for some years, and are now living at Effingham, Kan. 
Mrs. Sullivan died November 23, 1906. She was a well educated woman, 
being an accomplished musician and a teacher of music. Mr. Sullivan is 
a stockholder and director of the Farmers State Bank of Muscotah. He is 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 767 

not allied with any political parties, and casts his vote independently at elec- 
tion time for the candidates of his choice, \vho seem best fitted to perform 
the duties of the office sought. He is a member of the Catholic church, and 
is fraternally allied with the Knights of Columbus of Atchison. 



RIENZI M. DUNLAP. 



Rienzi M. Dunlap, editor and publisher of the Muscotah Record, Mus- 
cotah. Kan,, was burn in Illinois, Feliruary 25, 1859. He is the son 
of John M. and Nancy (Fletcher) Dunlap, the former a native of Maine, 
and the latter a native of Illinois. John M. Dunlap was a descendant from 
Scotch-Irish ancestry, who immigrated from North of Ireland to America. 
His wife was of English descent, and a daughter of Kentucky parents, who 
emigrated from Kentucky to Illinois in the early days. John M. received his 
education in his native State, and was engaged in teaching school, a pro- 
ession which he followed for twenty-five years. He taught school in Illinois, 
southern Wisconsin, and also in the State of Iowa. He finally located on a 
farm in northern Iowa, near Nashua, which he developed into a fine produc- 
tive plant. He became well known as a skilled horticulturist, and originated 
several different kinds of fruits. He died at his home near Nashua, Iowa, in 
1909. His widow still lives on the home place. 

Rienzi M. Dunlap was educated in the schools of northeastern Iowa, and 
entered college with the intention of completing a college course, but his eye- 
sight failing him, he was unable to complete his classical studies. Later, he 
prepared himself for the teaching profession by self-study, and received a 
teacher's certificate. He taught school for fifteen years at various places in 
Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. The last five years of his teaching was 
of a professional character, with the backing of a professional certificate. 
During all this time he had been preparing himself by hard study to enter 
the ministry, and on September i, 1893, went to Wisconsin and began preach- 
ing in an Advent Christian church. He preached for four years in Wiscon- 
sin in the interest of the Advent Christian denomination, and later engaged 
in the market gardening business for the benefit of his health at Baraboo, 
Wis., where he resided until 1909, in the meantime preaching in the churches 
of the nearby towns. From 1909 until 1910 he had charge of a church at 
Linn, Kan. Mr. Dunlap, while engaged in teaching, managed to obtain con- 



768 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

siderable journalistic experience by working in various newspaper offices, 
among them being that of his uncle. Consequently, it is not surprising that 
in iqio he came to Muscotah, Kan., and purchased the Muscotah Record. 
He is operating an excellent newspaper, which is noted for its clean, moral 
and fearless stand on all public questions. 

j\Ir. Dunlap was married at Mendota, III, August 23, 1893, to Miss 
Retta Morris, of Ohio, who was also a public school teacher, who taught 
school fifteen terms previous to her marriage, several years of which were in 
Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Dunlap are the parents of three children: Morris O., 
a student of journalism in the Ad\ent Christian College, Aurora, III, which 
course is to be followed by two years in the university; Ella M., a pupil in 
the eighth grade in the Muscotah school: Mary, a pupil in the sixth grade in 
the public school. Mr. Dunlap is an independent in politics, who has not 
allied himself in any form of politics, and beheves that the best government 
results from the independent voting of its citizens. His newspaper is also 
noted for its independence. 



LEWIS P. Dr BOIS. 



Lewis P. Du Bois has the distinction of being the oldest living pioneer set- 
tler of Atchison county residing in Shannon township. The story of his life 
since coming to the great \\'est in search of health reads like a romance and is 
well worth recounting in the pages of this history of the county which he has 
helped to create during the past fifty-seven years or more. The last days of 
his eventful life are being peacefully spent in the beautiful country home which 
he erected several years ago, which sets far back in a park created by his own 
hands and shaded by great trees planted in years gone by on the barren prairie 
which he broke and brought to a high state of cultivation. Mr. Du Bois can 
look out over the broad acres which he and his good and faithful wife have 
accumulated, and be well content that providence has been kind to them and 
theirs. 

Lewis P. Du Bois is a descendant of an old American family. He was 
born March 23, 1834, in Salem county, Xew Jersey, a son of Samuel and 
Mary (Johnson) Du Bois, both of whom were natives of New Jersey. Louis 
Du Bois, a Frenchman, who came to America in about 1660, and established 
the French settlement of New Palz, was the original founder of the family in 
this country. His children were as follows : Jacob, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 769 

David, Solomon, Rebecca, Rachel and Matthew. Samuel Du Bois was the 
son of Matthew, a great-grandson of the first Louis Du Bois. Lewis Dn Bois, 
direct ancestor of Lewis, and son of Mathias, was a soldier in tlie Revolution 
and served for seven years under General Washington, and was engaged in 
all of the battles in which Wasliington's army participated. Matthias' chil- 
dren were : Sarah, Lewis, Anna, Rachel, Cornelius, Matthew and Benjamin. 
Lewis Du Bois, the Revolutionaiy patriot, married Rebekah Craig and was 
the father of the following children : John, Matthew, Polly, Lewis, Rebekah, 
Benjamin, Elizabeth, and Samuel, father of the subject of this review. Sam- 
uel Du Bois was born September 26, 1800, and died in May, 1873. He mar- 
ried Mary Johnson, who was born January 17, 1824, and died January 28, 
1879. 

To Samuel and Mary Du Bois were born children as follows : Rebecca, 
who became the wife of Clarence Struper, and is now deceased; Adaline, wife 
of Jacob Kaeley, deceased; Mary Jane, wife of John Du Bois, of Fairfield, 
Iowa; Lewis, with whom this review is directly concerned; Emeline, wife of 
Daniel Hitchner, Nemaha county, Kansas ; Eliza, wife of A. Hitchner, de- 
ceased ; Samuel Johnson. Salem county, New Jersey. Mr. Du Bois has an old 
Bible over 150 \ears old and also has in his possession genealogical 
works concerning the Du Bois, Patterson and the Ewing families which 
can be consulted for further genealogical data if need be. Samuel Du- 
Bois was a farmer and his father, Lewis, was a paymaster in the American 
army of defense during the War of 1812. Both lived and died on the old 
ancestral farm which has been in the family for many generations. Lewis 
donated one farm of 160 acres to the Daretown Presbyterian church and prac- 
tically endowed it. Samuel was a very prominent citizen in his neigh!)orIiood 
and held several important offices and was one of the twelve free holders of 
Salem county, New Jersey. 

Lewis P. Du Bois was educated in the common schools of his native 
county and when twenty years of age was employed as clerk in a store at 
Bridgeton, Cumberland county, New Jersey, for three years, after whicli l^e 
spent one year assisting his fatiier farm llie nld hnmeslead. His health failing, 
he was told by the family doctor that he must go west or he could live 
but a short time. Leaving the old home, his sweetheart and all associations 
behind him, he set out and arrived in Atchison in April, 1858, with only $50 
in cash in his pockets. I'or the first year he made his home with Dr. Challiss, 
on the doctor's farm. Dr. Challiss advised him to spend one year near the 
river and then go to tiic mouniains for an indefinite st.-iy until he was cured. 

49 



-■JO HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

At the end of his first year's residence in the West he set out for the mountain 
country as assistant to Eh Mason, the first sheriff of Atchison county, in the 
conduct of a wagon train en route to Ft. Kearney. His first trip to tlie West 
and the outdoor hfe proved beneficial and upon his return he clerked in tlie 
store of P. R. King until Xovember of 1859, and again crossed the plains 
with Henry Macey, of Weston, Mo. This was a very hard and long trip, taken 
in the winter time, but he gained rapidly in strengtli and general health and 
accumulated weight until he tipped the scales at 158 pounds. Upon his arrival 
in Denver, Colo., the mining excitement was at its height and he was seized 
with the gold fever. He took up a mining claim in the mountains, but left 
it and went further into the mountainous country. He spent all of his money 
on developing another claim, building a sluice and dam and turning the course 
of a stream in order to get a sufficient flow of water for placer mining. All of 
his efforts came to naught and his mining fixtures were washed away by a 
disastrous flood and he was left in debt over $i.coo. He and his a.s'sociates 
then went to Georgia gulch and bought another claim which yielded suf- 
ficiently to enable him to pay off his debts and then the gold gave out entirely. 
News came to the camp during his first winter in the mountains that a num- 
ber of men were snow bound over the divide and were starving for food. The 
snow was from seven to ten feet deep on the level and twenty feet deep on the 
ranges. Mr. Du Bois and another man were tiie only men brave enough to 
volunteer to cary succor to tlie destitute prospectors and had the distinction of 
being the first men to cross the Rockies in the dead of winter. From Colo- 
rado he went to U^yoming and then returned to Atchison in 1861, meeting the 
fast pony express on his way and learning of Abraham Lincoln's election to 
the Presidency. 

From Atchison he returned to tlie old liome in New Jersey and there 
married the sweetheart who had been waiting for him to come back, restored to 
vigorous health and strength. He followed farming in New Jersey for three 
years, suffering in the meantime from rheumatism and sickness, brought on 
from too much exposure to the elements. In 1865 he and his wife again re- 
turned to Atchison with a cash capital of $500 and he took charge of a farm 
owned by his friend. Dr. Clialliss, on the share plan for a period of three years. 
His farming experience for those three years was not at all profitable, and he 
was left at the end of the time with practically no funds. Jayhawkers took 
practically all tliat he made, and one time, after he had fattened a lot of hogs on 
corn which cost him $1.10 per bushel, thieves stole the porkers and lie was 
left without a dollar. He then ventured to sell fruit trees to the settlers in 
Colorado on the route to Denver and was very successful in taking many 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 77I 

orders. The delivery of this consignment consisting of two wagon loads cost 
over $1,850 by overland freight train in the fall of the year. The Indians were 
troublesome at the time and during one eventful night whicii demonstrated 
that the biggest braggarts with the train were the greatest cowards, the Indians 
tried to run off their mules but were finally driven off. This venture resulted 
in replenishing his store of funds and he bought his first farm with the [iro- 
ceeds, paying cash for it. Like man}' others during those early days, Mr. Du 
Bois herded cattle on the great free ranges but was unfortunate in having fiftv 
head die of Texas fever contracted from an infected herd of Texas cattle 
which were being pastured over the range on the way to market. Many, in- 
deed, were the discouragements which beset his attempts to secure a livelihood, 
at one time ha\'ing purc'.iased a horse from a Mr. Galbreath, it developed that 
the beast was afflicted with glanders in a contagious form. This necessitated 
•he killing of all of his horses and the consequent restocking- of his farm. 
Prosperity eventually smiled upon him and his, however, and better times 
came and he became the owner of 320 acres of exceedingly fine land in Shan- 
non township. He is a director of the Bank of Vliets, Kan. 

Mr. Du Bois was married Xovember 3, 1863. to Sarah Jane Jones and 
to this union have been born children as follows : Mrs. Carrie C. Buck, born 
in 1865, and residing at Vliets, Kan.; Lewis P. died in infancy: Samuel T., 
born July 7, 1876, operates the home farm, married Anna Katharine Kistlcr, 
daughter of William D. Kistler, and has two children, Lewis P., Jr., and Kath- 
ryn Kller. The mother of the.'^e ciiildren was born .April 5. 1835. in Salem 
county. New Jersey, daughter of Joseph and Mary Ann (Van Meter) Jones. 
The Jones family of which she is a descendant is a very old one in America, 
and a history of the family is being nov\r published. The Van Meter family 
had its origin in this country as far back as 1660 and they were members of 
the ntw Palz settlement in >,"e\\- Jersey. Her grandindther. Samuel Van 
Meter, mari-ied Lady Anna I'ishop, a titled English lady who was a member 
of a noble English family. Several of her ancestors served in the war of 
independence. 

On November 3, 191 3, there was celebrated at the hospitable and 1)eauti- 
iul Du Bois home, the fiftieth or golden wedding anniversary of this widely 
known and well loved pioneer couple. Guests to the number of 500 came to 
congratulate them from far and near, amnng them being the notable men and 
women of Atchison county, who are proud of the friendship of Mr. and Mrs. 
J")u Bois. The tables groaned with good things to eat and the day was spent 
iiappily in merrymaking, the wedding ceremony of Lewis and Sarah being 
again du])licated for the edification of the interested guests. No invitations 



//- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



were issued for the occasion. I)ut a g'cneral country-wide notice printed in the 
Atchison newspapers caused a perfect hegira to the Du Bois home of old and 
new friends of this worthy couple, who wished to be in line to grasp llieir 
Iiands and wish them many more happy years of wedded life which have been 
unmarred by a single serious discord. The fifty-three years of wedded life 
iiave been replete with happiness and blessings for Mr. and Mrs. Du Bois, in 
the main, while tinged with sorrows which are the inevitable lot of all mankind. 
Mr. Du Bois and the members of his family are affiliated with the Pres- 
b}terian church. He is a member of the Masonic lodge, the Independent Or- 
der of Odd Fellows and the Central Protective Association, having been one 
of the founders of the Good Intent lodge of the Central Protective Association. 
He lias l:)een a life-long Democrat, and. while never Iriving sought political 
preferment and not having filled any office but that of trustee of Shannon 
township, he has always taken in otlier years a very active part in count)'. 
State and Xalional politics. He was a great personal friend of Goxernor 
Click. 



EDWIN S. WOOD\^^ORTH. 



The name Woodwortli is a noted one, not only in Kansas, Init in Ameri- 
can history. A long line of distinguished men have descended from the 
original foimders of the family in America, and the men of each successive 
generation have added additional luster to the family name by deeds of valor 
and statesmanship wiiich stand out prominently in the annals of their respec- 
tive abiding places. Edwin S. Woodworth, farmer and live stock breeder, 
of Kapioma township, is a well and favorably known member of the civic 
body of Atchison county, and a son of Maj. Caleb A. Woodworth, who was 
one of the famous figures in the early period of the making Kansas into a 
great State. His grandfather, Caleb A. Woodworth, Sr.. was one of the 
earliest of the Kansas pioneers. 

Alajor Caleb A. Woodworth was born in Wilkesbarre. Pa., April 14, 1838, 
and was a son of Caleb Woodworth, a native of Tyre, N. Y., whose father, 
also named Caleb, was a captain of artillery under Ceneral Scott in the War 
of 1812. Gresham Woodworth, the great-grandfather of Major Wood- 
worth, was a colonel in the Continental amiy during the American Revolu- 
tion, and fought at the battle of Saratoga. The W^oodworth family is of 
English origin, the progenitors of the family having emigrated from the Isle 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 773 

of Man early in the seventeenth centui")'. The father of Major Woodworth 
was a farmer by occupation, and married JMiss Ellen Gordon, of Goshen, 
X. \'.. a cousin of Gen. Gordon, of Goshen, and a daughter of Cornelius 
Gordon, who was born in Ireland, of Scotch-Irish parents, and settled in 
Virginia. The elder \\'oodworth died at the age of seventy-four years, and 
the wife and mother died in December, 1898, at the age of eighty-six years. 
Caleb, Sr., immigrated to Kansas in 1857, and settled at Muscotah, Atchison 
count}-. Both Caleb Woodworth and his wife were members of the Congre- 
gational church, and Caleb was an Odd Fellow. He was well educated, and 
in his younger days was a school teacher, becoming a farmer in later life. 
The line of Woodworths in America tells of many men of letters and dis- 
tinction, and many soldiers who have shed luster on the family name in the 
successive generations. 

There were five children born to Caleb, Sr., and wife, namely: Calel) A., 
father of Edw'in S. ; Gilbert M., who came to Kansas at an early day, and 
served three years in a Kansas regiment during the Civil war, first as cor- 
poral, then as sergeant, and later was captain of a company of the Fourth 
Arkansas infantry, and was made lieutenant-colonel of the Twelfth Kansas 
militia in 1864. He became prominent in political life, and served as State 
senator in Colorado, and died while marching in the G. A. R. reunion parade 
in Philadelphia, September 8. 1899 ; eighty veterans succumbed to the heat. 
He left one son, Charles G., of Onanga, Okla. ; Ben F., a resident of Downs, 
Okla , served three years in the Union army, part of the time as bugler of 
Company A, Fifth regiment, Kansas infantr}-, and later as captain in the 
Fourth Kansas regiment ; David G., a graduate of Monroe Institute, a teacher, 
and a Kansas militiaman. David Woodworth assisted in the survey of Okla- 
homa, moved to the new State in 1889, and settled at Downs. He was a 
successful farmer, but is now postmaster at Kingfisher, Okla. The mother 
accompanied him to Oklahoma, and died there; Sarah Elizabeth, deceased, 
was the wife of B. A. Colville, and left one son, Dr. Frank Colville, who died 
in St. Joseph, Mo. 

Major Caleb A. Woodworth came to Kansas in 1857, from Virginia, and 
engaged in farming near Muscotah until 1859, when he entered the Univer- 
sity of Chicago, and pursued his collegiate education until the outbreak of 
the Civil war. He then returned to Kansas and offered his services in defense 
of the Union. His first enlistment was for a period of nine months in Com- 
pany B, Fourth regiment, Kansas infantry. He tlien assisted in organizing 
the Thirteenth Kansas regiment, and was a member of Company F of that 



774 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

regiment, which he joined September 20, 1862. He rose rapidly in rank, was 
commissioned major of his regiment, and ser\-ed for three years, or until the 
close of the war. He served directly under Colonel Bowen, and under Gen- 
erals Blount, Schofield. Steele, and Reynolds. He participated in the battles 
around Springfield, Mo., and in Arkansas. At the battle of Prairie Grove, 
in 1862, his horse was shot from under him. Three times his mount was 
killed in battle, but he seemed to bear a charmed life, and was never wviunded. 
After the close of the war he returned to Atchison, Kan., and engaged in 
freighting across the plains, making three trips in all with a freighting ontf't. 
He was the first man to telegraph money from Denver, Colo., to Atchison. 
He operated a liverv barn where the union depot now stands in Atchison. 
About 1868 he again turned his attention to farming, and settled in Kapioma 
township, where his father had preempted half a section of land. Major 
Woodworth farmed the home tract, and erected the house where Edwin S. 
now lives. He liecame an extensive cattle feeder, and was very successful 
in his farming operations. 

Major Woodworth was married in June, 1867, to Miss Margaret Shaw, 
of Valley Falls. Kan. Three children were born of this union, namely : Nora, 
wife of E. M. Wilcox, Kamaloops, British Columbia ; Edwin S. : Jennie, 
living in Wood, S. D. The mother of these children was born in .\krnn, 
Ohio. January 21, 1850, a daughter of William and Louise (Fletcher) Shaw, 
natives of Ohio. Slie is now residing with her daughter at \\'ood, S. D. 

The civic and political career of Major Woodworth was a distinguished 
one. He was elected State senator from Atchison county on the Republican 
ticket in 1876, and served for four years. During his term as senator he 
wrote the bill and presented the same to the State legislature, organizing the 
Kansas State Historical Society. In 1892 he was chosen to represent the 
third district in the lower house of the legislature, this time being elected on 
the Democratic ticket. In 1895 he removed to Effingham, Kan., and resided 
in tliat city until 1897, when he removed to Atchison to take up his duties 
as superintendent of the State Soldiers' Orphans' Home. He filled the duties 
of this position until 1900, when he resigned and retired to a home in Mus- 
cotah, Kan. Major Woodworth died October 24, 1908. His demise marked 
the passing of one of the most noted of the Kansas pioneers, a distinguished 
soldier and statesman. He left a heritage of honorable and upright service 
to the people of the State, of which his descendants can well be proud. 

Edwin S. Woodworth was born .\pril 20, 1874, on the farm where he 
now resides. He was educated in the common schools of his native county, 
and studied in Holton University, after completing a course in the high school 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 775 

at Effingham, Kan. After his marriage, in 1895, he began farming the 
home place of the Woodworth family. He is the owner of 163 acres of rich 
farm land, which is well improved. Mr. Woodworth is a well known breeder 
of registered Shorthorn cattle, and ships the product of his farm in this re- 
spect to all parts of the country. He is a member of the American Short- 
horn Breetlers" Association. During 1015 he had a herd of fifty thorough- 
bred Shorthorns, but has sold to buyers at excellent prices until he has de- 
pleted his herd. 

Mr. \^'oodworth was married May 29, 1895, to Miss Sadie E. Speer, 
born June 11, 1875, and reared on a farm three miles east of Muscotah. 
(See biography of D. Anna Speer for details concerning the Speer family.) 
Four children have been born to Edwin S. and Sadie E. Woodworth, namely : 
Mrs. Marg'uerite Mulligan, of Benton township; Mabel, a student in the 
county high school at Effingham ; Isabelle and Mildred, at home. 

Politically, Mr. Woodworth is allied with the Democratic party. He 
attends the Methodist Episcopal church, and is affiliated with the Knights 
of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Central Protective 
Association. There is no doubt in the minds of those who know Mr. Wood- 
worth and esteem him for his many excellent qualities, that he will keep 
alive the traditions of the Woodworth family and endeavor to follow in the 
footsteps of his illustrious ancestors as regards right living and doing his 
duty to his countv and State. 



HAL C. LOW^ 



Hal C. Low. of the firm of Johnson-Low Clothing Company, of .\tcliison, 
was born in 1879 in Doniphan county, Kansas. His parents were J. ^^'. and 
Mary (Collins) Low, natives of the Buckeye State, the father's home having 
been at West ATilton, Ohio. The grandfather of Hal C. was An.sel Low, 
who was one of the earliest pioneer settlers of Kansas, first coming to Atchi- 
son in 1852, following wliich he located in Doniphan, where he kept the first 
hotel, or tavern, and also operated a general store. To the home of this 
pioneer came in the fall of 1860, .\braham Lincoln, who was liicn touring 
the country in his first campaign for the presidency. Lincoln's visit and stay 
at the Low hostelry was an event which awakened a great deal of pride with 
J. W. Low and he was fond of relating the circumstance and describing in 
detail how Mrs. Low served the simple wants of the greatest of all Americans. 



■J-jQ, HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

He was always a stanch supporter of the martyred President and ofave (Hrect 
evidence of his loyalty to the Union by his enlistment in Company I, Seventh 
regiment, Kansas cavalry, serving under Generals Rosecrans and Grant suc- 
cessively, and was in active service throughout the entire war. 

Hal C. Low was educated in the common and high schools of Atchison, 
and then entered his father's dry goods store, where he spent several years 
profitably, absorbing the details of the business and in becoming a proficient 
salesman and buyer. This experience stood him in good stead, and in 1905 
he organized the Johnson-Low Clothing Company and has made an unquali- 
fied success of the venture. The store is one of the most complete in this 
section of the State, and carries high grade goods of the best workmanship 
and design. The ever increasing trade, whicli flows to this establishment, 
is the best evidence of its continued success. 

Mr. Low was married in 1905 to Miss Jane Pollock, daughter of S. M. 
Pollock, an early pioneer settler of Iowa, later a resident of Kansas, and now 
residing in Atchison. Mr. Low is a Republican. 



D. ANXA SPEER. 



The public owes much to the teachers who have made a life work of 
their chosen profession. While the teaching profession is used to some extent 
as a stepping-stone to something supposedly higher and l)elter. or as an oppor- 
tunity on the part of young people to earn some money in preparation for em- 
barking in some other vocation, there are in tlie ranks of the profession a 
considerable number of efficient and painstaking educators wlio through a deep 
and abiding love of the work of teaching the youth of the land and a desire 
to advance themselves high in their profession, have made themselves indis- 
pensable members of the community, and have shown by application and actual 
practice that they are fitted above the rank and file to hold executive positions. 
D. Anna Speer, county superintendent of schools for Atchison county, is a 
capable and successful educator whose marked ability has received due recog- 
nition from the people of the community in which she was reared. 

She was born in Atchison county, a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Foun- 
tain) Speer. Her father, Joseph Speer, was born March 4. 1834, in Leesville, 
!nd.. and was the son of Andrew and Dicie ( Kirby) Speer. both natives of 
Kentucky. Miss Speer's mother was a daughter of Stephen Fountain and 
AT.ii\ rn-n-k"! Fountain, natives of North C.irolina. The ancestors on the 




yf'Mi^ zl^. Sy/*ff/(r .y/tm*' 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY yj-J 

side of eacli parent were pre-Revolutionary colonists of Virijinia and the Car- 
olinas. The Speers were among the earh'est settlers of Kentucky and the 
great-great-grandfather of Miss Speer on the maternal side was a signer of 
the Declaration of Independence. Joseph and Mary Speer were married in 
Indiana and came west in 1859, settling on a farm near Muscotah in the spring 
of i860. Mr. Speer invested in a partly improved farm of 160 acres on which 
they lived until old age required that they leave the farm for a town home in 
Muscotah. During the Civil war Mr. Speer served in the Kansas State militia 
and took part in the expedition against the Price invasion. JosepI: Speer 
died March 5, 1900. His wife was born in September, 1S33, and departed 
this life June 19, 1909. To them were born six sons and three daughters: 
William F., who resides on the home farm; Mrs. Mary J. Long, of Fowler, 
Kan. ; Andrew, present county commissioner and farmer residing near Mus- 
cotah ; James R., one of the pioneer settlers of Guthrie, Okla. ; John W., a 
farmer of Morrison, Okla. ; George T., a resident of Guthrie, Okla., and audi- 
tor of the Arkansas Lumber Company; D. Anna; Jesse A., engaged in the liv- 
ery business at Medford, Okla. ; Sadie E., wife of E. S. VVoodworth, of Mus- 
cotah, a son of Major Woodworth. The Speers are a family of pioneers and 
are found to be leading citizens of their respective communities. Joseph and 
Mary Speer reared their large family of children to become useful and influ- 
ential members of society and God-fearing men and women. Before death 
called them to the eternal rest they had the satisfaction of seeing the county 
where their earliest and most arduous labors liad been accomplished grow to 
become a prosperous and populous community. 

D. Anna Speer was educated in the rural school of her home neighbor- 
hood and the Muscotah public schook She completed a teachers' course in 
Campliell College and w^as graduated, receiving a life diploma from the State 
Normal College at Emporia, Kan., in 1893. She then taught school for a 
number of years. During the summer vacations she did post-graduate work 
in the University of Chicago, Kansas University and Colorado College, at 
Colorado Springs, Colo., and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1911. 

She entered the University of California at Berkeley and received the 
degree of Master of Arts in 1913. Miss Speer is self-educated, having worked 
her way through college and university while teaching school to earn money 
for tuition and expenses. She began her teaching career with a few years' 
service in the rural schools and in 1893 became a teacher in the Effingham 
County High School, where she taught continuously for seventeen years. She 
was then an instructor for two years in the State Normal School at Emporia, 
Kan., after which she spent one vear as a student in Ihe I 'ni\'cv^il\- nf C:\\\- 



7/8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

fornia. After receiving her degree from the University of Cahfornia she 
served as instructor in Grass \'alley, Cal., High School. This was a dehght- 
ful experience in one of tlie most beautiful spots on the globe, but she returned 
liome. and on July i. 1915, entered upon her new duties as county superinten- 
dent of public instruction of her home cnunty. That she will make a success 
of her work is assured. 

Miss Speer is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church, the Eastern 
Star lodge and is a member of the County and State Teachers' associations, 
and is a member of the National Educational Association. She is a deep and 
capable student: a thorougli and progressive educator, who is familiar with 
the most advanced methods of teaching and is destined to achieve marked suc- 
cess in her present important position. 



JOSEPH C. GREEN AW^A^LT. 

Joseph C. Greenawalt, retired lawyer, Muscotah, Kan., was born April 
17, 1840, on a farm in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. He comes of old 
Holland Dutch stock and the progenitors of tlie Greenawalt family emigrated 
from Holland to America in 1665. He is a son of George and Sarah (Con- 
ner) Greenawalt, natives of Pennsylvania. George Greenawalt was a son of 
John, and his wife's father was John Conner, a native of England. Jfiseph 
C. was eighteen months old when In's father died, leaving a widow with six 
children to rear, namely; Mary Amanda, Sarah Ann and Margaret, now de- 
ceased; Samuel C deceased, who served as captain in a company in the Sev- 
enty-third regiment. New York infantry, in the Union army, and was a wan- 
derer from choice, ha\-ing gone to sea for several years, his first service in 
the Union army Ijeing as a scout: F.lmina C, deceased, and Joseph C, with 
whom this review is directly concerned, and who was reared in eastern Ohio 
at the iiome of his aunt. He lived at iiis aunt's home until he attained the 
age of sixteen years, attended school and learned the trade of carpenter and 
cabinet maker in a shop operated by liis uncle. 

.\s a bov Joseph C. (ireenawalt had been ambitious to ac(juirc an education 
and was not content with the idea of spending his days at the carpenter's 
bench. Accordingly, at the age of sixteen, we find tliat lie started out to 
make his own way in the world and to educate himself by partly working his 
way through college. He entered Mt. Union College, at Alliance. Ohio, and 
was one of the first students enrolled in this college when it was advanced 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 779 

from a seminar)' to a regular college. He worked during the summer seasons 
and was thus enabled to pa}- his way through the college course. \Mien he 
was eighteen years of age. he also taught one term of school. He studied 
languages for one year in the Hayesville Institute at Ashland, Ohio. After 
studying for three years at Mt. Union, he matriculated at the University of 
Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., entering the junior class of this university in 
i860. In 1862 he received his bachelor's degree from the University of Mich- 
igan, but did not acquire his master's degree until five years later, in 1867. 
In May of 1862 Mr. Greenawalt enlisted in Company I, Eighty-sixth regiment, 
Ohio infantry, and served for four months, when he was commissioned a 
lieutenant of the Ohio Sharpshooters, but resigned his commission and took 
charge of the Canton, Ohio, Union School for the ensuing six months. He 
then sei-ved as deputy clerk of the circuit court, studied law in the meantime 
and was admitted to the bar at Ravenna, Ohio. In the spring of 1864 Mr. 
Greenawalt went to Colorado and engaged in mining engineering in the 
mountains, forty miles west of Denver. After a stay in the West he settled 
in Platte City, Mo., and practiced law there until 1871, and after a trip to the 
Pacific coast, he located permanently in the city of Atchison in August of 
1871. He practiced law successfully for twenty-five years in Atchison, and 
held the office of city attorney in 1875. 

Mr. Greenawalt has always been a great lover of horses, and more to 
gratify his love of horse flesh than anything" else he established in 1882, the 
famous Greenview Stock Farm, near Atchison, now owned by B. P. Wag- 
gener. He erected the residence and several of the buildings now on the farm 
and engaged in the breeding of fast trotting horses. For some years he made 
his home on the farm and practiced his profession in the city, going to and fro 
from his law office and giving the farm work his personal supervision. The 
Greenview Stock Farm became famous for the many fast horses bred there, 
one of the most noted of which was Samuel G., record 2:29. and who made a 
trial record of 2:i8j4 when a four-year-old. He made a practice of breeding 
two-3-ear-olds for speed and succeeded, shipping horses to buyers in eastern 
and southern points where racers were desired for the tracks. In 1900 Mr. 
Greenawalt removed to Muscotah and continued his horse breeding until 1912, 
when he practically retired from the pursuit of his favorite hobby. He is the 
owner of a fine farm of 160 acres adjoining Muscotah on the east. 

Mr. (ireenawalt has been twice married, his first wife being Sophia E. 
Bowers, of Cleveland. Ohio, and who died May 26, 1870, at the age of twen- 
ty-seven years, leaving an infant daughter, Maude Mary, born February 11, 
1870, and died August 2, 1870. He married Mary C. Bowers, of Stark 



780 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

county, Ohio, in September of 1882. This marriage was blessed with one son, 
Samuel O., born November 6, 1885. and died March i, 1902. Mrs. Greena- 
walt was bom December 15. 1845, '" Stark count)^ Ohio, a daughter of Elijah 
and Mary Bowers, natives of Pennsylvania. In politics, Mr. Greenawalt is 
an independent. Mrs. Greenawalt is a member of the Congregational church 
of Muscotah. For many years Mr. Greenawalt has been a Mason and served 
as eminent commander of ^Washington Commandery, No. i, at Atchison for 
two years, and also served as worshipful master of Active lodge of Masons, 
and is a member of the Knights of Pvthias. 



HENRY NIEMANN. 



Wherever members of the German race have settled in the agricultural 
sections of the Middle West, we find that they have been uniformly success- 
ful, and it is only natural to find that certain individuals achieve greater suc- 
cess than others. Henry Niemann, of Center township, Atchison county, is 
an American citizen of Gennan birth, who came to this country a poor emi- 
grant lad. and has made a wonderful success since he purchased his first eighty 
acre tract in this county, nearly forty years ago. He is now one of the larg- 
est landed proprietors of the county, and one of the best known stockmen of 
northeast Kansas. 

Henry Niemann was born February 14. 1853, in Minden, Germany, a son 
of Christian and Mary (Krouse) Niemann, who lived ant! died in tlie I-'ather- 
land. They were the parents of seven children as follows : Crist, deceased ; 
Henry, whom this review directly concerns ; Fred, a farmer of Center town- 
ship ; Mrs. Christena Krouse, deceased ; Charles, a farmer of Atcliison county ; 
William, living in Germany, and Augustav, deceased. Henry was educated 
in tlie schools of his native land and at the age of eighteen years left the 
Fatherland and immigrated to America in search of his fortune, wliich he was 
eventually to find in Kansas. He first settled in Madison county, Illinois, 
and worked there as a farm hand for five years. He saved his money care- 
fully while working on the farms of Illinois, and in 1S76 came to Kansas and 
invested in a tract of eighty acres of land in Center township. He erected a 
small two-room cabin on his land and a barn to house his team of horses. He 
broke his land gradually and at first was able to farm only a small portion of 
it. The neighbors tried to discourage him by telling him that the strong winds 
might wreck his home at any time and advised In'm to find a better and safef 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY jSl 

location. He failed to find a place which suited him as well as his first 
choice, and although he has lived for forty years on the farm his buildings 
have never yet been blown away by the Kansas zeph\rs. Mr. Niemann has 
prospered as he deserved and by the exercise of economy, hard work and good 
financial judgment, has become the owner of 615 acres of land in several 
farms, all of which are well improved and highly productive. Mr. Niemann 
is an extensive feeder of hogs and raises large numbers annually for the mar- 
ket. He believes in feeding the grain products of his farm to live stock on 
the place and thus reaps greater benefits than the ordinary methods of fann- 
ing would yield. He is a stockholder in a prosperous mercantile concern at 
Nortonville, Kan. 

Mr. Niemann was married in 1897 to Louise h^'ommer, and to this mar- 
riage have been born ten children, namely : Mrs. Mary Dietrich, a w-idow, 
Avho lives with her parents ; Rosa, widow of George Moeck, also living with 
her parents ; Christena, deceased ; Dena, deceased ; William, a farmer living in 
Center township ; Mrs. Dora Dietrich, deceased ; Harry, Henry and Julius, liv- 
ing at home, and Mrs. Lillie Poos, Nortonville, Kan. The mother of these 
children was born in Wurtemlierg. Germany, in 1858, a daughter of J'jhn and 
Kathrine (Markley) Frommer, natives of Germany, who were early settlers 
of Atchison county. 

Mr. Niemann is an independent Republican voter, who refuses to wear 
the collar of any one set of political bosses, and votes as his judgment indi- 
cates. He and his family are members of the German Lutheran church. 
Henry Niemann is a fine type of successful German-American farmer and is a 
tiller of the soil first and last ; he lays claim to no ambition beyond tilling his 
broad acres and making his land yield the maximum of sustenance for man and 
beast ; his great success lays in the fact that he has confined his energies to the 
soil and its cultivation and he has managed to get a good slice of the liest land 
obtainable. 



FRED \\\ KAUFMAN. 



Fred W. Kaufman, merchant, Cummings, Kan., was born in Nortonville, 
Kan., February 18, 1879. He is a son of Frank and Louise (Baker) Kauf- 
man, who were the parents of thirteen children. Frank Kaufman was born 
in Senna, Germany, in 1833. When a youth, in his native land he learned the 
shoemaker's trade which he followed there until eighteen years of age, and he 
then emigrated from Germany to America in 185 1. He came to Atchison, 



782 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Kan., and worked as a cobbler. W hen the town of Pardee. Kan., was 
founded, Mr. Kaufman opened a shoe shop in that town and con(hictcd it for 
about four years, after which he located in Nortonville and worked at his 
trade until his demise in 191 1. The children of Frank and Louise Kaufman 
were as follows: Charles, deceased, merchant of Nortonville, born 1866, died 
1908; Edward, a merchant, Nortonville; Fred, a merchant of Cummings, 
Kan., the subject of this review; Mrs. Anna Coon, of Rock Creek, Kan. ; Mrs. 
Flora Hilderl)rand, Independence. Kan. ; \\'alter, a farmer, living near Cleve- 
land, Okla. ; Grace, residing at Nortonville. The mother of these children 
was born near the city of Atchison, and is now living in Nortonville. 

Fred Kaufman was reared in Nortonville and attended the public scliools 
of his native city after which he studied in the Atchison Business College. 
At the age of fifteen years he was employed as clerk in a general merchandise 
store in his home city. In 1900 he went to St. Joseph, Mo., wliere he was 
employed in the wholesale department of the Wheeler & Motter Mercantile 
Company for a period of nine years, and served in the capacity of mail order 
clerk in this establishment. He was then given a traveling position as sales- 
man with his firm and for three years sold goods in the surrounding terri- 
tory with considerable success. His ambitions led him to undertake things 
in his own behalf, however, and in 1912 Mr. Kaufman located in Colorado, 
wltere he was engaged in ranching for three years. Tiiree years' hard work 
enabled him to develop his Colorado farm into a good piece of salable prop- 
erty and he then disposed of his lioldings and came to Cummings where he 
invested his casii capital in a general merchandise store whicli lie is conduct- 
ing with consideralile .success. His previous commercial experience has 
proven to be invaluable to him since entering the mercantile field in his own 
behalf, and he has developed a splendid business in Cummings. Besides his 
large store in Cummings, !\Ir. Kaufman has invested in 210 acres f)f land in 
Colorado and Oklahoma. 

Mr. Kaufman was married September 6. 1905. to Carrie F. Ilackiiev, 
and this marriage has been blessed with two children: Fred, Jr., and Maxine 
C, both of whom are at home with their parents. Mrs. Kaufman was bom 
October 27, 1884, at Agency, Buchanan county, Missouri, and is a daughter 
of Alfred and Pauline (Slover) Hackney, natives of \Visconsin and Missouri, 
respectively. Alfred Hackney was a son of Tliomas and Mary (Saxton) 
Hackney, the fonner a native of England. Thomas was an early pioneer set- 
tler in Doniphan county, Kansas, coming there about 1852, and also operated 
a drug store at Wathena, Doniphan county. Mrs. Thomas Hackney is still 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 783 

living at the age of eighty-eight years, born August, 1827. Alfred is now- 
living in retirement at St. Joseph. Mo., and has attained tlie age of sixty-five 
years. ?iJrs. Kaufman's niMther thed in 1 004, at tlie age of forty years. 

Mr. Kaufman is a Republican in politics and is affiliated witli the United 
Commercial Travelers" lodge at Hastings, Neb. He and Mrs. Kaufman at- 
tend religious worship at the Baptist church, of which Mrs. Kaufman is a 
member. Mr. Kaufman is a splendid type of self-made man whose success 
in the mercantile field is certain to continue in the years to come. His busi- 
ness methods are such as to commend him favorably to the many patrons of 
his store; he is likewise a good citizen who has the best interest of his town 
and countv at heart. 



ARNOLD LANGE. 



Lancaster township, iVtchison county, is rightly considered as one of the 
genuine garden spots of the State of Kansas, because of the fertility of the 
soil, the well kept appearance of the fields, and tlie excellent improvements on 
the farms, the owners of which seem to vie with each other as to who can 
have the nicest looking and most productive farm. Tliis township has a large 
German population, or rather, American citizen farmers, of German birth or 
descent, and it is a proverb in this land that, wherever you see a community of 
thrifty farmers of German descent, there you will find enterprise, thrift and 
progress. Arnold Lange, of this township, is a successful farmer and breeder, 
of German Ijirtli who has made good in ins adopted country and holds a higli 
place in the citizenship of the county. 

Arnold Lange was born in Westphalia, Prussia, German Empire, Decem- 
ber 23, 1853, and is a son of Herman and Charlotte (Mittendorf) Lange, 
who were born and reared in the Fatherland. Herman Lange was a farmer 
and coal dealer, and also conducted a grocery store for a time. He was born 
in 1824, lived all of his life in liis native land and died in 1907. His wife, 
Charlotte, died in 1899, at tlie age of seventy-six years. They were the par- 
ents of twelve children, six of whom are living. 

Arnold Lange received his schooling in Germany and worker! as farmer 
and teamster until his emigration from Germany to America in 1882. He set- 
tled in Atchison county and invested his capital in eighty acres of land north 
of Huron, which he cultivated for nine years with fair success. He then sold 
the farm at an increase over the purchase price and bought the farm which now 
constitutes his home place and which contains 240 acres of good land. The 



784 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

improvements on the land when Mr. Lang-e purchased the tract were indif- 
ferent and inchided a small house. Naturally one of his thrift and pride 
could not remain lont;- content with poor accommodations and he has hnilt a 
commddious farm residence and a very fine barn and im])roved the looks of his 
place with shruhhery and trees until it presents a handsome appearance. He 
has also set out an orchard of six acres. Mr. T-anj^e has specialized in his 
live stock raising with considerable success and his efforts in breeding thor- 
oughbred Pcrchcron horses have met with reward commensurate with his 
efforts. He has bred and raised some very fine animals of this class and 
in 1906 was awarded first ])rize on Percheron draft animals at the county 
fair held in Effingham. His interest is given to breeding fine cattle and 
his herd of shorthorns are as good as can be found in the county. 

Mr. Lange was ntarricd in 1883 to Miss Minnie Ivloepper, who has borne 
him three children : Herman, of Huron, Kan. ; William, a farmer, of Grass- 
hopper township, and Arnold, a graduate of the Huron schools and at home 
assisting his father in the fann work. The mother of these children was born 
December 14, 1865. in Illinois, and is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Christian 
Klocppcr deceased. Mr. Lange is a Democrat, and is a member of the (lerni.in 
J.utheran church. He is fraternally connoctefl with the Modern \\'oodmen 
lodge. 



WILLIAM H. GRANER. 
"The Graner Farm." 



According to competent .aulhorily there are in Atchison ouniy a num- 
ber of ])ure bred li\i' stock breeders, who, if they received tlu- recognition to 
which they are rightly entitled, would take high rank ann)ng the leading live 
stock men of the country, .\mong these specialists are W'illiaiu 11. and Henry 
C. Graner, sons of one of the pioneer pure bred live stock breeders of the 
comity who are following in their father's footsteps and have made a name 
and faiue tor tlieinsehes wiiicli extend far beyond llu' borders of this county 
and lieyond the borders of the State of Kansas, Willi.im IT. Graner. ]v:o- 
prietor of the "Graner Farm," which is the old homestead of the Graner 
family, is one of the most successful agriculturists of the county and is deser\'- 
uig of .special credit for his progressivencss and decided atiility as a breeder 
of fine live stock. The "Graner b'nrm" is one of the best stocked and best 
e(|nipped ranches in the West and is noted for its fine .Shorthorn cattle and 




jfm w^Wi 




<^AffU %. 




.. /A. . /fo>//.a {.//...-/■) %■. 




The Old Graner Homestead. W. H. Graner. Owner. 






^ C-^^^^a-^^^^^ 




Crowd of prosperous Kansas farmers at H. C. Graner's Annual Sale of Large Type 
Poland China Sows, May! 27, 1913. Pleasant Hill Stock Farm, Lancaster, Kansas. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY jH^ 

Standard lired Percheron liorses. Mr. Graner learned the breeding business 
from his father and has made a success of tlie undertaking. His farm con- 
sists of i6o acres, whicl: was formerly owned and developed by his father, 
Gottlieb Graner. On this farm are some very fine animals of the pure bred 
Shorthorn type which will compare most favorably in Ijreeding and appear- 
ance with anything of the kind in the country. His herd of Percherons include 
twenty registered mares which have won many prizes at count}' fairs and live 
stock exhiliits in Kansas. Mr. Graner has owned and used two grandsons 
of "Brill'ant." the sons of "Old F>rilliant," ar.d sire of these animals, the 
"Colored Gentleman," was awarded first and championship over all draft 
horses at the world's e.\hibit of live stock at the Chicago international exhibi- 
tion in 1893. ^11 o^ li's mares' ancestry is traced back to "Old Brilliant" and 
this strain predominates in his drove of fine Percherons. 

In the l)reeding of Shorthorn cattle he has used such sires as a son of 
the imported cow. "Ballechin," "Charming Maid," V67-616, "Sire Cere- 
monious Archer," 171479. A number of the cows in Mr. Graner's herd are 
sired by "Victor Archer," 223102, a pure Victoria, and one of the finest strains 
of Shorthorn cattle known. Mr. Graner has not shown any of his fine stock 
cattle outside of Atchison county. He has six large cattle barns for the hous- 
ing of his li\'e stock and ships the product of his farm to bu}'ers and fanciers 
in all parts of the United States. 

Gottlieb Graner, founder of the "Graner Farm," and father of William 
H. and Henry C. Graner. of Lancaster township, was born in Germany in 
1835. and immigrated from the Ivatherland to .\merica at the age of sixteen 
years. He first settled in Illinois where he worked as a farm hand, and a few 
years later came west to Kansas City, Mo. In this city he invested his sav- 
ings in a city lot which is now in the heart of the most valuable business dis- 
trict of the southwest metropolis, but he eventually let the lot go for taxes. 
From Kansas City he made his way to the city of Atchison where he found 
employment in a brewery at a salary of $100 ])er month. He saved his money 
and in 1868 purchased 160 acres of raw prairie land in Lancaster township. 
fur which he ])aid five dollars an acre. He became a breeder of Shorthorn 
cattle and Percheron horses and succeeded in this underiaking. being one ot 
the ])ioneer breeders of the western country. .\t the lime of his demise, in 1894, 
be was the owner of 560 acres of well improved farm lands. 

Gottlieb Graner married Martha Hauck, also a native of Germany, and 
who died in 1905. To this well and favorably known pioneer couple were 
born the following children : Mrs. Matilda Stansburger, a widow, residing 
in California; William H., with whose career this review is directly concerned; 

(30) 



786 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Henry C, a farmer and stockman, living near William H. ; Ferdinand, living 
in Xew York, and .\dol])h, residing in California. Mr. and Mrs. dottlieb 
Graner were Lndierans, and honest, industrious. God-fearing people. 

William H. Graner was bom June 13, i86g. on the farm which he now 
owns in Lancaster township. He was reared on his father's farm and attended 
the Bell district school and also studied in the Monroe Institute at Atchison, 
after which he pursued a course in the Atchison business college. His com- 
mercial course occupied a period of four years and has proven to be invaluable 
to him in tlie manngcment of his extensive farming interests, .\fter complet- 
ing his commercial course Mr. Graner went to work on the home farm with 
his father, .\fter his father's demise in 1894 he took charge of the farm and 
managed it until all the children became of age. The estate left by his father 
was then divided, and William bought the interests of the other heirs in the 
home farm and came into possession of the homestead place of 160 acres 
which he ha? improved with several barns and modern farm buildings. He 
has prospered and is now the owner of 560 acres of land, two farms, each of 
which is well equipped with good buildings. One of these farms is tilled by 
a tenant, and Mr. Graner had planted in 1915 140 acres of com. 

Mr. Graner was married in 1898 to Miss Clara Matthias, and to this 
union have been bom four children, namely: Martha, deceased; Louis. Mar- 
guerite, and Esther, at home with their parents. Mrs. Graner was bom Feb- 
ruary 6, 187 1, in Lancaster township, a daughter of Fred and Agnes (Boden- 
doerfer) Matthias, both of whom were natives of Germany and immigrated 
from the I'atlierland to .\merica and bccanif early pioneer settlers in .\tcliison 
county. Mrs. Graner attended the Rock district school in her youth and is an 
excellent helpmeet to her husband and a kind mother to her children. 

Mr. (iraner is an indejx'ndent in ix:ilitics and prefers to vote for the man. 
regardless of party affiliations. He is a member of the Lutheran church, Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and Modem Woodmen of America. He is a 
well educated and versatile citizen and a capable and successful business man. 
as well as farmer and breeder. He has achieved a considerable measure of 
prominence in the county and State because of his decided ability. Besides 
his farming interests he is a stockholder of the Independent Harvester Com- 
pany of Piano, 111., of which concem he is the county agent, a large warehouse 
having been erecte<l on tlie "Graner b^arm" for the purpose of housing the 
implement stock sold to farmers in the neighborhood. Mr. Graner is a mem- 
ber and stockholder of the Percheron Society of .\merica, the Importers and 
Breeders, and the American Percheron Registry Association, and is a mem- 
ber of the .\merican Sliortliorn Breeders' As.sociation. He is a director in the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 787 

Brown County Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of which prosperous con- 
cern he has been a director for fifteen years. 



HENRY C. GRANER. 
"Pleasant Hill Stock Farm." 

Situated on a hillside within sight of the old Graner homestead in Lan- 
caster township, Atchison county, is the "Pleasant Hill Stock Fami," owned 
and managed by Henry C. Graner, one of the most successful and best known 
farmers and breeders of northeast Kansas. Mr. Graner is a son of Gottlieb 
Graner, a pioneer in the pure bred live stock industry of Atchison county, 
whose biography appears in the review of the life of William H. Graner on 
the preceding pages of this history of their home county. Tiie "Pleasant Hill 
Stock Farm" is unquestionably one of the best equipped modern breeding 
plants in the .State of Kansas and is famed over the West for tlie product 
of its fields and barns. This farm consists of 240 acres of well tilled and well 
improved land, situated two miles north of the town of Lancaster and only 
a quarter of a mile from the birthplace of Henry C. Graner. In addition to 
his home place, Mr. Graner is the owner of 160 acres of land wliich he uses 
for pasturing his live stock. The home farm is well equipped witli two farm 
dwellings and five well built barns and granaries with other conveniences to 
facilitate the handling of live stock. The owner has given special attention 
to equipping his farm for the breeding of fine cattle and hogs. He pays a 
great deal of attention to his Poland China hogs and is a breeder of the Big 
Type Poland China swine, which arc. among the best in the L^nited Slates. 
Mr. Graner ships the product of his breeding pens to all parts of the country 
anfl lias annual sales of tlioroughbred hogs which are a feature of the country- 
side. To show the prices obtained from his sales in 19 14, one small sow sold 
for $500. He handles the Big Type Poland China breed exclusively and is a 
regular exhibitor at county fairs and has frequently taken first prizes and 
many blue ribbons. His drove of fine hogs exceeded 300 in 191 5, all pure 
bred stock. 

Mr. Graner's herd of Sliorthorn cattle is of the Scotch pure bred strain 
and bred to "Choice Goods," a famous strain known the world over for qual- 
ity. He has also shown his fine cattle at the county fairs and live stock 
exhibits and carried off many first prizes. His herd of pure bred Shorthorns 
numbers fifty head at the present time, all registered stock. In addition to 
licing a breeder of hogs and cattle Mr. Graner breeds standard Percheron 
horses of the imported strain sired by "Brilliant," of which he has usiially 
fmni t\\cnty-fi\c tn lliirl\- iiead of fine stocl< on the place. 



788 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Henrj' C. Graner was born April 19, 1871, on the old Graner homestead 
in Lancaster township, on which he was reared to young manhood. Wlien 
a small boy he attended school in the village of Lancaster, and after the school 
house was erected in the neighborhood he went to the district school. He 
was one of the first students to enter Midland College in Atchison and there 
completed his education. He remained on the home farm until 1901 and tlien 
bought the farm which lie now owns, first consisting of 160 acres, to wliich 
he afterwards added an eighty. He later invested in another quarter sec- 
tion which he uses for pasture. 

He was married June 6, 1901, to Miss Mary K. ^leck, who has borne 
him five children, as follows: Lillian, born October 11, 1902; Matilda, born 
April 21. irc.4.: Louise, born June i, 1907: Henrietta, born March 11, 1910. 
and Frederick, born April 8, 191 3. The mother of these children was torn 
in Center township August 31, 1874, a daughter of Fred Meek, now living on 
a farm in Center township, Atchison county. Mrs. Graner is a capable 
woman, a devoted wife and mother, and the Graner home is a very happy one 
at all times. 

Mr. Graner is a Democrat in politics, but has little time to devote to the 
political game other than to vote for his favorite candidates at election time. 
He and Mrs. Graner are members of the Liuicaster Presbyterian church, of 
which institution Mr. Graner is a trustee. He is affiliated with the Ancient 
Free and .Accepted Masons, tlie Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the 
Modem Woodmen of America. He is also a member of the Standard Bred 
Poland China Record As.sociation, and the Percheron Society of America. 
Mr. Graner's success has been mainly due to hard work, close application to 
his affairs and keen financial iudgment. 



RICHARD E. KING. 

Richard E. King, farmer of Oak Mills. \\'alnut township. Atchison 
county, was born in this county, January 11. 1876. He was a son of Richard 
M. King, pioneer, fanner, merchant and early-day freighter, who v.'as torn in 
Smith county, Tennessee, January 23, 1837. Richard M. was a son of .Abra- 
ham and Mahaley (James) King, natives of Virginia, who came to Tennessee 
in 1833. They migrated from Tennessee to Buchanan county. Missouri, in 
1851, and one year later moved to a farm in Platte county, Missouri, where 
Abraham King and his wife eventually died. Richard M. King crossed the 
plains with a freighting outfit which started from Ft. Leavenworth en route 
to Ft. Laramie in \\'^yoming. and met with considerable adventure on tiie long 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 789 

trip, which consumed ninety days going and reluming. The Indians molested 
them frequently, and one time a mischievous band stole all the tongue pins 
from their wagons. Another time, when they were in camp, a band of hun- 
dreds of Pawnees swarmed around the train and tried to intimidate the men. 
One big Pawnee l.uck, uttering a loud "woof," stuck a spear in Mr. King's 
stomach. On acc(Xmt of the Indinn fiirce being of superior number to the 
whites, they did not dare take offense at anything they did, or seem offended 
at any of their pranks for fear of massacre. Richard M. King followed 
freighting four years and made his last trip to the far West in 1862, from Ft. 
Leavenworth, Kan., to Ft. Union, X. M. He came back from this trip, and 
with his sa\ings bought a tract of land on the Missouri river in Walnut town- 
ship. Unhappily, this land was eventually cut off from the mainland by the 
freakish Missouri, when it once more changed its course, and, althiiugh 
the deed to the land is still held bv Richard M. King the nuidd\- waters of the 
Missouri flow over it. In 1866 he bought forty acres of land in the hills, 
back from the river. He was married November 22, 1863, to ^lary Frances 
Mottle, a daughter of Da\-id and Frances (Ureal) Hottle, both of whr)m were 
natives of Brook county, Virginia. They too, came to Kansas in the early 
days, and settled in Leavenworth county, in 1855. David Hottle was a 
butcher by trade and bought and killed the first beef ever slaughtered in the 
historic town of Kickapoo, Leavenworth county. Kickapoo was a hotbed of 
the pro-slavery element in those days and woe betide the man who opposed 
their wishes. Two children were born to Richard M. King and wife: Lucy 
Ann, born August 27, i86_i, deceased wife of Thomas Reagan, a passenger 
conductor on the Missouri Pacific railway. To Mr. and Airs. Reagan were 
born two children, Thomas D., born March 8, 1889, '"i'^' John M.. born .\ugusi 
7, 1905 ; Richard E., the subject of this review. 

Richard E. King grew to manhood on the home farm and was educated 
in the common schools of his native comity and the high school at Kansas 
City, Kan. He was married in 1895 to Mar\- Sacks, a daughter of Flenry 
Sacks, of Atchison county. She died in 1898, and after her death, Mr. 
King went to Kansas City, Kan., to reside and was there engaged in \arious 
pursuits. He married Miss Sue Allen in Kansas City, Kan., January 16, 
1900. Afrs. King is a daughter of James T. and Jane (McCampbcll) Allen, 
both natives of Woodford county, Kentucky, whose people removed from the 
ancestral home of the family in Virginia to Kentucky. The old Allen home- 
stead built of natural stone is still standing in the latter State, a ])icturesque 
and beautiful reminder of ante-bellum days. In 1885 James T. Allen and 
family left Kentucky and went to Cass county, Missouri, where they resided 



79° 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 



on a farm until 1903, and then removed to Harrisonville, Mo., where they 
now live. One child has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. King. Rich- 
ard Allen King, born July 12, 1903, a bright and intelligent boy and is an ex- 
cellent student in school. 

The King home, situated on a bluff overlooking the reaches of the old 
Missouri river, is noted for its hospitality and good cheer. '1 heir home has 
been named "Che-me-o-kah," a Kaw Indian term, meaning "Lodge of the 
Rising Sun," or "Sunrise Cottage." The Kaw Indians had a village on this 
farm in ancient times. Mr. and Mrs. King are a fine young couple who are 
highly esteemed by all who know them. Mrs. Richard M. King has one of 
the most remarkable collections of family heirlooms in Kansas. 



JOHN MOECK. 



John Moeck, farmer, of Centei township, Atchison county, was born in 
W'urtemlierg, Germany, March 17, 1869. He is a son of Henry and Eva 
(Heinz) Moeck, who were the parents of the following children: Mrs. Kath- 
rine Younger, living near Potter. Kan. ; Anna, deceased ; Henry, farmer. Ger- 
many; John, subject of this sketch; Karl, Osborne county, Kansas; Regina, 
Atchison, Kan. ; and George, deceased. The father was born April 3, 1839, 
in Germany, where he spent his life. He was a son of Henry Moeck, also 
a native of Germany. His wife, Eva, was born December i, 1841. She is 
a native of Germany, and is now living on a farm in that country. John 
Moeck, the subject of this sketch, attended the schools in Germany, and in 1883 
immigrated to the United States, settling in Atchison county, Kansas, where 
he worked on a farm for his board and clothing. He attended the district 
schools of Center township until he was twenty-one years old. During this 
time he was living with his uncle, Fred Moeck, and the following five years 
he worked as a farm hand. He was then married, and settled down on the 
farm which he now owns. He rented it for a time, until he was able to 
accumulate enough to buy it. He bought the place in 1898, and has owned 
it since that time. The farm consists of 145 acres of fine land, which the 
owner has improved extensively. Two acres of the place is planted with fine 
fniit-bearing trees. Mr. Moeck keeps high grade stock on his farm. 

The career of Mr. Moeck shows what one can do by hard work, ^^^^en 
he arrived in Atchison county he had only four dollars, and even- cent that 
he now owns has been earned by hard work since he came to Atchison county. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 7QI 

Mr. Moeck is a self-made man, wlio has won a desiral)le place for himself 
in his community. That his fellow citizens hold him in high regard, is shown 
by the fact that they elected him to the office of township treasurer for two 
terms. He has been road overseer, and is now a member of the school board. 
In 1895 Mr. Moeck married Kathrine Ziegler, who was born April 5, 
1875. She is a native of Germany, and the daughter of George and Agnes 
(Frommer) Ziegler. When a child five years old Mrs. Moeck came to 
America with her parents, who settled in Center township, Atchison county. 
Mr. and Mrs. Moeck have four children : Eva, Louise, Frieda, and Walter, 
living at home. Mr. Moeck is a Republican. He is an elder in the German 
Lutheran church. In reviewin-g his life, it is only fair to say that he is one 
of those self-made citizens who form the solid foundation of our democracy. 
By his own efforts he has climbed to the top, and has shown by his life 
what the man who A\-ill tr_\- can accomplish. 



JOHN O. A. MILLER. 



John O. A. Miller, farmer and stockman, of Kapioma township. Atchi- 
son county, was born January i, 1872, in Kapioma township. He is a son of 
James and Eliza (Russell) Miller, who were the parents of eight children, one 
of whom is dead. The father, James Miller, was born in Clay county, Mis- 
souri, August 3, 1 83 1, and was a son of Moses Miller, a native of Kentucky. 
James Miller grew up on his father's farm and at the age of eighteen crossed 
the wild western plains to New Mexico, working for the Govemment. He 
found a few years of the strenuous life enough and settled down to farming 
in Atchison county in 1854. He bought 160 acres of land frmn a land com- 
pany. The farm was composed of good bottom land and he made extensive 
improvements on the profitable returns which his large crops brought. He 
was a large breeder of cattle, especially Shorthorns, and his judgment on 
cattle was regarded as authoritative. He was known throughout that part of 
the countrs^ as the "cattle king." He farmed 700 acres until his death. Dur- 
ing his life time he held a number of township offices. His successful career 
ended September 12. 1913, with his death at Muscotah, Kan. His wife, who 
was a native of Iowa, died in 1879. 

John Miller grew up on his father's farm. He attended the Atchison 
County High School at Effingham, Kan., and after working a short time 
he went to the State Normal School at Emporia, Kan. To earn his way 



792 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

through college he worked as a farm hand until he had saved enough money 
lo carry him through school. After leaving the State Normal School he 
rented the farm which he now owns, and in 19 12 bought it. The place con- 
sists of 160 acres. In 1914 he built a fine barn, which is one of the best in 
the State for its size. It is 40x52 feet and has a smaller wing, 26x14 
feet, with a capacity of seventy-five tons of hay. It is strongly constructed 
and is a model barn. "Sir. Miller maintains that stock as fine as his ought to 
have a good barn in which to live. He makes a specialty of Percheron 
horses and Chester White hogs. He is also a breeder of Shorthorn cattle 
and has maintained the same strain which his father kept. In addition to his 
activities in the rural life of his neighborhood Mr. Miller is active in the busi- 
ness affairs of Muscotah. He is a director and stockholder in the State Bank 
at Muscotah, Kan., and has an interest in the Farmers' Grain and Elevator 
Supply Company and the Mutual Telephone Company. 

In 1903 he married Jane Ernst, who was born November 6, 187 1, in 
Kapioma township, Atchison county. She is a daughter of John and Eliza 
(Lewis) Ernst. The father is a native of Germany and the mother of Nor- 
way, and both came to Atchison county, Kansas, in the early days. Mr. and 
Mrs. Miller have two children : Alice E. and Mary E., twins, who are living 
at home. Mr. Miller is a Democrat and has been treasurer of Kapioma 
township. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. 



CHARLES CARLTON FIART. 

For a Kansas citizen and pioneer settler to spend the better part of a life- 
time in building up a fine and highly productive farm, and then to enter the 
banking business at a time when most men are ready to retire and live a life 
of ease, is rather out of the ordinary, but such has been the experience of C. 
C. Hart, banker, of Muscotah, Kan. Mr. Hart has lived in Kansas for forty- 
seven years and has been successively farmer ruid lianker during that time. 
He is a descendant of one of the old families in America and comes of a 
family of ministers and teachers. 

C. C. Hart was torn December 6, 1842. in Sandusky, Ohio, and was a 
son of Rev. Ichabod and Harriet (Whitcomb) Hart, the fomier a native of 
New York, and tlie latter was born in Templeton. Mass.. April 22, 1810. and 
died in Chicago, III. April 30. 1889. The Hart family is a very old one in 
America and is descended from two English immigrants who settled in Con- 




-i. ^: :£./ 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 79-5 

itecticut in the colonial period of our Nation's history, and from whom tiie 
city of Hartford took its name in tiie seventeenth centnry. Several descend- 
ants of these early pioneers fought for the cause of American independence 
m the American Revolution and also in the War of 1812. Two brothers of 
C. C. Hart served in the Union army in the late Civil war. The father of 
C. C. Hart was educated for the Presbyterian ministry and later became a 
Congregational minister. He received his college training in Princeton Uni- 
versity and migrated to Ohio in 1840; resided at Sandusky until 1843, and 
then took charge of a church at Medina, Ohio, until 1844, when he removed 
to Kenosha, Wis. After several years' ministerial work in Wisconsin he 
located in lUinois, and died at Wheaton, that State, in 1870, at the ripe old age 
of eighty-four years. Rev. Hart was the father of eiglit cJiildrcn : Edwin R. 
received a college education and served in the Union army ; Rev. Walter O. 
Hart, a Union veteran, now located in North Carolina; Eliza F., born in 
Kenosha, Wis., January 23, 1847, married George W. Phillips, and died Sep- 
tember 15, 1875, at l.laiio, Te.xas. one and one-half years after her nrirriage. 
While carrying on his ministerial work the Rev. Ichabod Hart also conducted 
a farm in the neighborhood of his work. Exlwin R. Hart was educated in 
Oberlin College, Ohio, and Walter O. received a college and theological insti- 
tute education and is now living in retirement with his son who also is a 
minister. 

C. C. Hart, with whom this review is directly concerned, was reared to 
young manhood on his father's farm and attended the schools of Genoa, Wis. 
During the Civil Avar he remained at home and assisted his father in the farm 
work. In 1868 he decided to strike out for liimself and try his fortunes in 
the \\'est. He came to Kansas and located in Jackson county, on the western 
border of Atchison county, where he purchased 160 acres of railroad owned 
land, at a cost of five dollars and forty cents per acre. He at once began im- 
proving this tract which was raw prairie at the time of purchase and in the 
course of time developed it into a fine and highly productive farm. The 
Hart farm is one of the most productive and best improved in the State of 
Kansas and is widely known for the exxellent shape in which the grounds and 
improvements are kept. Mr. Hart added eighty acres adjoining in .Atchison 
county to the original quarter section and now has 240 acres in all. He re- 
mained on the farm until 1905, in the meantime having become interested in 
the Muscotah Stale Bank as a stockholder and director. In that year he 
removed to the town of Muscotah, where he has since made liis residence in 
an attractive home. Mr. Hart was elected cashier of tiie bank January i, 1910, 
and served in this capacitv until August I, 1915. While cashier lie also served 



794 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

as vice-president of the institution and is now connected with the bank in 
that capacity. 

Mr. Hart was married in 1867 to Miss Emma A. Olden, who has borne 
him the following children : Arthur C, born in 1873, married Bertie Stock- 
ton, and has one child, Dorothy, residing in Bakersfield, Cal. ; Dwight Hart 
died in youth. Mrs. Emma A. (Olden) Hart, the mother, was bom in Wis- 
consin in 1846, and is a daughter of Enos Olden, a native of New York 
State, and a descendant of an old eastern family. 

The Republican party has always claimed the allegiance of Mr. Hart, 
and he has taken an active part in political affairs during his long residence 
in Grasshopper township and Muscotah. While living on the farm he held 
various township offices, and was always found in the forefront of civic move- 
ments which had for their intention the ultimate good of all the people. He 
filled the post of mayor of Muscotah for four years and was a good official. 
In church work he has been very active and is at present the treasurer of the 
Congregational church. His work in the interest of the young people of Mus- 
cotah has endeared him to all of the residents and for twenty-five years he 
has served as the superintendent of the Sunday school of his church. Mr. 
Hart was secretary of the Atchison County Sunday School Association for 
ten vears. Although this grand old pioneer has passed the allotted three 
score and ten vears of age. he is still active, mentally and physically, and 
rarely a day passes which does not find him at his desk attending to his 
duties in the bank or working alDout tlic gnuinds of his altracti\-e. well kept 
home. Mr. Hart is a courteous and kindly gentleman of the old school whom 
one can not help but admire for his many sterling qualities. 



WILLT.XM YOUNG. 



A native born Kansan, who became a successful agriculturist and banker, 
and left an indelible imprint upon the business and social life of .\tchison 
county, was the late William Young, of .A.rrington, Kan. The Young family 
was one of the real pioneer families of the county, and the late Mr. Young 
was born on a pioneer farm in Mt. Pleasant township May 20. 1858. He was 
a son of William Johnson Young, whose w^ife was Mrs. Martha (Wamach) 
Smwvdeii, widnw. lorn in \'irginia, a daughter of .\braham Wamach. an 
earlv pioneer settler of Atcliison county, who came to this county in 1854 
and settled on adjoining homesteads witli W. J. Young. W. J. Young, the 



HISTORY Ol' ATCHISON COUNTY 795 

father of \Villiam, was born in Tennessee in 1815, and was the first judge 
of Atchison county. He settled on a farm in Wahiut township, two and one- 
half miles northeast of Potter, Kan., which farm is now owned by Peter C. 
Griner. The elder Young was a natural born leader of men, and took an 
active and influential part in the political affairs of the county in the early 
days. He was a religiolis man, whose home was a meeting place for the 
politicians and ministers of the Gospel, and he was very hospitable. His 
father was the Rev. Duke Young, a native of Tennessee, who came to Kan- 
sas in 1854, and preached the first sermon in the county, on the doctrine of 
the Christian denomination. The Rev. Mr. Young was about sixty years of 
age when he came to Atchison county, and he had been preaching the Gospel 
for many years in Tennessee. J. W. Young became a member of the Chris- 
tian church when sixteen years of age. The Young family was of Scotch- 
Irish ancestry. 

William Young, with whom this review is directly concerned, was one 
of a family of fourteen children reared by his parents. He grew to manliood 
on his father's farm, and after his marriage, in 1880, he and his wife located 
on a farm in Mt. Pleasant township, near the town of Potter, and developed 
it into a fine and productive tract. He continued in agricultural pursuits 
until 1908, when he went to Arrington, Kan., and purcliased the Arrington 
State Bank, which he operated until his demise, January 12. 1910. After Mr. 
Young's death, his widow disposed of the bank and the Arrington property, 
and removed to Atchison, where she has since made Iier home at 419 Kearney 
street. 

William Young was married February 5, 1880, to Miss Angie Cooley, 
and to this union were Ijorn the following children: Maude, wife of Earl 
Stapler, Atchison; Duff D. Young, bom April 8, 1901. The mother of these 
children was born November 9, 1861, a daughter of James and Cassendania 
(Waddle) Cooley, both of whom were born and reared in Kentucky. James 
Cooley, her father, migrated to Kansas in 1854 and settled on a homestead 
south of Potter, in Leavenworth county. His wife, Cassendania, came to 
Kansas to reside with her sister, Mrs. Masterson, who lived in Mt. Pleasant 
township, and she was married in i860 to James Cooley. Eight children 
were born to them, of wliom Mrs. Young was the fifth in order of birth. 
James Cooley took an active and prominent part in political affairs in Kan- 
sas in the early days, and served as the representative to the State legislature 
from Leavenworth county for two terms, from 1868 to 1872, inclusive. He 
died in 1876. 



796 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

William Young was a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons, the Odd Fellows, and the Fraternal Aid Union. He was a man who 
lived his life according to Christian precepts, and was a regular attendant at 
church and Sunday school of the Cliristian denomination. His start in life 
was at the foot of the ladder, and he was successful in his undertakings, build- 
ing for himself and his family, and leaving behhid him on this earth tlie 
memory of a life well spent, and to his family a heritage of industry, honesty, 
straightforwardness and right living which will long be remembered by those 
who knew him best. 



JAMES E. BEHEN. 



In the compilation of the biographical department of this historj^ of 
Atchison county, Kansas, the fact is frequently brought to the mind of the 
reviewer that the really successful men of this county are essentially self- 
made, and began at the foot of the ladder of success, working their way up- 
ward by various means, all of which were honest and based upon hard and 
painstaking labor at the outset of their careers. Very few were well edu- 
cated, or had been blessed with opportunities in their youth such as are the 
heritage of the youth of the present day. James Edward Behen, successful 
farmer, of Center township, Atchison county, is one of those citizens who 
are deserving of credit for what tliey have accomplished. Starting out as 
a boy of twelve, he has made his own way in the world, and after he attained 
manhood, with the assistance of a good and faithful helpmeet, he has ac- 
complished results which are really creditable. Starting with a tract of 
eighty acres of land in 1900, wiiich he found necessary to improve, he soon 
added another eighty, then another eighty, and now has a fine farm of 240 
acres, which is one of the most fertile tracts of land in the county, practically 
all of which is in cultivation. Mr. Behen has the right idea of farming, 
inasmuch as he sells the product of his farm "on the hoof," and has become 
an extensive feeder of cattle and hogs. This plan insures the fertility of 
the soil, and 'his farm is steadily improving as the result of a wise method of 
cultivation. 

Mr. Behen is a native son of Kansas, who was born and brought up on 
Kansas soil, and will not admit that there is any better place under the sun 
for a man to acquire a fortune than right here in Atchison county, and, 
judging "by what he has done in Kansas, the writer is prone to agree with 
him. James E. Behen was bom March 28, 1864, at Leavenwnrth, and is a 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 797 . 

son of Michael and INIaiy Behen, who had six cliildren. The father was of 
Irish descent. He followed Ijridge building. James, the subject of this 
sketch, started out to make his own way at the age of twelve years, and went 
to work on the farm of Edward Whalen, in Doniphan county, Kansas, and 
stayed there eiglit years. Meanwhile, he attended the district school, receiv- 
ing a rudimentar}' education. He then worked as a farm hand until he was 
twenty-two years old. For several years following he rented land in Atchi- 
son and Doniphan counties. In 1900 he bought eighty acres in Center 
township, and fi\e years later bought the eighty acres adjoining his farm 
on the west. Now he owns 240 acres, which he has improved considerably. 
He built a modern barn, 32x35 feet in size, and also built a fine cattle barn, 
forty feet scjuare. He does a large feeding business, handling a carload of 
cattle each year. He keeps graded stock of all kinds on Iiis farm. 

In 1888 he was married to Lizzie Pauly, wlio was born March 30, 
1862. in Doniphan county, Kansas. She is the daughter of John and Anna 
( Hartzinger) Pauly, natives of Germany. The parents were early settlers 
in Illinois, and moved to Doniphan county, Kansas, in 1857. Mr. and Mrs. 
Behen have eight children: Mrs. Agnes McCibben, Atchison, Kan.; Alice, 
deceased; Mary, graduate of Atchison High School, living at home; Thtimas, 
living at Imme; Joseph, at home; John, whereabouts unknown; Roy and l-'red, 
living at home. Mr. Behen is a Democrat. He is a member nf the Rnman 
Catholic church. 



FRED HARTMAX. 



It is meet that considerable space be devoted to the \alianl old pioneers 
of Kansas who assisted in the settlement of the country, and had much lo do 
with its development. Not all of them figured prominently, and it was given 
to a very few to be honored abo\-e their fellows. In the latter class the re- 
viewer must of necessitv and choice jilace the late Frerl Harlman. pioneer, 
successful fanner, L'nion veteran and well known public (official, who for 
more than two decades was a well kno\\n and highly esteemed citizen of 
Atchison county. 

Fred Hartman was ])orn in l*"ranklin county. Indiana, December 7. 1844, 
a son of Jonathan and Christina ( W'olking) Ilartman. His paternal grand- 
father was Henry Hartman, a native of Pennsylvania, of German extraction, 
and his wife, Alice Case, whom lie married in Pennsylvania, migrated to In- 
diana in the early days of the settlement of the Iloosier State. Jonathan 



798 rnsTORV of atchisox couxty 

Hartman, father of the subject, was born in Frankhn county. Indiana. Jan- 
uary 22. 1822, and was reared to young manhood among the rugged hills of 
his native county, learning the carpenter's trade, and then moving to Platte 
county, Jilissouri, with his family in 1846. Xine years after settling in 
Platte county, he removed to Port William, at that time a thriving settlement 
on the banks of the Missouri river in Atchison county. Here he erected one 
of the first sawmills in Atchison county and the State of Kansas, and fur- 
nished all the sawed lumber for the settlers for many miles around. The year 
1856 saw the beginning of the stiniggle between the Free State and pro-slav- 
en,' men for possession of Kansas, and the summer of that year w'itnessed some 
lively times. History records the fact that a man named Bob Gibson, leader 
of the Kickapoo Rangers, came from the headquarters of the gang with a 
squad of men for the purpose of mobbing Jonathan Hartman on account of 
his opposition to slavery. Mr. Hartman was a man of high courage and 
assumed a defiant attitude toward the Rangers who finally left without doing 
the damage which they had boasted was their intent. About this time the 
noted Pardee Butler was set afloat on a raft down the Missouri river b>' the 
pro-slavery men of Atchison, and Butler appealed to Hartman for aid after 
landing, near Port \^"illiam. Mr. Hartman gave Butler every assistance 
possible, in getting him to his home. In 1857 Jonathan Hartman sold his 
sawmill and settled on a farm in Mt. Pleasant township, near the old military' 
road which ran from Ft. Leavenworth to Denver, and the Far W'estern points. 
Great trains of thirty or more heavily laden wagons drawn by six and twelve 
yoke of oxen were constantly passing the liome of tlie Hartmans. Mrs. 
Hartman recalls the great drought of i860 and the great snows of the fol- 
lowing winter. During the year of the great drought the settlers did not 
raise any crops and were forced to journey to Atchison for provisions, on the 
return trip stopping at tlie Andrew Parnell farm for assistance in their dire 
need. Two of the drivers on a wagon train that terrible winter had their 
feet frozen, one of the men afterwards losing L-otli feet as a result of the hard- 
ships undergone. The Parnell home was a welcome and hospitable place of 
refuge for the starving and suffering settlers, during that winter. Mrs. 
Hartman also recalls the beautiful and inspiring sights made by the troops of 
United States cavalry which were frequently seen from her home in those days. 
Fred Hartman hearkened to the call of the Union in the second year of 
the great civil conflict and enlisted in Company F, of the famous Thirteenth 
Kansas volunteer regiment, under Captain Hayes, Major \\'oodw()rth and 
Colonels Bowen and Speck. He was engaged chiefly in scout duty, and 
was stationed at Ft. Smith and other points in the Southwest during his 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 799 

term of service, which lasted for three years, and was finally mustered out at 
Ft. Leavenworth in 1865. He tlien came home and resumed the farm work 
on his fatlier's farm. He was married January 21, i86r), to Cynthia Parnell. 
To this union were liorn the fullowing cliildren : Henrietta, wife of R. H. 
Ripple, died in 1896; Hannah Ann, wife of James Iddings, both of whom are 
deceased, and who left one child. Geneva Iddings. of Topeka, Kan. ; Dora, wife 
of Joseph Speck, died in 1896, leaving one daughter, Dora, who lives with 
her grandmother; Jonathan, a salesman of Kansas City; Josephine, wife of 
John Putman, of Atchison: May Florence, wife of Roy Trimble, sheriff of 
Atchison county, has four children; Birdie, wife of Henry Barr, died in 1906; 
Frederick, died in 1911, was married to Blanche Baker, daughter of Captain 
Baker. The mother of these children was born January 14, 1849, in Buch- 
anan county. jNIissouri, a daughter of .\ndrcw and Mirah (Wilson) Parnell 
natives of Kentucky and Indiana, respectively. Andrew and Mirah Parnell 
began their wedded life in Franklin county, Indiana, where they were reared 
and then migrated to Arkansas, and from there to Missouri in the early forties. 
In 1859 the family left Buchanan county and settled in Mt. Pleasant town- 
ship, Atchison county, where they figured prominently in the early history of 
the county. The little Parnell was named after Andrew Parnell and the old 
town of the same name took its appellation from the family which settled 
in the neighborhood. Mr. Parnell spent his last days in Jefferson county, 
Kansas, where he died in 1872. He liecame very well-to-do and prospered. 
He was one of the original Free State men and suffered considerable loss at 
the hands of the Jayliawkers and l)order ruffians, .\ndrew Parnell was 
the father of eleven children, six sons and five daughters, and sent three of 
his sons to serve their country in tiie Thirteenth Kansas regiment, one son 
being killed. Mrs. Hartman is the youngest child of this large family. 

When Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hartman were married they settled on a farm 
near Parnell, which Mrs. Hartman still owns. They developed this farm 
and cultivated it successfully until 1896. when they removed to Atchison, 
where Mr. Hartman died October 25, 1909. Mr. Hartman was a life-long 
Republican and began taking an active part in political and civic affairs when 
he had attained his majority. He was elected sheriff of the county in the fall 
of 1895, and served four years in all. in this important office. Previous to 
his removal to Atchison, he had capably filled the office of trustee of Mt. 
Pleasant township. He became identified with tlie ci\ic life of .\tchison and 
served as a member of the city council and was lield in high esteem for his 
ability and capabilities as a citizen. .Mr. Hartman was prominent in Odd 
Fellow and Masonic circles during his long life in the county. 



800 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Fred Hartman was one of those pioneer citizens of Atchison county 
which are distinguished tor their quahties of leadership, and his descendants 
are proud of his record as a citizen and public official. He was, during- his 
whole life, a reader and student who believed in keeping abreast of the times 
and made a hobby of gatliering historical data, being much interested in the 
history of his adopted State. Hi.>^ mind remained keen to the end of his days 
and he will always be fondly rememliered Ijy those who knew liim. To him 
and his comrades who laid the foundation of the prosperous and happy com- 
munity of Atchison, this volume is respectfully dedicated. 



•OSCAR A. SIMMONS. 



Successful banking calls for qualifications somewhat different from those 
required in other pursuits or professions. It calls for a keen mind, decisive 
action, ability to pass judgment upon a proposition and its merits, and the 
power to judge and gauge human nature, and determine upon the honesty 
or sincerity of those with whom the banker is constantly doing business. 
Oscar A. Simmons, active vice-president and manager of the First National 
Bank of Atchison, possesses the qualifications of a successful banker to a 
considerable degree. He is unquestionably one of the rising financiers of 
Kansas with an ever increasing prestige in financial circles. He is one of 
those broad-minded men who keep abreast of progress and have the faculty 
of adapting their capabilities to the advanced needs of the times, .\lthough 
a comjjaratively young man, as years measure a man's age, his experience 
in banking has been such as to eminently fit him for the important position 
which he holds. 

O. A. Simmons is a native of Kansas, and was born in Jefferson county 
February ii, 1874. His father was Joshua Simmons, a native of Indiana, 
and his mother was Susan Pitcher Simmons, born and partly reared in Mis- 
souri. The parents of both Joshua and Susan Simmons were among the 
pioneer settlers in Jefferson county, and it is probable that they located there 
in about 1855. Both the Sfrnmons and Pitcher families were prominent in 
the affairs of Jefferson county in the early days of the county's growth, and 
were highly respected. Joshua Simmons and Susan Pitclier were married in 
Jefferson county. At the outbreak of the Civil war, Joshua Simmons offered 
his services in behalf of the Union, and enlisted in Company A. Eleventh reg- 
iment, Kansas infantrv, at the age of seventeen vears, and was under the 




^_^_*-*-r *.*'-^ 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY • 8oi 

command of Colonels Moonlight and PlumlD. Mr. Simmons took part in 
some hard campaigns during his enlistment, the Eleventh regiment being a 
part of the division which fought General Price's army of invasion through- 
out Missouri and .Vrkansas. On a number of occasions he showed his per- 
sonal braveiy in volunteering for scout duty in the Southwest. He was mus- 
tered out at the close of the war, returned home, and was married sliortly 
afterward. After a long and successful career as a farmer and merchant, 
he is now living a retired life at Brondon, Colo., at the ripe age of sevent}'- 
one years. Eight children were born to Joshua and Susan Simmons, five 
of whom jire living, as follows: Mrs. J. W. Faubion, of Anthony, Kan.; Os- 
car A.; Mrs. P."H. Scales, of Birmingham, Ala.; W. C. and C. T. Simmons, 
of Los Angeles, Cal. The mother of these children departed this life in 1886. 
She was a good wife and a kind and loving mother. 

O. A. Simmons attended the common and high schools of his native 
county and town, after which he was employed in a general store at Win- 
chester, Jefferson county, until 1899. lie was then employed in charge of the 
gents' furnishing department of a large department store at Leavenworth 
for one year. His ambitions had always been headed toward entering the 
field of banking, inasmuch as he believed that he could make a success as a 
banker. Opportunity naturally beckoned ; he saw the need of a bank in the 
town of Potter, Atchison county. Taking what funds he could muster he 
went to Potter and organized the Potter State Bank, serving as the cashier of 
this institution for two years. He then sold his holdings in the Potter bank 
and organized the Exchange State Bank at Nortonville. For a period of five 
years he was in charge of this flourishing bank, and here had the oppor- 
tunity of demonstrating his inherent ability as a financier. A wider and 
larger field beckoned to him and he came to Atchison in 1906. Here his 
genius as an organizer has had full opportunity for exercise and he organ- 
ized the Commercial State Bank, which later l>ought control of, and was con- 
solidated with, the First National of Atchison. Mr. Simmons was elected 
vice-president of the bank at the time of the re-organization and was in- 
stalled as the bank manager. He has since taken an active part in the organ- 
ization of other banking concerns, having organized the I'armers State Bank 
of Anthony, Kan., in 1910, of which his brother-in-law, J. W. Faubion. is 
the cashier. In iqoi he organized the Jarbalo State Bank at Jarbalo, Kan., 
of which T. J. Mains is cashier. Mr. Simmons disposed of his interests in 
the Jarljalo bank in 191 1, and bought the Farmers State Bank at Effingham, 
selling control of this bank in 1912. His next venture was the purchase of 



8o2 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the controlling interest m the State Savings Bank at Leavenworth, of which 
.Mr. Mains is now the vice-president. He re-organized the Arrington State 
Bank at Arrington, Kan., in 1903, and is still interested in its affairs. He 
organized the Citizens State Bank at Elmo, Mo., in 1913, and is the principal 
owner of this bank, and is a stockliolder in the Union State Bank at ;McLouth, 
Kan. It is a noteworthy fact that every financial institution with which JNJr. 
Simmons has been connected has prospered, and is in sound condition. In 
everv bank in which he has been interested he has displayed ability of a high 
order as a financier and manager. 

• Mr. Simmons has been twice married, his first wife being ^Margaret 
Mains, whom he espoused in 1902, being a daughter of James Mains, of 
Oskaloosa, Kan. She died in 1907. His second marriage, in 1910, was with 
Mar>' Frances, daughter of J. H. Barry, a substantial and well known citizen 
of Atchison (see biography of J. H. Barr\). Two children have blessed 
this union: John Barry, born December 17, 191 1, and O. A. Simmons, junior, 
boiTi March 9, 1913. 

From farmer boy to banlvcr and capitalist in the short period of a little 
over forty years, with no initial capital to begin with, but a keen mind and 
strong body, is the gist of the career of him of whom this review is written. 
^\■hen a boy lie worked for fifty cents per day in Jefferson county. Coming 
from the soil, and being reared on the farm, he has never entirely lost a love 
for the land itself, and is heavily interested in various tracts of good farm 
land, and owns 400 acres of Atchison county farm land, and 700 acres in 
eastern Colorado, which, together with holdings in Missouri and Texas, will 
aggregate over 1.500 acres. His financial interests are varied, and in .\tch- 
ison are of such nature as to be of distinct benefit to tiie welfare of the city. 
He holds stock in several of the city's leading mercantile concerns. His first 
work was as a farm laborer at $10 per month. His commercial career prac- 
tically began in a general store at W'inchester, Kan., at a salary of $17 per 
month, and during the twenty-three years following, he has amassed a for- 
tune of over $100,000. Yet, there are those who say that opportunity for 
attaining wealth and position are gone, and that a young man has no chance 
to succeed because of the great competition of the financial trusts of the 
country. The life story of O. A. Simmons is a direct contradiction to the 
wail of the pessimist, and furnishes a decided inspiration to any young fellow 
blessed with mentality and strength to go and do likewise in his favorite line 
of endeavor. While Mr. Simmons is a stanch Republican, he does not take 
an active part in political affairs, and has declined political preferment. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 803 

H. B. WALTER. 

H. B. Walter, of Benton township, Atchison county, Kansas, is one of 
the most widely known and successful live stock breeders in Kansas, and has 
made a signal success as a breeder of l^iland China hogs during the past ten 
years. He first began the breeding of fine live stock in Republic county, 
Kansas, and while he has been a resident of Atchison county only since tgoq. 
he has become known the length and breadth of the county for his fine live 
stock production. Mr. Walter did not venture in the breeding department 
of specialized agriculture for the puipose of producing show animals, but 
began his work purely as a commercial venture, and has succeeded even be- 
yond his most sanguine expectations. He is the owner of i6o acres of fine 
farm land, located three and one-half miles northwest of Effingham, on 
which are excellent improvements. His farm is headquarters for supplying 
breeders with registered stock in all parts of the cotintry, and he has the 
distinction of having developed the world beater of big type litters, and has 
produced and sold a world's record type of Poland China swine of the big 
variety. For the past four years he has made the sales record for the State 
of Kansas in the numbers produced and the prices obtained. His farm pro- 
duces 200 head of registered Big Type Poland China swine annuallw and 
he holds two sales each year, in the months of October and February. In 
Februarv of 191 5, Mr. Walter sold fifty head of hogs, at an average price 
of sixty dollars per head, to buyers who attended the sale from all parts of 
the West. In Februarv of the preceding year he sold at his regular sale fifty 
head, which lirought an average price of seventy dollars each. The output of 
his breeding pens is shipped to points as far west as Oregon, and to places 
ranging from Minnesota to the Gulf States. In July of 1915 he filled an 
order for three high priced hogs sent in from Connecticut, fie has done no 
exhibiting except at the local stock shows. 

PI. B. Walter was born on a farm in Jay county, Indiana. July 31, 1871, 
a son of Thomas S. and Sarah (Sherman), the former a native of Indiana, 
and the latter a native of Ohio. The family migrated from Indiana to Re- 
public county, Kansas, in 1892, and settled on a farni in that county, where 
Thomas S. still resides. H. B. received his education in the pul)lic schools 
of his native county and State, and studied at Ridgevdle College. Indi- 
ana. He pre]Kired himself for the teaching profession, and taught school 
in Indiana for one year, and taught for nine years in Republic county, after 
moving to Kansas. He held the highest average grade possible to obtain in 
his teacher's certificate, and met with considerable success in his profession, 



804 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

but abandoned teaching to engage in farming, in which avocation he began 
with the same determination to succeed as he had been imbued with when 
he began to teach. He purchased a farm in Repubhc county, which he cul- 
tivated, later buying a place in Brown county. Kansas, which he sold in 
1900, and made the purchase of his present farm. 

He was married in 1895 to Fanny Kunkel, a daughter of Noah and Car- 
oline Kunkel. who were residents of Republic count}-, Kansas, from 1867 
until their death. Mrs. Walter was also a teacher for eight years, and lived 
in Republic county over forty years. Mr. and Mrs. \\'"alter have two living 
children: Frank, born in 1898, and Ruth, bom in October. 1902. 

Mr. and JNIrs. \\'alter are members of the Methodist Episcopal clnirch. 
Politically, Mr. \\ alter is an independent voter, who is not tied to the prin- 
ciples of any political part}- or leader. He is a member of the Central Pro- 
tective Association. 



HEKELXKAEMPER BROTHERS. 

This firm has the distinction of operating the oldest soda and vinegar 
manuf actor}- in Kansas, which was founded by William H. Hekelnkaemper, 
father of the present proprietors, in 1S63. The first factory was located 
in a little shed, 14x14 feet, one door east of the A. J. Harwi hardware 
store on Commercial street, Atchison. Kan. Mr. Hekelnkaemper operated 
the business for ten years, and gradually enlarged his quarters as much as his 
limited means would allow, and about 1873 removed the plant to the present 
location on the comer of Ninth and Laramie streets. He erected a brick 
ftructure. 22x50 feet, and also built an ice house. His business prospered 
from the start when he moved to his new location, and was confined to the 
trade in Atchison with the exception of supplying the towns within a radius 
of fifty miles in northeast Kansas, and western Missouri. In the old days 
patrons drove in wagons for a distance of fifty miles and more to purchase 
the products of the factor}-, and many of the former patrons are still buying 
from the sons. After the founder's death in 1881, the business was allowed 
to languish to some extent owing to the enforcement of the State prohibition 
law. for the reason that the products of the factory, while not intoxicating, 
were largely purchased b}- saloons. Trade naturally fell off for a time until 
conditions were adjusted to the new regime, and new demands were created 
in other retail circles than the saloon business. The plant was closed for 
about a year and the widow then leased the buildings for ten years to M. L. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 805 

Greenhut. \\ho later retired. Tlie sons tlien took charge in igoo, and it has 
since been operated bv F. W. and G. A. Hekehikaemjier. The 1j<)\s had no 
capital to begin with, but had a wonderful amount of determination and per- 
severance which stiuid them in good stead and enaljled them to make good. 
The business had to lie built over again, but fortunately paid a small profit 
during the first years. In time other additions were made to the plant and 
tlie capacitv ha*^ been increased to over 15,000 bottle of soda water per day. 
This is the main product of the factory which also produces fruit syrups and 
flavoring extracts of a superior grade and quality, in addition to fifty thou- 
sand gallons of high grade vinegar each year. During the busy season four- 
teen men are emplo}-ed and Hekelnkaemper Brothers has grown to become 
one of the important manufacturing concerns of Atchison. During the past 
eight years the business has practically doubled itself over that of each pre- 
ceding year. 

" \\'illiam H. Hekelnkaemper, Sr., was born in April of 1837, in West- 
phalia, Germany, and emigrated from his native land when a }oung man. He 
landed at New Orleans from a sailing vessel and then came by river boat to 
St. Louis where he lived for a number of years and engaged in the grocery 
business. His store was burned and he left St. Louis and came to the town 
of Rollin, Mo., where he again established a grocery store about 1861. In 
the spring of 1S63, he came to Atchison. Kan., and opened and operated the 
first pool and billiard room in the city. One \ear later he disposed of part 
of his equipment and moved a part to Seneca, Kan., where after operating a 
pool room for a time, he sold out and returned to Atchison, fn about 1863 
he embarked in the soda manufactory as stated in the preceding paragraph. 
Wiiile a resident of St. Louis, Mr. Hekelnkaemper was married to Theresa 
Houk, who was born in St. Louis, Mo., of German parents, who both died 
during the great cholera epidemic when Theresa was about three years of 
age. The children born to this union are as follows: Gustave A., Frederick 
W. : William (',.. Frank V., .Laura, Edith. Emma and Anna. 

F. W. Hekelnkaemper was married September 17, 1901, to Pauline Oster- 
tag, a daughter of George Ostertag, one of the pioneer wagon makers of 
Atchison, and to this union have been born two children : Irene and Lucille. 
He is a Democrat and is a member of the Elks, Eagles and (he Moose. 

G. A. Hekelnkaemper is associated with F. W. in the business as above 
mentioned. He was married in August. 1901, to Lydia Weik. a daughter of 
Christian Weik, an Atchison county pioneer, and to this union have been born 
two cliildren: Marie and Louise. G. .\. is a Democrat in politics. 



8o6 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

William H. Hekelnkaemper died August 20, 1881. He was politically 
allied witli the Republican party durinc:- his life, and was a member of the 
Atcliison city council for a number of years, having been a particular and 
close friend and admirer of the late Senator John J. Ingalls. He was one of 
the founders of the famous Turner Society, and was its first president. He 
was prominently identified with the affairs of the society and the civic affairs 
of Atchison until his demise. He was a man of great resourcefulness which 
aided him in making a new start on occasions when everything looked dark- 
est for his future. He had many warm friends in Atchison and was uni- 
versally respected by all who knew him. 



CLEM P. HIGLEY. 



Clem P. Higley, farmer and stockman of Center township, Atchison 
county, was born there March 25, 1869. He is a son of Russell and Carrie 
( Hooper) Higlev, who were the parents of nine ciiildrcn, as follows : William, 
deceased ; Otto, deceased ; Emma Winsor, Las Vegas, N. M. ; Hallie Nelson, 
Las Vegas, N. M. ; Theodore, a traveling man ; Clem, the subject of this 
sketch; Frank, farming the old home place, and Gilbert and Mina, both de- 
ceased. Tlie father was liorn just west of New York City. January 3. 
1833. In his early manhood he followed the blacksmithing trade, and at the 
age of twenty went to Illinois, where he remained for two years. C(Mning fo 
Atchison county, he preempted 160 acres of land in section 3, Center town- 
ship, and sold it shortly afterward and bought 80 acres in section 35, a mile 
east of old Pardee, Kan. He made extensive improvements on this place 
and farmed it until he retired in 1895. He now lives with his son, Clem. 
Russell Higley's life did not run as smoothly as it might seem from this ac- 
count of it. In his early days in Kansas the drought destroyed his crops 
one year. He gathered only one bushel of corn from his field that year. 
Having started out with no capital, this misfortune was a serious one. He 
and his twin brother, Russell, worked for I\ardee Butler, while he returned to 
Illinois. They worked for Mr. Butler all summer and in the fall of 1856 
started to walk back to Illinois, so as to be home during the winter. A winter 
in Kansas was a serious thing in those days, and with the best of provisions, 
it was a fierce ordeal. In the spring of 1857 they returned to Kansas, hav- 
ing the confidence in this country to develop into a prosperous district. Rus- 
sell was a son of Francis Higley, and iiis mother died when he was a very 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 807 

small boy. Carrie Higley, the mother of Clem, was born in Tennessee in 
1837. Her father was a freighter from Missouri to Santa Fe, N. M. Mrs. 
Higley died in 1899. 

Clem Higley, the subject of this sketch, attended school at Pardee, Kan., 
and when twenty-one years old, started out to work by the month. A year 
later he rented a farm in Benton township, five miles south of Effingham, 
Kan. Then for a period of nine years he rented in Benton township, and 
the following three years rented his father's faitn and in 1903 bought 105 
acres. The place was not well improved and he set to work erecting build- 
ings, and now has a large two-story home and two liarns, one 24x50 
feet and the other 40x42 feet. The latter has a cement basement. Hig- 
ley's total holdings now numlier 185 acres of land. He keeps graded stock, 
including fine Poland China hogs. In 1896 he was married to Margaret 
Hawk, who was born March 21, 1877, in Ohio. She is a daughter of La- 
fayette and Hattie (Pitt) Hawk, both natives of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Higley 
have had si.x children born to them, the second child dying in infancy. The 
others are, Newell, W'ilber. Morris, Marie. Dale. .Ml arc li\-ing with their 
parents. Mr. Higley is a Republican and is a member of the Christian 
church. 



WILLIAM E. HL'BBARD. 



William E. Hubbard, farmer and stockman, Kapioma township. Atchi- 
son county, was born September 8, 1861, in Henderson county, Illinois. He 
is a son of Simeon and Mary .Ann ( Pence) Hul)I)ard, who were the parents 
of the following children: Mrs. Lillie O'Connor, wiilnw li\ing in .Muscotah; 
Mrs. Cora Routh, Kapioma township ; Lewis, farmer, Kapioma township ; 
\\'illiam, the subject of this sketch, and two children who died in infancy. 
Simeon Hubliard, the father of \A'illiam, was horn March 10, 1840. in In- 
diana. He was a farmer in his young nianhuod, and on coming lo Kansas 
in 1874, followed the same occupation. Settling near Muscotah, he ren^^d 
land for four years, and during this time saved his earnings for future in- 
vestment. At the end of four years he had accumulated enough to buy the 
farm, and he became a landowner and led a prosperous career as a farmer. 
He fed stock for the market as well as grew crops. He now resides in Mus- 
cotah, Kan. The motlicr of William Hubbard is also living. 

William E. Hubbarrl grew up on his father's farm in lUimiis ,-uul attended 
the district school in Kapioma lownsliij). .Atchison coinitv. When he was 



8o8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of age he began farming in partnership with liis father. At the age of twen- 
ty-eight he was married and located on a rented farm near his father's place. 
He lived there until 1895, when he bought 180 acres just south of where he 
had rented. After working this place seven years, he sold it and bought the 
160-acre farm which he now owns. On this place William has invested a 
considerable sum in improA^ements which include a fine granary. He is a 
stockholder in the Grange elevator at Muscotah, Kan. It should also be men- 
tioned that William keeps graded stock on his farm. 

In 18S9 he married JNIartha Rnutli. wlio was bom near Leavenworth. 
Kan., in 1869. They are the parents of seven children as follows: Jesse. 
Atchison county ; Mrs. Bessie Roberts, Kapioma township ; Fred, Lola, Ollie, 
Mabel and Frank, all living at home. Mr. Hubbard is a Democrat and is 
now serving as a member on the school board in his district, Rose Valley, 
No. 49. He is a member of the Mission church. Mr. Hubbard is a citizen 
interested in the welfare of his community and is always active in any project 
that will improve his neighborhood. 



DRENNAN L. DAWDY. 



Drerinan L. Dawdy is a stockman first, last and always. Pedigrees and 
prices are his stock in trade, and to talk with Mr. Dawdy without hearing 
about his fine stock is impossible. Next to his famil\- his stock is his pride. 
Mr. Dawdy confines his stock raising to the best strains. It is liis theory that 
it never pavs to bring up a scrub. The same amount of feed and the same 
amount of care, if intelligently applied to registered animals, will bring in 
double and treble returns. Mr. Dawdy believes, and it is his policy not to waste 
time on inferior breeds. Mr. Dawdy has a cow that cost him $75. The 
former owner of the cow did not see any marks of good blood in the animal, 
but Mr. Dawdy did, and he has made $4,000 out of that one cow in tlie last 
seven years. The buying of this cow at the price, however, was simply a very 
fortunate investment, as Mr. Dawdy says, generally speaking, "The highest 
priced cattle were much the best investments, and he has paid as high as $800 
and $900 for cows and $1,000 for a bull. He sold one of the calves for $755 
and another for $500. He learned his business well, for he learned it in tlie 
best way possible, from his father. The father, John W. Dawdy, was a 
breeder of fine cattle in Illinois and probably inherited that trait from his 
parents, who were Kentuckians. The father was liorn in tlie line grass 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 809 

country March 30. 1840, but at the age of seven was taken by liis parents, Jef- 
ferson and Elizabeth (Amos) Dawdy, to Illinois, where he remained until 
1910. While he was living at Abingdon. 111., he met Sarah J. Latimer, to 
whom he was married May 7, 1847. She was a daughter of .Alexandria and 
Julia Ann (Hart) Latimer, natives of Tennessee, and was the mother of six 
children, three of whom are living. Drennan, the subject of this sketch, is 
the oldest. The others are Norval M. and Daisy E., who live in California. 
In 1910 the parents removed to Napa, Cal., where the father is now living. 
The mother died August 12, 191 5. 

After attending the countr}' school near his Illinois home, Drennan at- 
tended Hedding College at Abingdon and later weilt to business college at 
Chicago. But he was a natural burn stockman and could not resist the lure. 
So he went back to his father and joined him in the livestock business and be- 
came associated with his father in the breeding of Shorthorn cattle under the 
firm name of J. W. Dawdy & Son. In the latter part of 1889 he and Walter 
Latimer purchased the entire herd of cattle known as the Shannon Hill herd 
owned hy the late Ex-Governor George W. Glick, of Atchison, Kan. This 
herd was the largest collection of pure Bates cattle in America at that time, 
and were dispersed by D. L. Dawdy & Co., at auction in Kansas City, Mo., 
April 11-12, 1900, the ninety-one head bringing a total of $20,460, which was 
considered a remarkable sale for an entire herd, which included a number of 
aged cows, the general average of the sale being $225 per head with a top 
price of $800 for the "Second Dutchess" of Atchison, the buyer of wimm was 
the late W. R. Nelson, of the Kansas City Star. Mr. Nelson bought fifteen 
head of cattle at this sale at an average price of $415 per head. In June of 
the same year this firm bought the entire herd of Scotch and Scotch topped 
Shorthorns of J. T. Kinmouth & Son, Cohimlius Junction, low;i, paying 
$11,000 cash for the 100 head. This was one of the most notalile ])rivale 
deals in registered cattle of recent years. In 1901 they bought sixty-five head 
of registered cattle in one lot. D. L. Dawdy & Co. have made many success- 
ful sales I)oth private and public. In 1899 Mr. Dawdy came to .Atchison 
county, Kansas, and took charge of tlie George W. Glick farms, near Atchi- 
son, Kan. This ])osition ga\'e him cliarge of a herd of registered Short- 
horns. In 1901 he bought the farm whicli he now owns, consisting of 405 
acres, lying one-half mile north of Arrington, Kan. On this place he has 
devoted himself to the breeding of fine cattle and has made that his principal 
work. His exhibits have taken high honors at the stock shows in Kansas 
City and Chica.go. A number of years ago he bought "Sunshine." a fine cow 
in the herd owned b_\- .Senator W. A. Harris, nas'ing $223 for her. b'our of 



8lO HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

her calves liave brou.^ht him $1,365. He has owned tliree cows whicli sold 
for $800 each, and in 1902 he sold thirty head of cattle at $266.66 each. 

On May 15, 100 1, Mr. Dawdy married Xellie B. Prim, who was born on 
a farm near Atchison. Kan., April 3, t88i. Her father, Charles S. Prim, 
Avas a native of Tennessee, while the mother. Sophia (Christian) Prim, came 
from the Isle of Man. Both parents are now dead. Mr. and Mrs. Dawdy 
have four cliildren, all of whom are living at home: Ruth. John, Helen and 
Glenn. Two died in infancy. Mrs. Dawdy carries her husband's hobbies 
into the domestic end of the farm. She makes a specialty of raising fine 
turkeys, raising the bronze variety. She sells eggs from her turkeys for 
fifty cents apiece, and often gets as high as $7.50 for a turkey. She saved 
$150 from tl^e sale of eggs and bouglit a Shorthorn calf which is worth S300 
today. Air. Dawdy is working to make his home an ideal country place. 
His house is on one of the finest locations in the county. By installing 15,000 
feet of drainage, at a cost of $1,200, he has reclaimed fifty-two acres of soil, 
which previous owners of the place had thought to be too wet to cultivate, but 
since installing tlie drainage system Mr. Dawdy has raised annually fine 
crops of corn and wheat on it. The Delaware has a haljit of overflowing 
and Mr. Dawdy was one of the first farmers to suggest the organization of 
County Drainage District, Number One. comprising 8,300 acres, and is nine 
miles in length as the crow flies, while the Delaware river course is at present 
nineteen and one-half miles, and the drainage system shortens the run seven 
and one-half miles. doul)les the velocity of the stream and increases its carry- 
ing capacity four and one-half times. The expense or total cost of the ditch 
will be $100,000 and will increase land \alues tremendously. Mr. Dawdy 
is one of the directors of the enterprise. Mr. Dawdy owns 405H acres of 
land which has a fine large residence on it. The location is one of the most 
beautiful in Atchison county. On a clear day Horton, fifteen miles north, 
can be plainly seen ; Holton looms up twelve miles west, Muscotah. seven 
miles nnrtii. Valley Falls, twelve miles southeast. Larkin. two and a half miles 
west, and Arrington, one-half mile south. Mr. Dawdy has a complete set 
of volumes of American herd books, and knows the pedigree of every animal 
on his place. He is a memljer of the American Shorthorn Breeders' Asso- 
ciation of Chicago, and knows the latest facts about the cattle busine.ss. His 
home is highly improved with silos and drainage facilities. He is a Demo- 
crat in politics and a member of the district school board and tlie drainage dis- 
trict Xo. ], of Atchison county, Kansas. He belongs to the Ancient b'ree and 
Accepted Masons, of Muscotah. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 8ll 

JOHN M. PRICE. 

John M. Price, deputy county treasurer, farmer and stockman, of Mt. 
Pleasant township, Atchison county, is a native born Kansan, and son of John 
M. Price, deceased, who was one of the most distinguislied memljers of the 
Kansas bar, and who practiced his profession in tlie city of Atchison for forty 
years. 

John M. Price, the father, was born in Richmund, Madison county, 
Kentucky, in October, 1829, a son of Thomas S. and Sarah (Jarman) Price. 
His paternal grandfather was Moses M. Price, and his maternal grandfather 
was John Jarman. Moses M. married Catherine Broadus, and John Jarman 
married Elizabeth Broadus, the two women being dist:'.nt relatives. Moses 
M. Price and wife were both natives of Virginia, and removed to Madison 
county, Kentucky, in the early part of the nineteenth century, with their re- 
spective parents. After his marriage in Kentucky, Moses M. made his home 
in Estill county, Kentucky. Pie was the father of ten children, tlie fourth 
of whom was Thomas M. Price, father of Jolin M., the elder, and who mar- 
ried Sarah Jarman in 1828. Sarah (Jarman) Price was a daughter of John 
and Elizabeth (Broadus) Jarman. This marriage was blessed with three 
children: Thomas E.. John M., and Mary W. The mother died in 1836. and 
in 1838 Thomas M. Price married Miss Elizabeth Combs, of Clark county, 
Kentucky, and the following fall removed to a home in Johnson county, Mis- 
souri. From Johnson county he removed to Pettis county. Missouri, and 
farmed there until 1845, after which he returned to Estill county, Kentucky. 
In 1853 Thomas S. and faniil\- started for Texas, where he resided until 
his demise at Mt. Pleasant, Titus county, in 1857. 

|ohn M. Price, father of tlie present deputy county treasure)-, returned 
from Missouri to Kentucky with his father, and remained at the home of his 
uncle. Morgan i\I. Price, whom he assisted in his farm work, and also at- 
tended school at Irvine, the county seat of Estill county. In 1845 and 1846 
he was employed in a drygoods store at Irvine, and in the fall of 1847 he 
accepted a home with Col. Walter Chiles, a prominent lawyer and [Mlitician 
of Mt. Sterling. Ky., who had married Jane Price, an aunt of John M. Price. 
After attending school in the fall and winter. Mr. Price became a clerk in 
the office of the county clerk of Montgomery county, Kentucky. While per- 
forming his duties in the county clerk's office he read law in the office of 
Colonel Chiles and was admitted to the practice of his profession in March, 
1848. He first opened a law office at Ii-vine, and in 1851 was elected county 
attornev of Estill county; reelected in 1855, and continued to serve until 



8l2 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

July, 1858, when he resigned in order to remove to Kansas. He determined 
on Atchison as his future abiding place, and accordingly, located in tins city 
September i, 1858. 

Kansas was then a territory, and for forty-one years of the development 
of the State, Mr. Price was an important factor in promoting its interests 
and welfare. He soon built up an extensive law practice in the growing city 
of the great bend on the Missouri, and took an active and influential part in- 
political affairs, allying himself with the newly formed Republican party. He 
early identified himself with the controlling organization of his party, and 
for twenty years prior to his demise he was a delegate to every Republican 
county convention, and to many State conventions. In 1859, when Judge 
Otis resigned the office of county attorney, Mr. Price was appointed to fill 
the vacancy by the board of county commissioners, and served until Kan- 
sas vras admitted into the Union, when he was nominated and elected to the 
office at the first general election under the State constitution. In 1861 he 
was elected police judge of the city and re-elected in 1862 and 1863. He 
was elected a member of the city council in 1864 and served for three years 
in succession as a member of that body. He was elected maj^or of the city 
without opposition in 1867. In the fall of 1866 he was elected State senator 
from Atchisrin cnunty for a two-years' term, and while serving as State sen.- 
ator he was appointed by Governor Crawford as one of the commissioners to 
revise the general laws of the State. Mr. Price was chairman of the commis- 
sion, which was composed of himself, Samuel A. Riggs, of Lawrence, and 
James McCahon, of Leavenworth. The revision thus made was adopted by the 
legislature without much amendment, and the general statutes of 1868 were 
printed and published during that year under the supervision of this com- 
mission. In the same year Mr. Price was made chairman of the judiciary 
committee of the senate, to which bodv he was reelected in 1870, and served 
during the sessions of 187 1 and 1872, and on the organization of the senate, 
he was chosen president of the body. He was a candidate for governor of 
the State before the Republican convention in the fall of 1872, and was a lead- 
ing candidate until the tenth and last ballot, when all the opposing candidates 
threw their support to Thomas A. Osborne. In the memorable contest for 
the L'^nitcd States senatorship in 1873, Mr. Price's friends presented him as 
a candidate before the anti-Pomeroy caucus, and for the first nineteen liallots 
Mr. Price was the leading candidate, and then John J. Ingalls was chosen by 
the convention on a unanimous vote. In 1892 he was again elected to the 
State senate and served in the memorable sessions of 1893 and 1S95. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 813 

On January 10, 1854, Jolm M. Price was married in Irvine, Ky., to 
Eliza Jarman Park, the only daughter of Elihu and Mary Park. This niar- 
riag'e was blessed with the following children: Mollie F., born in Irvine, 
October 12, 1854, married Charles B. Singleton, of Atchison, for twenty- 
seven years assistant postmaster, and now bookkeeper for the 'Exchange 
National Bank; Nannie B., born in Irvine August 28, 1856, wife of F. L, 
Vandergrift, editor of the Santa Fe publications, Kansas City, Mo.; John M. 
died in Januaiy, 1875 ; John M., Jr., with whom this review is directly con- 
cerned, and Eliza P. The mother of these children was born in Irvine. Ky., 
August 22, 1832, and resides at present in Kansas City, Mo. 

John M. Price, Sr.. died October 19. 1898. He was one of the dis- 
tinguished Masons of Kansas. He sei-ved as the grand high priest of the 
Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Kansas, and was secretary of that body ; he 
was president of the council of the Holy Order of High Priesthood ; grand 
treasurer of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of the State; 
also president of the Kansas Masons' Protective Association; was a thirty- 
second degree Mason, and a member of Medina Temple, No. 31, of the Mystic 
Shrine, and was also a member of Shiloh Conclave. No. i. Knights of the 
Red Cross of Constantine, Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, and Knights of 
St. John the Evangelist. He served one term as grand master of the most 
worthy grand lodge of the Odd Fellows, and was twice elected a grand rep- 
resentative to the grand lodge of the E^nited States. He sA'ved one term as 
grand chancellor of the grand lodge, and of the Knights of Pythias was the 
supreme representative to the supreme lodge of the world for four years. Pie 
was the grand master workman of the grand lodge of the Ancient Order of 
United Workmen of Kansas ; was a member of the grand lodge of the 
Knights of Honor, served as assistant director, and as president of the Atch- 
ison lodge of the Independent Order of Mutual Aid. b"or years a dis- 
tinguished and able member of the legal profession, he was one of the most 
respected and useful citizens of Atchison and the State of Kansas. 

John M. Price, whose career naturally follows that of his distinguished 
parent, was born oVIarch 27. 1876. in Atchison. He was educated in the pub- 
lic schools, and graduated from Midland College in 1894. After complet- 
ing the course in Midland College, he entered Wittenberg University, at 
Springfield, Ohio, and was graduated from that institution in 1897, with the 
degree of Master of Arts. For some time he was engaged in the profession 
of teaching, and was assistant professor of chemistrv and physics at Midland 
College from 1894 until 1895. For two years he filled tlic ])ost of buyer at 
the Kansas State penitentiary, at Lansing, ami ihrn located on his farm in 



8l4 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Mt. Pleasant township, near the city of Atchison. He followed farming and 
stock raising with success. He was appointed deputy county treasurer under 
U. B. Sharpless in the fall of 1915, and is now filling the duties of his office 
faithfully and conscientiously. 

Mr. "Price was married August 12, 1903, to Miss Fan Ballew. who has 
borne him one child, Jane Ballew Price, born June 2, 1911. Airs. Price was 
born in Madison county, Kentucky, March 19, 1885, a daughter of George 
W. and Jennie (Francis) Ballew, both of whom were descended from old 
Kentucky families. It is a matter of history that the grandfather of Mrs. 
Price, Francis, by name, owned the slaves which escaped from the Kentucky 
plantation across the Ohio river, and from whom the character, Eliza, in 
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" was taken. 

Undoubtedly, John M. Price is one of the rising young men of Atchison 
county, who is at the beginning of a career which is destined to reflect credit 
upon the memory of his illustrious father. He is a member of the Benevo- 
lent and Protective Order of Elks, and is the present exalted ruler (jf that body, 
and is a prominent member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and 
the Fraternal Aid Union. 



BOYD ROYER. 



Boyd Royer, farmer and stockman, of Kapioma township, Atchison 
county. Kansas, has reason to be proud of his family tree. His mother was 
the first white child to be born in Kapioma township, Atchison county. She 
was Emma Hammond before her marriage to George Royer, and was born in 
1861 to William and Lena (Brutton) Hammond, who came over from Mis- 
souri and settled in Kansas a short time before her birth. Her ancestors were 
Kentuckians. The father of Boyd Royer was a PennsyKanian, having been 
born in Union county, that State, in 1859. He grew up with the common 
schooling of the time and learned the blacksmith's trade. Coming to Kansas 
in 1879, he worked by the month near Effingham for a while and later en- 
gaged in farming in Kapioma township, where he rented a farm until his 
retirement in 1910. when he moved to Valley Falls. Kan. 

Boyd Royer, the subject of this sketch, was born May 13, 1881, four 
miles east of Arrington. Kan. He was the oldest child of four children. The 
other children are: Walter, with the J. I. Case Company, Kansas City, Mo.; 
Miles, a Government employee, Washington, D. C, and George, Kansas 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 815 

City, Mo. The mother died in 1905. Boyd Royer gTevv up on his father's 
farm and attended scliool in chstrict No. 31 of Kapioma township. In 1901 
he rented land near Arrin^ton. Kan., and in 1909 bouglit 160 acres, and buiU 
a fine barn, 36x36 feet, on tliis place and has a large eight-room house on 
the place. All buildings are well painted and kept in excellent condition, and 
everything around the place is kept in neat order. 

In 1905 Boyd Royer married Mabel Beyer, who was Ixirn June _'0, 1882, 
in Kapioma township, Atchison county. She is a daugliter of Asa and Susan 
Beyer, both natives of Pennsylvania, wlio came to ^Vtchison county in the 
early days. Mr. Royer is a Republican. He is a steward in the Methodist 
Episcopal church. Mr. and Mrs. Royer have no children. 



LEWIS H. HUBBARD. 



Lewis H. Hubbard, farmer and stockman, of Kapioma township, Atch- 
ison county, was born March 13, 1872, in Cass County, Missouri. He is a 
son of Simeon and I\Iary Ann (Pence) Hubbard, who were the parents of 
the following children : William, Kapioma township, Atchison county, Kan- 
sas; Lillie O'Conner, widow, Muscotah, Kan.; Cora Routh, Kapioma town- 
ship: Lewis, subject of this sketch, and two children who died in infancy. The 
fatlier of Lewis Hubbard was born March 10, 1840. in Indiana, and grew 
up as a farmer, following that occupation after coming to Kansas in 1874. He 
settled near Muscotah and rented land for a period of four years and during 
that time he saved his money carefully. When he came to Kansas he was 
without funds, but at the end of four years he had accumulated enough to 
enable him to buy a fann. In addition to growing his crops he fed stock and 
did a hustling business in that line. He is still living and resides at Mus- 
cotah, Kan. The mother of Lewis Hubbard is also living. Lewis Hubbard 
went to school in the Rose Valley district. He received a common school edu- 
cation and worked with his father on the latter's farm until 1909, when he 
bought a farm of his own and became his own manager. The place con- 
sisted of 160 acres of fine tillable soil and is located in section 16, southeast 
quarter of Muscotah township. Mr. Hubbard has devoted consideraljle atten- 
tion to improving the appearance of his farm and has constructed a fine seven- 
room cottage, and has built a large barn to provide shelter for his stock and 
hay. He keeps the best Jersey cows and milks eight to twelve of them for 



8l6 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

the dairy. Mr. Hubbard is a stockholder in the farmers' grain elevator at 
Muscotah, Kan. 

In 1897 Mr. Hubbard married Anna Hinkston, who was born May 5, 
1880, in Doniphan county, Kansas. She is a daughter of Frank and Dorinda 
(Tate) Hinkston, who now live in Jackson county, Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. 
Hubbard are the parents of two children, as follows : Ethel, aged sixteen, who 
attends the Atchison Countv High School at Effingham, and Leslie, aged 
seven, living with his parents. The daughter is also studying music, and her 
father hopes to give her a thorough education in that subject. Mr. Hubbard 
is a Democrat of an independent stamp. He is a member of the Adventist 
church and is a deacon in that denomination. If there is one thing that Mr. 
Hubbard takes pride in more than anotlicr it is in his cliildren's education 
He realizes the value of an education and desires that his children have every 
advantage of education that he can give them. 



ARTHUR S. SCHURMAN. 



:\tchison countv is principally an agricultural cimimunity. and wA unlike 
most sections of the great Middle ^^^est, the general wealth and standing of 
the ciimmunitv is commensurate with the thrift, enterprise and industry of 
tlie :ndi\i(lual farmers. He whose name introduces this sketch is a repre- 
sentative of that tv|)e of men whose efforts have i)Iaced .\tchison county 
in the foremost rank of the 1 10 political sulvdivisions of the great state of 
of Kansas. 

Arthur S. Schurman is one of the substantia] and enterprising agricul- 
turists in Bcntrin tuwuship. and has lieen a resident of ilic township fur the 
past thirty years. He is the owner of 202 acres of well improved land, which 
is noted for its excellent yields of grain. For the past ten years Mr. Schur- 
man has been one of the most successful wheat growers in Atchison county, 
or even in the State. He has produced the great yield of 2,330 bu.shels of 
wheat on a tract of eighty acres. A handsome farm residence, tastefully 
painted a clean white, presents an attractive appearance on a rise of land 
fronting the highway, which passes ea.st and west in front of his land. This 
fine home was ])uill l)v Mr. Schunnan in i<;i 1. and comprises eleven rooms in 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 817 

all. with a heatinj^- and water ])ressure system, which cnniplctelv modernizes 
the home. The residence is nicely situated in the midst of a fine grove, which 
affords a generous shade in summer. Mr. Schurman carries on diversified 
farming- and raises a consideral)Ie amount of live stock. 

Arthur S. Schurman was horn January it, 1864, in Prince Edward 
Island, Dominion of Canada, and is a son of Caleb Schurman. who was born 
December 8, 1829. on Prince Edward Island, a son of English parents, who 
left their native land and settled on the island many vears ago. The great- 
grandfather of Arthur Schurman was a German by birth, who established 
a home in England. The mother of Arthur S. was Sarah Creswell before 
her marriage. She was born May 15, 1835, and died on the home place in 
Benton township, November 15. 1889. ^^d^en but a child she went from 
England to Prince Edward •Island with her parents. The Schurman family 
lived on their native island until 1876, and then immigrated to the United 
States, going first to Des Moines, Iowa, in search of a suitable location. 
After a residence of eight months in Des Moines, the family came to Atchi- 
son, Kan., where Arthur Schurman was employed in a harness shop for 
three years, and also drove a coal wagon for a retail coal dealer for a time. 
Caleb Schurman rented a fann south of Atchison, and later bought the farm 
now owned by his son, Arthur. Four children were born to Caleb and Sarah 
Schurman, namely: ]\Irs. J. B. O'Connell. Denver, Colo.: Frederick Robert, 
a resident of Effingham. Kan.; Percy Ernest, who died in September, 1896, 
and Arthur S., the oldest of the family. 

.\rthur Schurman was twelve years of age when the family came to 
the Cnited States, and received a portion of his schooling in his nati\e land. 
He remained with his father, and assi.sted him in developing his Atchison 
county farm, purchasing the land from his father when he came to man's 
estate. Caleb Schurman makes his home with his son, Arthur S., who mar- 
ried in August of 1890, to Emma Pruitl, of Atchison, Kan., a daughter of 
James Pruitt. This marriage has been blessed with the following children : 
Sadie Mary, born October 5, 1892, the wife of Fred Dooley, of Lancaster 
township; Martha, bom April 3, 1893; George Herbert, born September 21, 
1895; Arthur Ernest, born June 3, 1899, and died October 19, 1900; Ralpli, 
born March 25, 1902. 

Mr. Schurman is a Republican, but has never found time to take an 
active part in political affairs. He was reared in the Epi.scojialian faitl:. 



8l8 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

but the members of his family attend the Christian church at Effingham. 
He is a member of the Masonic lodge and the Central Protective Association. 



C. A. LILLY, M. D. 



C. A. Lilly, M. D., a well known member of the medical profession of 
Atchison county, is a native of the Buckeye State. He was born at Mans- 
field, Ohio, and is a son of S. and Clara (Beard) Lilly. The father was a 
lumberman. Dr. Lilly was reared and educated in Mansfield, Ohio, and 
Chicago, 111., and after obtaining a good academic and classical education, he 
entered the Chicago Medical College in 1897 and was graduated in the class 
of 1901 with the degree of Doctor of I^Iedicine. He then came to Kansas 
and engaged in the practice of his profession at Seneca. After remaining 
there about one year and a half he returned to Chicago and took a post-grad- 
uate course in Rush Medical College, and did considerable hospital work. In 
1904 he located in Atchison, where he has since been successfully engaged in 
the practice of medicine and has one of the extensive practices of Atchison 
county. He has been division surgeon for the Missouri Pacific railroad since 
1911. 

Dr. Lilly was united in marriage in 1902 to Miss Isabel Smith, of Hia- 
watha, Kan. Dr. Lilly is a mem1)er of the Northeastern Kansas and the 
Missouri Valley Medical associations and also belongs to the County, State 
and American Medical association. 



FRANK J. WATOWA. 



Frank J. W'atowa, a successful farmer of Shannon township, Atchison 
county, was born in Jefferson countj-, Wisconsin, October 3, 1854, and is 
a son of Joseph and Catherine Watowa, natives of Austria, who emigrated 
from their native land to \\'isconsin where they resided until i860, when they 
came to Missouri, locating in Buchanan county, .\bout 1870 the family came 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 819 

to Atchison and located on a farm in Shannon township where his son. Joseph 
H. Watowa. now resides. Tlie father died in 1895. Frank J. Watowa is 
one of a family of seven children, born to Joseph and Catherine Watowa. as 
follows: Man-. Henry. Joseph H.. Mollie. Earnest, Paullina and Frank. 

Frank J. \\'atowa was married in 1879 to Miss Anna Falk. who died in 
1885, leaving three children, as follows: Mary, the wife of Antone Lutz, of 
Lancaster township: Josepliine resides in Colorado Springs. Colo., and Anna, 
deceased. On June 24, 1892, Mr. Watowa was united in marriage to 
Amanda Smith, and four cliildren have been born to this union, as follows : 
Sarah, Frances, Frank and Lawrence. 

Mr. Watowa is one of the extensive farmers of Atchison county. He 
has 280 acres of land, nicelj' located and very productive. Li 1895 he built 
a handsome stone residence, which is one of the finest farm homes to be 
found in the county. Politically he is a Democrat, and he and his family are 
members of the Catholic church. He is a progressive and public spirited 
citizen and one of the substantial men of Atchison countv. 



LEWIS BRADLEY. 



Lewis Bradley, farmer and stockman, of Kapioma township, x'Vtchison 
county, w'as born February 24, 1857. ''"^ Henderson county, Illinois, and is 
a son of Hamilton J. and Sarah E. (Pence) Bradley. The father was bom 
in Steuben county, New York, October 27, 1834. He folowed the stonemason's 
trade. Coming to Atchison county, Kansas, several years later, in 1880, bought 
the farm of 160 acres which his son now owns. He came to Kansas with 
very little capital, but was able to save enough money to buy 160 acres in 
Canadian county, Oklahoma. His death occurred May 24, 1914. The mother, 
who died March 8, 1908, was born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, May 
14, 1837. Lewis Bradley, the subject of tin's sketch, spent the first few years 
of his life in Illinois, Missouri and Iowa, and then was brought to Kansas by 
his parents in 1874. He farmed with his father until 1898. when he bought 
the home farm and built a fine nine-room house on the place, a two-story 
dwelling. In 1913 he erected a large barn, 48x60 feet, and keeps the best 
graded stock. Mr. Bradley was married September 5. 188 1, to Minnie 
Streeter, who was born in Boone county, Illinois, October 28, 1865. She is a 
daughter of Rev. W'illirun H. and Hanna (\'andicar) Streeter. both natives 
of Watertown, N. Y. Mr. Streeter came to Kansas in 1870. He was a Metli- 



820 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

odist minister and established churches all over Kansas. He was bom Sep- 
tember i6, 1825, and died Feliruary 28, 191 1. Hanna, his wife, was born 
May 16, 1826, and died July 29, 1879. Mr. and Mrs. Bradley have four 
children as follows : Maud married Albert \\'illiams, railroad contractor. 
Muscotah, Kan., wlio is a graduate of the count\- high school and taught for 
fourteen years: Bessie, deceased; Henry, li\-ing at home, graduate of 
business college of Kansas City, Mo. ; Leslie married Miss Mabel Swisher, and 
has three children, Elberta, Clarence and Bessie. Mr. Bradley is a Republican, 
and belongs to the Modem Woodmen of America and to the Mystic Workers 
of tlie World. He and his wife were charter members of the Advent Chris- 
tian church at Muscotah. Mr. Bradley is the oldest li\ing of a family of 
ele\en cliildren: the others living are: I.avelle Cireen. l.e\i. Ellen Sheets. 
Elmer, May Sommers, and Mary Raasch. 



ALFRED T. HAMON. 



Alfred J- Hamon, farmer, stockman and Iniiider, is one of those self- 
made men whose careers demonstrate to our growing youths the possibilities 
of industry and .good management. Bnrn wilii no imusual gifts and of ])ar- 
ents who were only in moderate circumstances, he has, by his own efforts, 
built up a worthy name for himself in the community in which he lives. Mr. 
Hamon was born in Kapioma township, Atchison county, Kansas, J^dy 10, 
1863. He was one of five children born to William and Leanah (Brutton) 
Hamon. Emma Royer, the oldest child, is dead ; .'\lfred, the subject of this 
sketch, is the second in order of birth. The otlicrs are : Xancy Heimbach, Ef- 
fingham, Kan.; John, Jefferson county, Kansas; Samuel, Kapioma township. 
The father was a Kentuckian, born in 1835, and during part of his young 
manhood he farmed in his native State. Coming to Kansas in the early 
days, he homesteaded 160 acres in Kapioma township, Atciiison county. This 
land was covered with timber, and rather tlian attempt to clear it, he traded 
it for prairie land which composed the farm on which he lived until his 
death in 1873, and his widow is living on the farm in Kapioina township, at 
the age of seventy-six years. 

Alfred Hamon grew up on the farm and attended school at Cole Creek 
district a few months each year, and at the age of twenty-one he started out 
for himself, renting a farm. Three years later he bought the place and owned 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 82 1 

it three years. He then worked at the carpenters' trade in Atchison for tiiree 
years and (hn^ing this time he worked in many jilaces around Atciiis(jn and 
helped erect some of the more important buildings, which were constructed 
during that time. Another two years was spent on the farm in Kapioma 
to^\'nship, and Mr. Hamon returned again to Atchison to work at his trade. 
Carpenter work appealed to him more than farming and he spent twenty- 
three Acars handling the plane and the saw. For thirteen years of this time 
he did contracting and su]:)ervised the erection of many buildings. Mean- 
while he accumulated considerable property in Atchison, and in 1906, the 
exacting work of carpentry became tedious to Mr. Hamon, and he returned 
to farming, after twenty-three years in Atchison. He had eighty acres of 
well improved land in Kapioma township, section 23. He built a fine house 
and barn, utilizing his experience in construction work to put up the best 
buildings that the money would afford. His improvements cost $4,000. Mr. 
Hamon was a real farmer as well as a carpenter. In 191 1 he won first prize 
with an exhibit of yellow corn at the Muscotah fair. 

In 1884 he married Emma Tull, who was born in October, 1863, in Ka- 
pioma township, Atchison county. She is a daughter of John and Hanna H. 
(Rust) Tull, Virginians, who settled in Atchison county at an early date. 
Mr. and Mrs. Hamon have five children as follows: Effie, deceased: Edna 
Piper, California: Susan Clark, of Kansas City, Kan.: Roy and Ruth, living 
at home. Mr. Hamon is a member of the Christian church. He is a Re- 
publican and has been a mcml)er of the .school Ijoard in bis town.ship. 



JOHN GRIFFIN. 



John Griffin, farmer and stockman, of Kapioma township, Atchison 
county, Kansas, is a native of Kansas, having been bom on the farm where 
he now lives March 25, 1882. His parents, Lawrence and Ellen Griffin, lived 
on the farm in Kapioma township. John Griffin was brought up on the farm 
and when a small bov divitled his time between chr)res and school at flistrict 
No. 60, Kapioma township, and later attended St. Benedict's College at Atch- 
ison, Kan. Considering the time spent in school, John started out in life 
remarkably early, making his first venture at the age of eighteen, renting a 
farm from his father. He continues to work the farm rented from his 
mother at the present time. 



S22 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

On October 15, 1912, John Griffin married Christena Hanson. Mrs. 
Griffin was bom November 12. 1885, in Doniphan county, Kansas. Her par- 
ents, Nels and Christena (Henderson) Hanson, were natives of Denmark, 
who came to Doniphan county, Kansas, about 1870, where they engaged in 
farming. The father died in 1892, at the age of fifty." The mother is hving 
with her son, Crist Hanson, in Kapioma township, Atchison county, and is 
si.xtv-three years old. Mrs. Griffin attended the district schools in Dunipluui 
county, Kanas. Mr. Griffin is a member of the Catholic church, and polit- 
ically, has affiliated himself with the Democratic party. Mr. Griffin is a 
conscientious citizen and a hard worker. 



DAVID BEYER. 



David Beyer, farmer and stockman of Kapioma township, Atchison 
county, was born August 29, 1866, in Clearfield county, Pennsylvania. He 
was the fourth child horn to Asa and Susan Beyer, who were the parents of 
eleven children, ten of whom are living, as follows: Mar}- Lewton, Benton 
township; Samuel, Kapioma township; Christena High. Texas; David, the 
subject of this sketch ; Jane, living on the home place ; Clarissa, deceased ; 
Manl'a Scliitfhauer, Sumner county, Kansas; John, banker, .\rriiigton. Kan.; 
Albert, Caldwell, Kan.; Luctria Dodson. Kftpioma township; Mabel B. Royer, 
Kapioma township, Atchison county. 

Asa Beyer, the father of David, was a carpenter by trade ; he was born 
in Pennsylvania in 1835, and after following his trade in his young manhood, 
came to Kansas in 1868, and bought an eighty-acre farm in Kapioma town- 
sliip, Atchison county. He graduall\- increased his holdings to 340 acres, 
which he owned at the time of his death in 189S. The mother of David 
Beyer is a Pennsylvanian also and is now living on the home place in Kapioma 
township. David attended district school in Pennsylvania and started out to 
shift for himself at the age of twenty-one. \^■hen he came to Kansas and 
bought tlie eighty-acre farm, there were no improvements on the place. In 
1892, he built a substantial house and in 1907, he built a fine two-story, ten- 
room house, and modern in every respect. In 191 1 he built a large barn, 
3(i.\;_' feel. Mr. Rver now owns -'58 acres of land which were formerly 
owned by his father. 

In 1897 Mr. Beyer married Anna Cawley, wlio was bom in Atchison, 
Kan., June 30, 1862. She is a daughter of John and Margaret (^^■elch) 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 823 

Cawley, both natives of Ireland. 'I'hey were early settlers in Atchison, hav- 
ing come here in 1858. Later they came to Kapioma township. Mr. and 
Mrs. Beyer are the parents of three children, as follows : Asa, Marie and 
Margaret, all living at home. Mr. Beyer attends church regularly though he 
is not a member of any denomination. He belongs to the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows. He is a Republican, and has served as township treasurer. 



GEORGE W. GIBSON. 



George W. Gibson, farmer, of Kapioma township, Atchison county, was 
born May 16, 1855, in Clearfield county, Pennsylvania. He is a son of 
Jacob and Leah (High) Gibson, who were the parents of eleven children, eight 
of whom are living. The father was born in Maryland, and the mother in 
Pennsylvania. They came to Kansas in 187 1 and .settled in Kapioma town- 
ship, Atchison county. Here the father bought 160 acres of land and erected 
a small house on it. In the early days when he was just getting on his feet 
financially, he had to economize at every point and to begin with built a straw 
barn. Later, he improved the farm until it was a modernly equipped place. 
Mr. Gibson lived on this farm until his dcatli in 1900, at the age (>{ seventy- 
six years. The mother died the following year at the age of seventy. 

George Gibson, the subject of this sketch, attended the district schools 
in Pennsylvania, Illinois and Kansas. At the age of twenty-one years he 
started out to farm for himself. He rented land for a year when he engaged 
in teaching at Larkinburg, Jackson county, Kansas. Later he taught at Ar- 
rington, Atchison county, and, altogether. Mr. Gibson taught sch'jol for three 
years. He then bought eighty acres of unimproved prairie land, which he 
broke and improved. Mr. Gibson used good judgment in his investments and 
was successful in every venture. He now owns 840 acres of land in Kansas 
and Texas. The farm on which he lives is modern in every respect and he 
has built an especially fine barn on it. 

In 1880 Mr. Gibson was married to Elizabeth Miller, who was born 
May 9, i860, in Atchison county, Kansas. She is a daughter of James and 
Eliza fRussell) Miller. The father was born in Clay county, Missouri, Au- 
gust 3, 183 1, and was a son of Moses Miller, a Kentuckian. James Miller 
spent his early days in the West, working for the Government. Later he became 
a large cattle breeder in Atchison county and came tf) be known as the "Cattle 
King" because of his extensive activities in the cattle business. He died at 



S24 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Mscotah, Kan., September 12, 1913, and the mother of Mrs. Gibson died in 
1879. She was a native of Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson have nine children: 
Daisy M. Anderson, of ]\Iuskogee, Okla., who was graduated from the Kan- 
sas Western Business College, and later taught school in Kansas and Colo- 
rado; Dr. Frank C. Gibson, a graduate of the Physicians and Surgeons' School 
of Chicago, now practicing in Bovill, Idaho, where he is surgeon for a rail- 
road company and has charge of a hospital; Charles R., farmer. Kapioma' 
township, Atchison county; Lucy M. Irwin, Dallas, Texas; Harry L.. farmer 
on the home place ; Ruth, attending Kansas University, Lawrence ; George 
W., Jr., John and William, living at liome. Mr. Gibson is an independent 
progressive Republican. He has held the township offices of clerk, treasurer 
and trustee. 



FRANK J. HUNN. 



Frank J. Hunn has combined the activities of banker, public citizen, 
farmer, and stockman, with the refinements of education, and lives today as 
an example of an all around man of influence. ^Ir. Hunn is a native Kansan, 
having been born in Garfield township, Jackson county, Kansas, March 2, 
i860. He comes of parentage of the sturdy pioneer type, brave, but God- 
fearing. The father, Joseph Hunn, was bom in 181 5, of English descent, 
being a son of a London minister. He was a native of Connecticut and lived 
there until he was of middle age. Coming to Kansas in 1857, he preempted a 
claim one mile east and a mile north of Arrington, Atchison county, Kansas. 
Here he constructed a cabin home and lived in the rough life of the frontier. 
But this was not new to Joseph Hunn, for he had been one of that vast army 
of adventurers who crossed the western plains in "forty-nine," to seek gold 
in California. For four years he had undergone the hardships of prospecting 
and the rigors of Kansas winters weighed less heavily on him than they did 
on many settlers. After two years on the Atchison county place, he sold out 
and removed to Larkin, Jackson county, Kansas, living there until 1865, 
when he took possession of the farm now owned by his son. Frank J. The 
father died two years later, leaving his wife, Elizabeth, with two children, 
Frank, and a daughter, Bessie, since married to Mr. Kathrens, a merchant, 
of Arrington, Kan. 

Elizabeth Hunn, whose maiden name was Redman, is of English and Ger- 
man descent, coming from a line of religious ancestors, all of her family being 
of a (!c\out nature. She was liorn in 182^. and died ilecember i'). 11712. liav- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 825 

ing lived a long" and useful career. After tlie death of her husband slie was 
occupied with the management of the farm. Init in her younger days she led a 
life full of service to others. Siie worked as a nurse among the sick in the early 
times, when medical attention was expensive and hard to get, and lier efforts 
saved untold suffering and expense to many settlers. She was a school 
teacher in Iowa for some time, and always took a great deal of interest in the 
affairs of the church and Sunday school. Until two years before her death 
Mrs. Hunn taught a Sunday school class at tlie .Vrrington Methodist church, 
and, although she was eighty-five years old, her age never kept her away from 
her class. She was always on time and in her place and .constantly set a good 
example for younger persons. 

With such persons for parents it is to be expected that Frank Hunn 
would develop into a good citizen. With the high ideals instilled in his young 
mind, Frank when a boy was encouraged to study hard at school, and when he 
finished the graded courses at the Arrington school, he went to Campbell 
College, at Holton, Kan. Here he spent a short time, and at the age of twenty- 
two years began farming for himself. In 1893 he bought his father's old 
place and has since increased it to 250 acres. But his activities do not stop 
at the limits of his farm. He has broken the isolation of the farmer and has 
taken an active part in affairs for the good of the community. He is recog- 
nized as a conservative, shrewd business man, and now is president of the 
Arrington Bank, a position of trust and responsibility. The fact that his 
fellow-shareholders in the enterprise were willing to place such an honor upon 
him is proof of his character and achievements. He takes a great deal of 
interest in Shorthorn cattle and is recognized as a breeder of fine strains. He 
also keeps graded horses and hogs. 

In 1894 Mr. Hunn was married to Susie Gibson. (A sketch of her 
brother, George W. Gil)son, ai)])ears elsewhere in tin's volume.) Mrs. Hunn 
was bom m January, i860, in Pennsylvania, and was a teacher in the district 
school of Kapioma township before her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Hunn 
are the parents of three children, the oldest of whom is Frank, a graduate of 
Effingham high school, now living at home; Edna and Mildred, the other 
two children, also live with their parents. Mr. Hunn attends the Methodist 
cinnch, although he is not a member. He is an independent voter, preferring 
to cast his ballot for the man whom he thinks will make the best official regard- 
less of party affiliations. He has held the office of township clerk, township 
trustee, and township treasurer, which positions he filled in a praiseworthy 
manner, .^t present Mr. liunn is a member of tlic schor)l board of Kapioma 
township. 



826 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

AUGUST J. WOLF. 

August J. Wolf, farmer and stockman, of Atchison county, was born 
October 17. 1862. in Doniphan county. Kansas. He is a son of Gottlieb and 
Joehanna Wolf, who were the parents of fourteen children, seven of whom 
are living. The parents of August Wolf were born in Germany and both 
grew up there and were married in the capital city. In i860 they left the 
Fatherland with their five children and came to Doniphan county. Kansas, 
where they engaged in farming. In 1880, they came to Atchison county, 
Kansas, and bought the farm of 240 acres which is now owned by their son, 
August, the subject of this sketch. Five years later they moved to Atchison, 
Kan., wlicre the father died in 1904, at the age of eighty-five years. The 
mother died in 1914, at the age of eighty-one. August Wolf grew up on his 
father's farm and at the age of twenty-seven started out to shift for himself. 
He rented his father's farm, and also helped his father in the threshing busi- 
ness. While feeding a thresher he had his riglit hand torn off. This, of 
course, disabled him greatly, but he kept up courage and after his injury had 
healed engaged in threshing again. In 1902 he bought his father's farm, and 
kept up both farming and threshing until 1905, when he gave all of his atten- 
tion to farming. Just after this a storm destroyed many of the buildings on 
his place and lie rebuilt them better than they were before and made several 
additions. He now owns 320 acres of land, seventy of which lie plants in 
corn each year. In 1910 he retired from active work on the farm, and his 
son-in-law, Will Graham, now has actual charge of the place. Mr. \\'olf 
has been twice married, his first wife being Mary Walsli, a native of Germany, 
to whom he was married in 1890. No children were born to them and the 
wife died in 1912. .Mr. Wolf later married Dorothea Hoffman, who was horn 
in Atchison county, April 15. 1870, and is the daughter of Frederick and 
Katharena (Scheu) Hoffman. Her parents are of Cierman birth, both hav- 
ing left their native country when quite young. They were married in Illi- 
nois and came to Kansas about i860, where nine children were born to them. 
Three had been born to them while they were living in Illinois. The father 
engaged in farming in Center township and worked the place which Frank 
Hubbard now farms and was also a blacksmitli in .Atchison, Kan., for a 
few years. He died in July, 1887, at the age of fifty-six years. No children 
were born to Mr. and Mrs. \\'olf, and the wife died in July. 1913, at the age 
of seventy-six years. Mr. Wolf is a Republican. He is a member of the 
Fraternal Order of Eagles and belongs to the Evangelical church. Mr. Wolf 
has striven under the greatest difficulties, having lost his right hand when a 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 827 

young man, he has been immeasurabl)- handicapped throug'h the greater part 
of his Hfe. This is especially tnie in view of the fact that he followed farming, 
where, if anywhere, the use of botli hands is necessary. Though it was a 
great disadvantage that Mr. Wolf was placed under, he made a success of 
his career b}- hard work and gr)od management. 



FRAXK J. WAGNER. 



Frank J. Wagner, farmer and stockman, of Center township, Atchison 
county, was born July i6, 1864, in Austria. He is a son of Frank J. and 
Louise fFrennar) Wagner, and was one of seven children, four of whom are 
living. The parents were born in Austria and the father remained there un- 
til his death in 1870. He was a farmer and was seventy-eight years old when 
he died. In 1888 the mother left Austria and came to Atchison, Kan., where 
she is now living. She was marriec} a second time and this husband is also 
dead. She will be seventy-six years old in August, 1916. Frank J. W^ag- 
ner, the subject of this sketch, was educated in his native land and after at- 
tending the Austrian .schools learned the trade of wagon maker. L'ntil 1884 
he worked at this trade in Austria. Fie then immigrated to America and 
came to Atchison, Kan., where he worked for a lumber company for some 
time. Three years later he went to work on a farm, and after five years he 
returned to Atchison and worked two years. He then rented land in Shan- 
non township, Atchison county, and in 1905 bought 160 acres in Center town- 
ship. He bought this place just in time to have his buildings torn to pieces 
by the storm of 1905. Most of the buildings were blown down by the wind 
and it was necessary to rebuild practically all of them. In doing this he 
made some $5,000 worth of improvements. Mr. W^agner takes a great deal 
of interest in the breeding of fine Poland China hogs. 

He was married to Amelia W^onder, March 5, 1890. She is a daughter 
of Wenzel and Amelia Wonder, and was born in Austria in August, 1873. 
She came to America with her mother in 1888, and later settled in Atchison 
county. Mr. and Mrs. \\'agner are the parents of the following children: 
Frank, farming with his father: Karl, living with his father; Frances, married 
to M. Mudice ; Ada. deceased : Jolui, Albert and George, living at home. Mr. 
W^agner is an independent Democrat in politics. He is a member of the 
Catholic church and of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. 



S28 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

WILLIAM WEHKING. 

William Wehking, farmer and stockman, of Center township, Atchison 
county, was born in Westphalia, Germany, November 26, 1866. He is a son 
of Christian and Christena (Ruhe) Wehking, who were the parents of seven 
children, one of whom is dead. The parents both died in their native land. 
WiUiam Wehking worked in a flour-mill in Germany until 1886, when he 
immigrated to America. He thought that the West offered the best oppor- 
tunity to a poor boy, and came to Kansas, settling in Cummings, Atchison 
county. He began working on a fami at thirteen dollars a month. Eight 
years later he rented land near Nortonville, Kan. In 1894 he bought eighty 
acres in Jefferson county, Kansas, where he farmed eight years. Later, he 
sold this place and bought the farm of 150 acres which he now owns. He 
erected a fine silo on this place and is especially prepared to raise fine stock. 
He has since increased his holdings to 190 acres and has ventured into the 
dairy buiness. He owns fine Durham cattle and Poland China hogs in which 
he takes great pride. Mr. Wehking is a stockholder in a mercantile enter- 
prise in Nortonville, Kan. 

In 1895 Mr. ^Vehking married ^linnie (Giesking), who was born in 
Germany August 31, 1876. When sixteen years old she came to America 
and settled at Lancaster, Kan. Mr. and Mrs. ^^'ehking have eight children: 
Martha. Edward, Clara. William. Alma. Ernst, Frederick and Henry, all living 
at home. Mr. \\'ehking is an independent voter and is a member of the Luth- 
eran church. Me is a shrewd Imsiness man and has been successful primarily 
because of his conscr\ative judgment in handling his Inisiness \'entures. 



WILLIAM HARTMAN. 



William Hartman, prosperous farmer, of Mt. Pleasant township, Atchi- 
son county, was born in Platte county, Missouri, in 1851, a son of Jonathan 
and Christina (Wolking) Hartman, the latter a native of Hanover, Germany, 
and emigrated from her native land with her parents when ten years of age, 
locating in Cincinnati. Ohio. Jonathan Hartman was born in 182 1. at Brook- 
ville, Franklin county, Indiana, and was a son of Henry Hartman, who was 
bom in Pennsylvania, and was among the first settlers of Franklin county, 
Indiana. In 1842 Henry left Indiana and settled in Platte county, Missouri. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 829 

and was among the early pioneers of that county. He died on his farm in 
Missouri in i860. Jonathan, the father of WilHam, was reared to young man- 
hood in Indiana and was married there. In 1847, he with his wife and two 
children followed his father to Platte county, Missouri, and there followed his 
trade of millwright in I'latte City until 1849. when he made the overland 
trip to California with ox teams, remaining on the coast for two. years. He 
made some money while in the gold fields and returned home by way of Cape 
Horn, paying $500 for his passage. Captain Fulger was in command of the 
ship and he lost his vessel on the coast of Central America, the vessel striking 
the rocks and breaking in pieces. All aboard were rescued except the first 
mate. There were 500 passengers on this vessel who were coinpelled to wait 
on the west coast for five weeks before an opportunity presented itself to cross 
the mountains to the eastern shore. They were eventually taken across the 
mountains, but several died from the hardships they endured during the trip. 
Mr. Hartman secured passage to New Orleans, and from that city came up 
the Mississippi river to St. Louis, arriving there in December of 1850. From 
St. Louis the returned argonaut went to his home at Platte City. Three years 
later he set out with five wagons in partnership with his brother-in-law. R. D. 
Johnson, en route to Salt Lake City, L^tah. The wagons were heavilv loaded 
with provisions, drygoods and liquor. When the expedition arrived at the 
south fork of Green river they left tin-ee wagonloads at that point and pressed 
onward to their destination to the north fork of the river. They traded with 
the Indians and Mormons and made considerable money. Prices were falnilous 
in the far West in those clays, flnur bringing- $100 per hundred weight; com- 
mon work shirts sold for five dollars each, whiskey brought five dollars per 
pint, and the prices of other commodities were in proportion. Returning home 
from this trip Mr. Hartman lived in Platte City until 1854, and then came 
to Kansas with the first steam sawmill ever erected in Atchison county, and 
one of the first to be placed in operation in Kansas. He established his mill 
at old -Port William and operated it successfully until 1857. He then came 
to Mt. Pleasant township and preempted a claim now known as the Howe 
farm which he sold for fifty dollars. He traded his sawmill fi)r a farn^ nca- 
Parnell, Kan., now owned by Robert Volk. Jonathan was personallv 
acquainted with Pardee Butler, and met and conversed with Butler after he 
had been set adrift on a raft <>n the Missouri ri\cr by ])ro-slnverv men. He 
took Butler to his home and gave him his supper. He hid the refugee at the 
home of a neighbor until the next day and then accompanied him to Weston, 
from which point Mr. Butler made his way to his old home in Ohio, where 



830 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

he remained in safety for nine months before he returned to Kansas. Jon- 
athan Hartman was a Free State man and a Repubhcan in pohtics, who took 
a prominent and influential part in the affairs of his locality. He was ap- 
pointed gxiardian for the war widows and was selected by the Civil war vet- 
erans of the county to distribute the money apportioned to the war widows. 
On account of defective hearing, contracted as a result of an attack of moun- 
tain fever, he was not eligible for service in the Union army, but lent his 
moral support to the Union. He died on the farm January 24, 1897. He was 
the father of nine children, three of whom are living, as follows : R. D. 
Hartman, bom in Missouri in 1847; William Hartman, the subject of this 
review; and Henry Hartman, born in Indiana; Frederick Hartman, former 
sheriff of the county; Elijah Hartman, bom in Atchison count}-, Kansas, in 
1856, and died in 1890; Alice, wife of E. N. Eshom, of Atchison county. 

William Hartman grew up on his father's farm and was educated in the 
district school of his neighborhood. He was married in 1883 to Florence A. 
Good, a daughter of Daniel Good, an early settler of Atchison county, and 
originally from New York State. Mr. Hartman is the owner of 140 acres 
of very fine and productive land near old Parnell. The children of William 
and Florence Hartman are as follows : Morris, Jonathan H., Nelson, Mari- 
willie, wife of H. W. Gilbert, of Horton. Kan. : and Flossie, wife of J. C. Cart- 
mille, of Atchison county: \\'arren. the youngest of the family, was born 
November 11, 1901. 

Mr. Hartman is a stanch Republican in politics, is a member of the Chris- 
tian church, and is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 



ROYAL BALDWIN. 



Near the old village of Kennekuk. in tlie northeast corner of Grasshopper 
township, Atchison county, Kansas, stands the old home of Maj. Royal Bald- 
win, Indian agent. This home was built sixty years ago by Major Baldwin 
and is at present the home of Mrs. Jennie L. Dollinds, the last of the race of 
Baldwins in Atchison county. This narrative, therefore, will deal principally 
with the life career of Royal Baldwin, United States Indian agent, who was 
widely known in all of northeast Kansas as Major Baldwin. 

Royal Baldwin was born in Litchfield. Conn.. June 22, 1817, and was a 
descendant of ancestors who came over from England in the Mayflower. 
Three brothers, Ira, Julius, and Thomas, landed at Plymouth Rock with the 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 83I 

party of Pilgrims who sought homes in the forbidding wilderness of New 
England in 1620. Julius Baldwin was the founder of the family of which 
Royal Baldwin descended, and he finally settled in Connecticut, where Royal 
was born and reared to young manhood. Royal Baldwin received a good 
education in the public schools and academy of his neighborhood in Con- 
necticut, and when fifteen years of age he began teaching school. Later, the 
spirit of adventure moved him and he went to Ohio, where he became a boat- 
man on the Muskingum river. While living in Ohio he married Miss Ann 
Campbell, who was born February 15, 1820, in Belmont county, Ohio, and 
died July 16, 1894. She was a daughter of Joseph Campbell, of Scotch 
parents, and who married a lady of Welsh parentage. After his marriage 
Royal Baldwin settled in Meigs county, Ohio, where their three children were 
born. In 1856 Mr. Baldwin was appointed Indian agent by the United 
States Government and sent to northeast Kansas to take charge of the moving 
of the four tribes, the Kicakpoos, Sacs, Foxes and Pottawalomies to their 
Kansas reservations. When he received his appointment he removed with his 
family overland to St. Joseph, Mo., and immediately began his duties of set- 
tling the Indians on their reservations. He remained as Indian agent for 
twelve years and then resigned his position on account of poor health, but 
was again appointed and held the office for three years, after which he 
resigned, but was re-appointed by the Government, and died October 3, 1878, 
soon after the acceptance papers were sent back to Washington. Major 
Baldwin also conducted the Indian trading post at old Kennekuk in Grass- 
hopper township. During the border ruffian days a party of Jayhawkers 
called at the home of the Baldwins one night when the major was absent, 
and, knocking loudly upon the door, gave the information that Government 
authorities had sent them to get arms and ammunition from the stores with 
which to fight against General Price's army, which was about to invade Kan- 
sas. Jennie L. Baldwin was then a young girl of sixteen years. Mrs. Bald- 
win met the men at the door, and by the exercise of tact and diplomacy 
induced them to move on and let them alone. During his career as Indian 
agent Major Baldwin accumulated several hundred acres of land. He was a 
shrewd trader, and during the early days before the building of the trans- 
continental railroads he became interested in the freighting of goods across 
the plains to Denver and western points. He was a brilliant success as an 
Indian agent and never had trouble with his proteges. His first interpreter 
was Peter Kadgue, and his second interpreter was John Chawkickey. The 
old Indian mission was also built by Major Baldwin, and the old Baldwin 



832 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

home which he erected in 1856 is still standing. His duties as Indian agent 
were arduous and exacting, but he was equal to the emergencies which arose. 
He was a small, wiry man of slight build, blue-eyed and had light hair. Three 
children were torn to Royal Baldwin and wife, of whom two died in infancy. 
Jennie L., widow of John S. DoUinds, was born January 9, 1851, in Meigs 
county, Ohio, and was married in 1883 to Mr. Dollinds. 

John S. Dollinds was born in New Orleans January i, 1832, of French- 
Spanish parents. When he was a small boy his parents removed to Pittsburgh, 
Pa., where he was reared to young manhood. At the outbreak of the Civil 
war he enlisted in Company A of the Si.xty-second regiment, Penns}l- 
vania infantry, serving in the Fifth army corps and participated in many 
hard-fought battles, among them being the battles of the Wilderness and 
Gettysburg. He was wounded at the battle of Antietam, but remained in 
the service until the close of the war, after recovering from his wound. After 
the war closed Mr. Dollinds became a river boatman on the Ohio and Missis- 
sippi rivers for sixteen years, plying between Pittsburgh and New Orleans. 
He then came to Kansas and settled in Pottawatomie county. He invested in 
land, but never actively farmed to any extent. He was a gifted individual 
of great versatility of mind and was a photographer of more than ordinary 
ability. He died June i, 1914. Mr. Dollinds was a member of the Odd 
Fellows, and of the Grand Army of the Republic, Black Eagle Post, Horton, 
Kan. 

Mrs. Dollinds was formerly a member of the ladies' aid auxiliary nf the 
grand army post at Horton, and was invited by the Grand Army of the Re- 
public to attend the National grand encampment at Washington. She is an 
honorary member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and had served as a 
delegate to the grand encampment held at Pittsburgh, Pa. 



DAVIS W. COLLINS. 



Davis W. Collins, M. D.. a prominent physician, of Arrington, Atchison 
county, Kansas is one of the leading professional men of his town. He is a 
Pennsylvanian, having lieen born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, March 9, 
1875. His parents, James C. and Phoebe (Woodward) Collins, were the 
parents of four children, as follows : Eliza Rowland, Lane, Kan. ; Effie 
Mocherman, Wellsville. Kan. ; Davis, the subject of this sketch ; Roy, operator, 
Yale,, Okla. The father was born in Ohio and spent his early years on the 



HISTORY OF ATCTIISON CUUiNTY 833 

farm. In 1878 he came to Kansas and settled in Franklin county, where he 
is now engaged in farming at the advanced age of seventy, an example of good 
health tlirough right living. The mother was born in Pennsylvania and lives 
with her husband on the farm. 

Dr. Collins grew up on his father's farm in Kansas and attended the 
district school near the home place. Later, he attended the high school at 
Wellsville, Kan., and then took a business course at Dixon, 111. In 1894 he 
entered the Kansas City Medical College and was graduated from that institu- 
tion with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1898. He was at Baldwin, 
Kan., a short time and then came to Arrington, where he has built up a large 
practice by his excellent skill and higli ethical standards. He owns stock in 
the Arrington bank and holds considerable property in the vicinity of Arring- 
ton. 

In 1900 he was united in marriage with Minnie Case, who was bom 
November 20, 1880, in Atchison county, Kansas. She is the daughter of 
Frank and Anna (High) Case, early settlers of Kansas. The father was a 
mercliant in Arrington. Both j^arents are now dead. Mr. and Mrs. Collins 
have two children : Claire and Camien, both living at home. Mr. Collins is a 
Republican and belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Modern 
Woodmen of America. Although he is not a church member, he is a regular 
attendant at church and contributes liberally to the support of religious 
activities. 



GEORGE GOODWIN. 



George Goodwin, one of the pioneer settlers of Atchison county, and 
farmer of Grasshopper township, was born in 1857, in Illinois, a son of Thomas 
and Ilelcn (Bevens) Goodwin, loth n{ wlmni were liorn at (iravesend, Eng- 
land, about thirty miles from the city of London on the Thames river. They 
were reared to maturity in England, there married and immigrated to Amer- 
ica, first settling in New York, where they resided for a short time, and then 
made a home in Illinois. In i860 the parents of George, with the family, 
came to Kansas. For a short time they lived at Ft. Leavenworth, and then 
came to the cit)' of Atchison, where Thomas Goodwin became a manufacturer 
of brick in partnership with Henry Bevens, his brother-in-law. They made 
the first kiln of brick ever burned in Atchison county, and soon afterward 
sold the brick kiln and moved onto a farm owned by Jolm Russell, the banker. 



834 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

After working for Mr. Russell for a few years, Thomas moved on to a farm 
of his own, where he spent the remainder of his days. He became quite 
prominent among the early pioneers of the county, was a Republican in poli- 
tics, and was an Odd Fellow. Seven children were born to this pioneer 
couple, of whom George, the subject of this review, was the youngest. 

George Goodwin was eighteen months of age when the family came to 
Kansas, and he was reared in the city of Atchison and on the farm where 
his parents settled. He received his education in the public schools, and is 
residing on his eighty acre farm in Grasshopper township. When he became 
of age he married Hester Adams, to this union have been born two children, 
namely: Thomas N. Goodwin, who is cultivating the old Goodwin home- 
stead, and Edmund E. died at the age of eight years. The mother of these 
children was born in Iowa, a daughter of Nathan Adams, a native of New 
York State, and an early settler of Iowa. He was of English parentage, and 
his wife was a daughter of French-Canadian parents. 

While Mr. Goodwin is allied with the Republican party, he prefers to 
vote independent of party dictation and makes up his own mind concerning 
the qualifications of respective candidates regardless of their political quali- 
fications. He is a member of the Knights and Ladies of Security. 



RICHARD B. CLEVELAND. 



Richard B. Cleveland, rctiretl farmer and old settler, of Muscotah, Kan., 
was born December 29, 1830, in New York State. He was a son of Richard 
and Elizabeth (Mead) Cleveland, who left New York when Richard was a 
small boy and settled in Illinois. The Cleveland family are of English descent 
and can trace their ancestry back to the settlement and colonial days of New 
England. Richard, the father, was a successful merchant in New York, who 
suffered considerable losses on account of an absconding partner, who left 
after looting the business. Richard then decided to make a new start in the 
West, and again succeeded in rehal:)ilitating his fortunes on the rich fann 
lands of Illinois in Cook county. When he first went to Illinois he was too 
poor to do otherwise than to rent land, but as time went on he gradually 
got on his feet and became a prosperous land owner. 

Richard B. Cleveland was reared to young manhood in Cook county. 
Illinois, and was married there. In 1862 he left Illinois and came to Kansas 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 835 

with his wife and family, first living for a few years on a farm in Jackson 
county, north of Holton. He then bought i6o acres of land in Grasshopper 
township which was unimproved. Before he built his home on this tract he 
lived for a time at New Eureka on the old Salt Lake trail and operated a 
small grocery store. All of Mr. Cleveland's worldly goods when he came 
to Kansas in company with Isaac Gordon, an old Englishman, consisted of a 
teamteam and wagon and a few household goods. He Ijought i6o acres of 
un-improved land, his mother's watch being applied on this deal. In 1863 he 
enlisted in the Second regiment, Nebraska infantry, and was engaged in fight- 
ing the Sioux Indians on the liorder for over nine months. He was mustered 
out of the service at Falls City, Neb., late in the winter of 1864. at a time wh.en 
a deep snow covered the ground and he had difficulty in reaching his home 
after his long absence. He then took a job of carrying the mail for a Govern- 
ment contractor named Darlington. The rovite which he tra\eled extended 
from Falls City, Neb., to Indianola and Mr. Cle\-eland received the munificent 
salary of twelve dollars per month for carrying the mail on horseback between 
these two cities and furnished his own horse. The farm which be purchased 
near Eureka was located on Straight creek, and there was plenty of timber 
growing on the banks of this stream which was a favorite camping ground 
of the Indians of the Pottawatomie tribe. Sometimes a large band of over 
100 would camp in the timber along the stream. An incident which occurred 
is well worth recording. Mrs. Cleveland had a fine flock of turkeys which 
were running in the woods* and prairies. One day she heard the sound of a 
,gun, and looking out of the doorway of the cabin she saw an Indian buck 
going toward one of her turkeys which he had shot. This incensed her and 
she ran toward the Indian. A neighbor woman also started toward the 
Indian with a gun in her hands, read}- to shoot him if it became necessary. She 
shook her fist at the buck, who said in explanation : "Me thought prairie 
chicken." Mrs. Cleveland replied: "You thieving rascal, that was niv turkey, 
now you get." The Indian sulkily moved on and the Cleveland familv feasted 
on turkey the next day. In the spring of 1864 the soldier returned to his 
family and l)egan l)uilding u]) his farm, settling down to farm life and endea- 
voring to make good. He succeeded and is the owner of a fine farm of rich 
land. By the exercise of thrift and industry he accumulated a competence and 
reared a fine family. Like the other farmers of his neighborhood he had to 
go through the experience of the "grasshopper" years, and it is recalled that 
he was very skeptical of the news of the coming of the "hoppers" when trav- 
elers and grrt'jshopper victims came through his country. He "pooh-hooed" 



836 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COLXTY 

the idea that the "hoppers'" were coming in vast clouds and would not believe 
it, but he soon had serious reason -to change his mind when they came in 
vast swarms and ate up his crops. Mr. Cleveland was married in Locls]5ort, 
111., to Rhoda A. Perrin, who was born November 21. 1832, and departed 
this life July 11, 1907. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cleve- 
land, as follows : Orrin .\lmeron, a fanner of .\tchison county ; Mead Cleve- 
land, a farmer in Oklahoma, and Hattie, at home with her father. 

In politics, Mr. Cleveland has always been a Republican of the stalwart 
variety. He is a member of the Congregational church of Muscotah, and is 
one of the higlily respected citizens of his township and city, and is one of the 
last of the old-time Indian fighters and pioneers who paved the way in the 
wilderness for the thousands of settlers who have come to this great land after 
him and his fellows had endured the hardships necessary for the redemption 
of the unpeopled prairie. It is to such men as he that this volume of historical 
annals is respectfully dedicated. 



GEORGE V. ANDERSON. 



George V. Anderson, farmer and stockman, of Arrington, Kapioma 
township, Atchison county, Kansas, was born Februaiy 3, 1876, on a farm 
in Platte county, Missouri, son of Vincent and Mathekla (Pitts) Anderson. 
Vincent Anderson was a native of Tennessee, farmer by vocation, immigrated 
from Tennessee to Missouri, where he became the owner of a farm, and 
during the late fifties was a shipper and freighter across the plains. \Mncent 
Anderson was married to Mathekla Pitts, and the following children were 
born to this marriage: Mrs. Mary Dyer, deceased; EHot, deceased; and 
George V., the subject of this sketch. The mother of these children was born 
April 17, 1845, in Fleming county, Kentucky, a daughter of James and Anna 
(Eliot) Pitts. James Pitts was a native-born Kentuckian who immigrated 
to Missouri, and died at the age of seventy-four years. He became an exten- 
sive land owner in Missouri. A few years after the death of Vincent Ander- 
son his widow married John H. Calvert,' who is also deceased. Mrs. Calvert, 
the mother of George V. Anderson, still resides in Kapioma township. 

George V. Anderson a\ as reared on a farm and when twenty jears of age 
started to work at twenty-two dollars a month.' His stepfather, John Calvert, 
migrated from Platte countv. Missouri, to Kansas in 1883 and settled on a 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY . 837 

farm near ]Muscotah, where he rented land for a few years, and in 1892 bought 
an eighty-acre farm in Kapioma township. He improved this farm and 
erected a six-room residence which presents a good appearance. He died June 
24, 1913. In 1897 George V. Anderson rented a tract of land which he cul- 
tivated for three years, saved his money in the meantime, and made his first 
investment in eiglity acres of land in Jackson county, Kansas. He improved 
this tract and sold it at a good profit in 1902. A few years later he purchased 
160 acres of land in Kapioma township. This tract he at once began to im- 
prove, built a house and erected a nice barn. Mr. Anderson has added to his 
acreage from time to time until he now owns 252 acres of well improved land. 
He keeps sufficient graded stock on his place to consume the grain which is 
raised, enabling him to market his farm products in a convenient manner and 
keep up the fertility of the land. 

Mr. Anderson was married in 1892 to Frances Brosig, and to this union 
have been born four children : Carl, Minnie, Vernon, and Scott, all of whom 
are at home with their parents. Mrs. Anderson was born August 13, 1865, in 
Germany. She is a daughter of Carl and Theresa Anderson, who immigrated 
to America when Frances was a child and settled in Kansas. Mr. Anderson 
is a Democrat in politics, a member of the Christian church, and affiliated with 
the Modern Woodmen lodge. 



GEORGE L. BRO\\N.. 



George L. Brown, one of the younger members of the Atchison county 
bar and an able attorney, is a native of Chattanooga. Tenn. He was born 
March 25, 1890, and is a son of George T. and Mary E. (Scott)' Brown. The 
father was a native of Washington. D. C, born in i860. He was reared to 
manhood in the \icinit\- of Washington and studied ci\il engineering in Marv- 
land. He came to Kansas in the capacity of civil engineer on the construc- 
tion of the Rock Island railroad in the eighties and while there met and 
married Mary E. Scott. She is a native of Doniphan county, Kansas, and is 
a daughter of Benjamin and Frances (Helm) Scott; the former is now de- 
ceased and the latter resides in .A^tchison with her daughter. The Scott fam- 
ily were early settlers in Kansas, locating in Doniphan county in 1857. 

After their marriage George T. Brown and his wife located in Chatta- 
nooga. Tenn.. where he was engaged in business for a time when he removed 



838 • HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

to St. Lx)uis and was engaged in business there until the time of his death 
which occurred in November, 1900. After the death of her husband Mrs. 
Brown returned to Kansas with her two children, George L., the subject of 
this sketch, and Donald Scott, now aged fifteen years. !Mrs. Brown located 
in Atchison and engaged in teaching which had been her profession prior to 
her marriage. She is one of the most successful teachers of Atchison county 
and is now engaged in her work in the Ingalls school, Atchison. 

George L. attended the public schools of Atchison and was graduated 
from the Atchison High School in the class of 1909. He then entered the law 
department of Kansas University, Lawrence, Kan., and was graduated in the 
class of 1914 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. Mr. Brown did not attend 
the university continuously from the time that he entered until his graduation. 
He was employed for a year in the meantime as clerk in the offices of the 
Missouri Pacific shops at Atchison and in this way helped pay his way through 
the university. He was admitted to the bar in June, 1914, and immediately 
engaged in the practice of his profession with offices at 304 Simpson build- 
ing. He has a very satisfactory practice for the short time tliat he has been 
engaged in his professional work and is recognized as a young man with con- 
siderable more than ordinar}- ability who gives close attention to his pro- 
fession. Politically, he is a Democrat and comes from a long line of Dem- 
ocratic ancestors. He is a member of the Presbyterian church and his fra- 
ternal affiliations are with the Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity, and the Loyal 
Order of Moose. 



JOHN A. REYNOLDS. 



Time and experience have demonstrated that if an individual remain for 
a number of years in an avocation and devote his energies and mind to becom- 
ing proficient in his particular profession he is certain to become a valued 
citizen of his community and amass a competence. John A. Reynolds, rail- 
road engineer, is a citizen of this tyi)e, wlio for forty years has been in the 
employ of the Missouri Pacific railroad, and has arisen to become one of the 
substantial and well respected citizens of Atchison. Mr. Reynolds is a direc- 
tor of two of the most important banking concerns of northeast Kansas and 
has taken a leading part in city affairs for many years. 

Speaking in a biographical sense, Mr. Reynolds was born in the city of 
St. Louis, Mo., June 7, 1858, a son of Thomas and Bridget (Glancy) Rey- 
nolds, both of whom were natives of Roscommmon countv, Ireland. Thomas 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 839 

Reynolds, after his immig^ration to America became wharf clerk for a na\i- 
gation company at St. Louis, where he resided until July 28, 1861, at which 
time he came to Atchison, Kan., and entered the employ of Theodore Barkow 
as bookkeeper. He remained in this position until his demise, on .A^pril i, 
1870. The mother of John A. Reynolds died February 25, 191 5. at the great 
age of ninety-six years. It is to the everlasting credit of John that when his 
father died he at once began doing his share of supporting the family and 
cared tenderly for his mother until her death. Mrs. Reynolds, the widow, 
was left with very few resources, and John was but twelve years of age at 
the time. Seven children were born to Thomas Reynolds and wife, of whom 
John was the only survivor at the time of his father's death. 

John A. Reynolds received his education in the public schools of Atchi- 
son, attended a private school, and also studied in St. Benedict's College. 
At the age of sixteen years he entered the employ of the Alissouri Pacific 
Railway Company as a fireman and brakcman and remained with the railroad 
at Atchison until January i, 1881, when he entered the service of the Mis- 
souri Pacific at Sedalia, Mo., as engineer of a freight run for a period of 
five years. He was then (1886) promoted to tlie passenger service, in which 
department he has since been employed as one of the most trusted and reliable 
engineers of the system. Mr. Reynolds' first experience as an engineer, how- 
ever, was in the passenger service of the road, and it came about in this wise : 
The engineer for whom he was firing (George W. Slade) had been promised 
a vacation and a trip to New York State. This promise had been made to 
Mr. Slade time and time again, and at his suggestion the master mechanic 
of the yards placed young Reynolds, then twent_\--two years old, in chai-ge 
of the engine on the run between Kansas City and .\tchison, Kan. Mr. Slade 
took the responsibility of any errors or mistakes that Reynolds would make, 
but the young engineer ran his train successfully without mishap for a period 
of six weeks and was then promoted to the post of locomotive engineer on 
the freight run as stated above. Mr. Reynolds at this time is in charge of 
the through passenger run between Atchison and Downs, Kan. 

Mr. Reynolds was married in 1898 to Kathrine Horan, and the follow- 
ing children have blessed this happy marriage : Mary Anna, John, Kathrine, 
Ruth, Ellen, Marselene, all of whom are at home with their parents. The 
mother of these children is a daughter of Michael and .\nna (Dean) Horan, 
both of whom were born in Tipperary, Ireland. (See biography of M. J. 
Horan.) 

Mr. Reynolds is a member of the Locomotive Engineers' Union, the 
Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Elks lodge, the Fraternal Order of 



840 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Eagles, and is affiliated with tlie Democratic party in politics. For the past 
six years Mr. Reynolds has been connected with tlie Atchison Savings Bank 
and is a director of this financial concern, as well as being a stockholdei' of 
the First National Bank of Atchison. One of the finest things which can be 
said of Mr. Reynolds concerning his career as a railway engineer is that dur- 
ing all his long experience and constant work he has never had a serious acci- 
dent, and no passengers have been killed or injured who were intrusted to his 
charge, and he has had but two trifling rear-end collisions to account for. 
which did \ery little damage and resulted in no injuries to persons. This 
record is a remarkalile one and is in keeping with the character of the man 
himself, who from liis earliest boyhood has known what it is to shift for him- 
self and learned the art of being self-reliant and cool-headed in any emergency. 
A brother of Mr. Reynolds, Andrew by name, was a Union soldier who served 
in the cavalry and was wounded, later dying at home from the effects of his 
wound. Another brother, James, was also a soldier in the Union army. 



WILLIAM SUTTER. 



William Sutter resides on the old home place of the Sutter family in 
Benton' township, about two miles west of Effingham. This farm is one of 
the finest and best cultivated farms in Atchison county, and the residence 
grounds and farm buildings are among the most attractive and best kept in 
the State of Kansas. The farm is w^idely known as the "Maple Lawn Stock 
Farm." and is noted for its production of fine live stock. Mr. Sutter is an 
able farmer, liaxing Ijcen well schooled in the art of agriculture b\- his capal)le 
father. The Sutter family erected the handsome farm residence of seven 
rooms in 1892. all modernized with hot and cold running water and electric 
lights. The barn is an immense affair and well built, in dimensions, 60x70 
feet and erected with an eye to appearance as well as convenience. Mr. Sut- 
'er has long been a breeder of Perchcron horses and keeps ])ure bred stock of 
this variety. He generally has about thirty head of horses and mules on 
the farm and aims to feed all of the grain which he produces to live stock on 
the place. He keeps only full bred Poland China hogs and good grades of 
cattle. When the Sutter estate was apportioned among the children of the 
late Frederick Sutler, William received 160 acres, the home place, as his share, 
and afterwards bought an additicmal (|uarter section, making 320 acres in all. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 84 1 

which he owns. He formerly owned i6o acres south of the home place, but 
sold it. 

William Sutter was bom Octolier i8, 1856, on a farm in Walnut town- 
ship, a son of Frederick and Fredericka Sutter, natives of Germany, and pio- 
neer settlers in the town of old Sumner. (See biography of Fred Sutter for 
further details.) William Sutter accompanied his ]>arents to Benton town- 
ship in 1880, and assisted his father in the accumulation of his large estate and 
cared for his parents until their deaths. After his father's death he continued 
to reside on the old home place and tilled the farm of which he is now the 
sole owner. 

He was married October 18, 191 5, to Miss Dorothy Xickle, of Muscotali, 
Atchison county, a daughter of WilHam Nickle, an old resident of Atchison 
county. After a honeymoon trip to the Panama-Pacific Exposition and Pa- 
cific coast points extending into old Mexico, covering a period of nearly two 
months, Mr. and Mrs. Sutter returned to tiie home farm, near Effingham. 

Mr. Sutter is a Republican in politics, is a member of the Presbyterian 
church and is affiliated with the Central Protective Association and the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He is truly a product of the pioneer days in 
Atchison county, and in his youth knew what real hardships were and assisted 
in the struggle to achieve a comfortable competence for the Sutter family in 
common, and has had the satisfaction of seeing the family fortunes increase 
as the years ha\-e passed, and seein.g his home count}- improve with age and 
gain in prestige and wealth. He is a genial, popular gentleman, who has a 
deep and abiding love for the county which he has helped to develop and is 
proud of the fact that he was one of those who assisted in its upbuilding. 



JAMES ISHAM HOLMES. 

James Isham Holmes, of Shannon township, Atchison county, is a pioneer 
of eastern Kansas and vv'cstern Missouri, and for seventy-three years has lived 
within a radius of twelve miles from Atchison. Fie is a native of Indiana 
and was born in Putnam county March 22, 1841. He is a son of William and 
Nancy (Hartsock) Holmes, the former a native of England, born in 1812, 
and the latter a native of Germany. William Holmes, the father, immigrated 
from England with his parents when he was a small boy. The family located 
in Kentucky, where they remained but a short time when the\- removed to 



842 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Indiana, and in 1842 they removed to Buchanan county, Missouri, and located 
near St. Joseph. The father was a cooper and worked at his trade for a short 
time at Rushville, Mo., and in the spring of 1843 ^^ settled one mile south 
of Dekalb, where he conducted a cooper shop for eight years. He then bought 
a farm three miles north of Dekalb, where he followed farming for twelve 
years, or until 1863, when he traded his place for a farm in Doniphan county, 
Kansas. Three years later he sold his Doniphan count}^ farm and removed to 
Atchison, where he spent the remainder of his life in retirement. 

William and Nancy (Hartsock) Holmes were the parents of the follow- 
ing children : John William, Eliza Ann, Peter, Alfred ; James Isham, the 
subject of tliis sketch ; John. Francis. [Marion, Loma, Ann. Perry, PraeU'r B., 
Isaac, Susan Ann, Lethia Maria, Joseph, and Henry. 

James Isham Holmes was reared amid the pioneer surroundings of the 
times and received such education as was available under the conditions, and 
when twenty-two years old went to Doniphan county, Kansas, where he worked 
in a flouring mill one year. He was then engaged in various vocations, includ- 
ing farming, cutting cordwood, railroading and lumbering, when he engaged 
in breaking prairie in the vicinity of Atchison. He followed that vocation for 
some time when he engaged in farming in Atchison county. He sold his farm in 
1868 and shortly afterwards bought another place of eighty acres, and bought 
more land as the opportunity offered, and now owns a fine farm of 240 
acres, where he has resided for the past forty years. He is one of tlie suc- 
cessful farmers of Atchison county and has prospered. 

Mr. Holmes has been twice married. His first wife was Rose Ann Wood, 
to whom he was married in 1861. She died February 9, 1862, leaving one 
child, William H.. who resides in Atcliison. His second marriage took place 
September 17, 1863, to Jemima E. Pruitt, a Missouri girl, born in 1844. Tliree 
children were born to this union : Perry, a railroad man, residing in Salt Lake 
City, Utah ; Nancy Emily, now deceased : Minnie married Mr. Bisel, and is 
now deceased. She was the mother of three children, Lawrence, Milburn, 
and Othello. 

Mr. Holmes has been a student of men and affairs all his life. He has 
read extensively during his entire life and is one of the best posted men on 
general topics in Atchison county. He is a typical representative of the Amer- 
ican pioneer who courageously conquered the wild and unbroken West and 
made of it the great agricultural and commercial empire that it is. He and 
his accomplished wife, who has been his helpmate and companion for more 
than a half century, are now spending the sunset of their lives in peace and 
comfort in their beautiful home which their industry has provided. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 843 

EDWIN TAYLOR SHELLY, M. D. 

For thirty-five years Dr. Edwin Taylor Slielly has been a successful 
medical practitioner in the city of Atchison. Dr. Shelly was born in Quaker- 
town. Pa., February 6, 1859, and is a son of William N. and Anna (Taylor) 
Shelly, both of whom were natives of Bucks county, Pennsylvania. Rev. 
William N. Shelly, the father, was a United Brethren minister, whose ances- 
tors came originally from Saxony, Germany, in 1765 and settled in Mont- 
gomery county, Pennsylvania. He departed this life in 1893, at the age of 
seventy-nine years. Mrs. Anna (Taylor) Shelly died in 1S81, at the age of 
sixty-four years. 

Edwin Taylor Shelly was the only child h\ the second marriage of Rev. 
William N. Shelly. He received his early education in the Ouakertown high 
school and then taught school for two years. He began the study of med- 
icine in the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1878, 
graduating therefrom in 1881. After practicing his profession for a few 
months in his home county Dr. Shelly removed to Eden, Kan., where he prac- 
ticed for three years. He then moved to Huron, Kan., where he remained 
for two years, previous to locating in Atchison in May, 1886, where he has 
since maintained offices. 

Dr. Shelly is a member of the Missouri Valley Medical Society, the Atch- 
ison County Medican Society, the Kansas State, and the American Medical 
associations, and is a member of the Kansas Academy of Science and the 
American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has twice served 
as president of the Northeastern Kansas Medical Association. He has en- 
deavored to keep pace with the progress made in his life profession and has 
pursued post-graduate courses in the University of Pennsyhania, the Post- 
Graduate School of Chicago, and the Sloan Maternity Hospital of New York 
City. Dr. Shelly has been an occasional contributor to the various medical 
journals, and articles from his pen have appeared in the Journal of the Ameri- 
can Medical Association, the New York Medical Record, and other medical 
publications. He has always devoted himself exclusively to the practice of 
his profession. In politics, the Doctor is an independent Democrat, and has 
always taken a great deal of interest in civic and economic questions. 

Dr. Shelly has been twice married, his first marriage occurring in 1885 
with Miss Mary A. Schletzbaum, of Eden, who died in 1897, leaving two sons, 
namely: William L., a farmer, residing on rural route No. i, south of Atch- 
ison, and who is a graduate of the Manhattan Agricultural College; Ralph 
A., a graduate of the engineering department of Manhattan College, and now 



844 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

employed in the Buick automobile factory at Flint, Mich. His second mar- 
riage was with Miss L'llie E. Allen, of Atchison, in 1899. To this union 
have been born two children, Esther, aged thirteen years, and Allen Parker, 
seven years old. 



EDGAR WATSON HOWE. 



Edgar Watson Howe, journalist and author, was born at Treaty. \\'a- 
bash county, Indiana, May 3, 1854, a son of Henry and Elizabeth ( Irwin) 
Howe. In 1857 the Howe family moved to Harrison county, Missouri, where 
Edgar was educated in the common schools until twelve years of age, when 
he began working in liis father's printing office. Henry Howe, a Methodist 
minister, was described as a "fierce abolitionist," and published a paper at 
Bethany, Mo. At the age of fourteen the strict discipline of his erratic father 
became too much for the spirit of the boy and he left home. E. W. Howe 
is next heard of in Golden, Colo., as editor and publisher of the Weekly Globe, 
at the age of eighteen. A year or so afterward he was connected with a 
paper at Falls City, Neb., where in 1875 he married Miss Clara L. Frank. 
Five children were born to tliis union, rmd three are living. In 1877 Mr. 
Howe came to Atchison, Kan., where he established the Atchison Globe. 
This paper was not long in finding its way to recognition among the news- 
papers of Kansas on account of the personality injected into it by its editor, 
and for more than thirty years it has been one of the most widely quoted 
publications in the whole country. The recent edition of the luncyclopedia 
Brittanica refers to it. Mr. Howe has tlie happy faculty of being personal 
in his comments without giving offense. The informal way of dealing with 
matters in his paper has alwa3^s been relished by Kansans and has attracted 
fa\orable comment in the more conventional parts of the country. The mag- 
azines, in reproducing some of liis refreshing paragraphs, liave referred to 
"Ed" Howe as the best country-town newspaper reporter in America. He 
has the faculty of seeking the points overlooked by the majority and of 
working them up into paragraphs having a combination of sarcasm and good 
liumor that is irresistible. 

Mr. Howe's first work of fiction was "The Stoiy of a Country Town," 
pul)lished in 1882, which has lieen for more llnan a quarter of a century among 
tlie standard books of .America. It has been classed by such eminent critics 
as William Dean Howells as one of the ten best American novels. This 
book did not run its course as the average popular novel does; its human inter- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 845 

est has taken lasting hold un the puhlic. Other works of fiction wliich Mr. 
Howe has since written are : "The Moonhght Boy,'' "The Mystery of the 
Locks," "An Ante-mortem Statement," "The Confession of John W'hitlock." 
His "Lay Sermons" contain a great deal of good, sound philosophy of life, 
and from the pages of this book may be deducted a very practical code of 
ethics. Li 1900, at the time Dr. Sheldon edited the Daily Capital in Topeka 
for a week in the way he thought Christ would do, Mr. Howe added to the 
gayety of Nations by accepting an invitation from the Topeka Stale Journal 
and running it for a week the way he thought the dexil would run a news- 
paper. 

In igo6 Mr. Howe made a long trip abroad, which resulted in "Daily 
Notes of a Trip Around the World," in two volumes, which has been praised 
as highly as any book of travels in recent years. Two years later he wrote 
"The Trip to the West Lidies." as a result of a winter cruise. His latest 
book is "Country Town Sayings," a collection of his paragraphs in the 
Atchison Globe. 

Mr. Howe's country home at Atchison is one of the most carefully and 
artistically arranged homes in the State. It is a bungalow, overlooking what 
is said to be one of the three finest views in Kansas. It was built by its owner 
as a place to retire vihen he became old, as he believes that too many people 
stand around in other people's way. True to his instinct of the unusual he 
named it "Potato Hill." At the age of fifty-six years he retired from active 
management of the Globe. It was ]^redicted by those familiar with his tireless 
energy as a newspaper man that he would soon be back at his desk in the 
Globe office, but such was not the case. After revising the "Story of a Coun- 
try Town" for the stage he began the publication of Hozi'e's Monthly, which, 
within a few months became the western rival of the Phillistine, published at 
East .\urora, N. Y., and is considered by many to have out-classed Elbert 
Hubbard's magazine. The Edward Howe paragraphs ha\e been syndicated, 
and appear in the leading dailies of the country. In an attempt to account 
for the popularity of these paragraphs and the other writings of Mr. Howe, 
Walt Mason in the American Magazine, says: "There is always, in even'- 
thing Ed. Howe writes, the element of the unexpected. It is present in all his 
books — one of which ranks with the best in American fiction — and it is in 
his briefest paragraphs, and that is why he is inimitable. Others may adopt 
his style and mannerisms, but they can't borrow the strange, original intelli- 
gence that eternally ignores the obvious and seizes upon the liizarre, showing 
how much of the bizarre there is in every-day commonplace life." 



846 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

The personality of Mr. Howe as described by those who i<now him best, 
is that of a quiet) courteous gentleman, amiable and kind to all. His patience 
in teaching the young reporter and his indulgent ignoring of the mistakes of 
his office force, have been frequently remarked upon. It is said that he never 
discharged anyone, but always assisted them to make good. To those who 
have been associated with him he is a greater man than he is to those who 
only know him through the printed page, and the longer and closer the 
acquaintance, the more remarkable seems his genius. 



WILLIAM F. SPEER. 



William F. Speer showed his good judgment in coming to Kansas. 
It was not his fault that he was not bom in the great Sunflower State, but he 
immediately recognized that the next best thing to being a native born "Jay- 
hawker" was to spend as many years as possible in the prosperous State, and 
although he was only three months old at the time he has never had occasion 
to reverse his judgment. In fact, he likes it better every year, and in all the 
fifty-five years he has lived in Kansas he has always held to his first prefer- 
ence for Kansas territory. 

William F. Speer was born January 8, i860, but when spring came his 
parents, Joseph and Mary (Fountain) Speer, whose history is written under 
the name of Anna D. Speer, a sister, came to Atchison county, Kansas, from 
their former home in Madison county, Iowa. The parents settled on the 
farm which William Speer now owns and brought him up in the way he 
should go, including some schooling at the district school house. His meagre 
time in school was only a breathing spell for the heavier duties which awaited 
him on his father's farm, and William was early drafted for service and had 
to help along with his eight brothers and sisters. When the father's estate 
was divided he bought the home place of 160 acres, which he has improved a 
great deal since that time. 

In 1889 Mr. Speer married Cora Spangler. who was born March 6, 
1866, in Maiden, 111. She was the daughter of LeRoy and Lucendia (Smith) 
Spangler. both natives of Ohio, who came to Brown county, Kansas in 1870, 
where they remained until 1876. when they moved to Grasshopper town- 
ship, Atchison county. They moved to Edmond, Okla., in 1900. The father 
died in 19 13, at the age of seventy- four years, and the mother passed away in 
1906, at the age of sixty-seven years. Mr. and Mrs. Spangler had six chil- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY • 847 

dren, as follows : Alfred, of Marion county, Kansas ; George, of Edmond, 
Okla. ; Cora, the wife of William Speer ; Joseph, deceased; Curtis and Irvin, 
of Kansas City, Mo. Mr. and Mrs. Speer have seven children, all of whom 
are living at home, with the exception of Ralph, who is manager of the 
Muscotah farmers' elevator. The children living at home are : Lela, LeRoy, 
Lucy, Anna Belle. Frank, and Marjorie. 



EDMUND BULLOCK. 



Edmund Bullock, late of JMuscotah, Kan., was born in Januaiw, 1S3S, at 
Cornwall, England, and departed this life July 27. 1892. He was a son of 
Frank Bullock, who with his family immigrated to Canada in 1846, and 
crossed the border to become a resident of the United States in 1853, finallv 
settling in Wisconsin. Edmund was reared to young manhood in Wiscon- 
sin, and married there in i86g. Three years later, in 1872, he and his young 
wife came to Kansas, settling in Muscotah, Atchison county. Edmund Bul- 
lock was a skilled tinsmith, and his first work in Muscotah was the opening 
of a small shop which served as a place to ply his trade, and also as their 
home for some time. He prosi>ered as time went on and added a stock ot 
stoves and tinware, and later established a larger store and carried hardware 
of all kinds in stock. For several years after coming to Muscotah he made 
all of the tinware sold from his shop. For the first five years of their resi- 
dence in Muscotah the tin shop was divided and half of it served as a resi- 
dence for Mr. and Mrs. Bullock. A sister of Mrs. Bullock lived witli them 
and conducted a millinery store in the living room. Mv. Bullock first worked 
in Greenleaf, Kan., when he came west, and Mrs. Bullock stayed with friend.s 
in Frankfort. He heard of Muscotah and decided to locate here. 

Mr. Bullock was married in 1869 to Miss Emma Graham, a native of 
Wisconsin, and a tlaughter of fhistavus and Sarah Maria Graliam, who were 
both born in New York State, h'or fifteen years previous to her demise Mrs. 
Bullock's mother, Mrs. Sarah Maria Hale, made her home with her daughter, 
dying September 29, 1915. at the great age of 100 years and nine months. 

Edmund Bullock was a Union veteran, who enlisted in 1862 in the 
Twenty-fifth Wisconsin regiment of volunteers and served until tlic close of 
the Civil war, participating in several hard-fought engagements with his regi- 
ment. He was affiliated with the Grand Army of the I^epublic and the 
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He was prominent in Masonic circles 



84S HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

and was well versed in Masonry. Politically. Mr. Bullock was a Republican, 
who voted independently on local and county matters. He was reared in the 
Episcopalian faith, but was a liberal donator to all denominations who sought 
his assistance. He was an honest, straight-forward citizen who was blessed 
with a jolly disposition and had a fund of anecdotes which he was continually 
retailing to a crowd of interested listeners, especially children w!io would 
gather around liim at times when he -was not Inisy and listened enthralled to 
his wonder tales. Mr. and Mrs. Bullock lived an ideal married life and were 
deeply devoted to each other. 



PRESLEY H. CALVERT. 



Presley 11. Cahert, retired farmer, of Muscotah, Kan., was born Xovem- 
l)er 14. 1835, in Owington, Ky., a son of B. Warren Calvert, a native of old 
Virginia, and a direct descendant of Cecil Calvert (Lord Baltimore), who 
founded the Maryland colony in America. The mother of Presley H. Cal- 
vert was Lucy J. Hawkins before her marriage with Warren Calvert, and was 
born in Frankfort. Ky. In 1S37 the Calvert family migrated from Kentucky 
to Platte county, Missouri, and were among the earliest pioneer settlers of 
that county. Being slaveholders in Kentucky they brought along the family 
slaves and im|)ro\ed 160 acres of land in Missouri. Both parents ended their 
days on the old home place in Platte county. 

Presley H. was reared on the farm in Platte count\- and was educated in 
the Pleasant Ridge College, the same school attended bv B. P. Waggener, of 
Atchison. He followed farming until the outbreak of the war between the 
States and then sened three months in the army of General Price, being un- 
der the direct command of Captain Mitchell and in Steen's division. He 
fought at the battle of Lexington, Mo., in behalf of the Confcderac\- and 
recei^■ed his discharge on account of sick disability at Osceola, St. Clair countv. 
Missouri. After his marriage in 1867 he farmed for ten vears in Platte 
county. Missouri, and then came to Kansas, settling on a farm three miles 
south of Muscntali in Kapioma township. For the first ten vears Mr. Calvert 
rented land and then invested in 160 acres of good land three miles north of 
^luscotah in Crassliojiper township. He imjjroved this fann and. resided 
thereon until 1895. He then rented his farm and moved to Muscotah. Mr. 
Calvert paid twenty dollars per acre for his land and sold it for $5,000 when 
he retired from active farm work. He is now making his home with Mr. 
•■'"' ^fv' WiW Warren. Mrs. W'arren is his niece. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 849 

Mr. Calvert was married in iS()7 to Miss Cora A. Jackson, liorn and 
.reared in Platte county, Missouri, a daughter of Wallace Jackson, a native of 
Kentucky and an early settler of Missouri. Two children were l)orn to this 
union : Edna and Charles, hoth of whom are deceased. Mrs. Calvert died in 
1908, at the age of sixty years. Mr. Calvert has heen a life-long- Democrat 
of the old school, ^\'!len a young- man he formed one of the 1-iardy army of 
freighters who crossed the plains to the h'ar West in charge of the great 
overland freight trains before the advent of the railroads. He crossed the 
plains on four trips to Salt Lake C"ity and other western points in Colorado. 



WILLIAM THOMAS WARREN. 

^^^illian-l Thomas Warren is one of the younger generation of farmers in 
Atchison county, and is the owner of 320 acres of land one and one-half miles 
east of Muscotah on the White \\'ay highway. He was born December 2^. 
1876, in Brown county, Kansas, and is a son of Rodney T. (born in 1846, 
died March 5, 1914), and Chariet (Speaks) Warren (bom in 1846). Both 
parents were born and reared in Kentucky and came to Kansas in the spring 
of 1876 and settled on a farm in Brown county. Later, in IQ05, Rodney T. 
Warren bought a farni near Centralia in Nemaha county, and resided tiiereon 
until his demise. Mrs. Warren lives at Hiawatha, Kan. 

W. T. Waren was educated in the public .schools of his nati\-e countv and 
followed farming until T903, when he left the farm and was employed in 
the retail meat market of Mr. Zimmernrui, at Hiawatha, for a period of five 
years. He was then eni])loyed in the same a\-ocation at .\tchison, Falls Citv. 
Neb., and Eairbury, Neli., until October of 191 1. He then came to Muscotah 
and entered the employ of E. W. Allen, who conducted a grocery and meat 
market. Pie remained with Mr. Allen until 1914, and llien he and Mrs. 
Warren invested their comJjined cajiital in.^jo acres of land near Muscotah. 

He was married on May 22. 1912, to Miss Ella, a daughter of .\. H. 
Calvert, grain merchant of Muscotah. (The reader is referred to the biogra- 
phy of A. H. Calvert, brother of Presley H. Cah'ert, for further details con.- 
cerning Mrs. ^^^arren's parents.) Mrs. \\'arren served as the assistant cashier 
of the Muscotah State Bank for fifteen years. Mr. Warren is a Rejuiblican 
in politics and attends the Congregational church, of which Mrs. Warren is 
a meml)er. 

(.^4) 



850 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

WILLIAM MAXGELSDORF. 

The name of Mangelsdorf is indelibly linked witli the story of the com- 
mercial development of northeast Kansas and the Middle West, and the ^lan- 
gelsdorf family is one of the most respected and substantial of Atchison. Kan. 
The review of the life of William Mangelsdorf, deceased, begins across the 
Atlantic in the Fatherland of Germany, where he was born and spent part of 
his youth, coming to America with his parents when twelve years of age. 
William not only achieved a wonderful success in busmess and accumulated 
wealth, but he assisted in making the family name known and respected 
throughout a great extent of territory wherever the output of the great seed 
house founded by him and his brother, August, carried its business. He left 
behind him a monument for business integrity and upright methods which lias 
made his name universally respected and honored for years to come. 

W'illiam Mangelsdorf was horn in Arniin. Prussia, February 15, 1845, ^ 
son of Christopher and Marie Anna Dorothy Mangelsdorf. Christopher 
Mangelsdorf died in Germany in 1849 and his widow married Andrew 
Stehwein, who with the family emigrated from their native land in 1849 '^"'i 
settled on a farm in Gasconade county, Missouri. In 1868 the family removed 
to Douglas county, Kansas, where they resided until the mother's demise, 
after which Mr. Steliwein came to Atchison to spend the remainder of his 
days with his children. Five children were born to Christopher and Marie 
Anna Mangelsdorf: Mrs. Anna Buhman, of Atchison, Kan.; Henry, in New 
Mexico; Mrs. Dorothy Beurman, Lakeview, Douglas county. Kansas; 
W'illiam, with whnm this review is directly concerned; and .\ugust, residing 
in Atchison. 

In 1868 William Mangelsdorf left the family home in Gasconade county, 
Missouri, and came to Atchison, Kan. His first employment in this city 
was as a laliorer in various sapacities until 1872. During the four years in 
which lie was earning his living by the hardest kind of labor he was all the 
time obsessed with the idea that the mercantile field of the new country 
being developed afforded opportunities to become successful for an ambitious 
young man. He accordingly, carefully saved his money, and with a small 
capital embarked in business for himself. He was first engaged in the retail 
grocery business with John Ratterman under the firm style of Ratterinan & 
Mangelsdorf, and remained a member of the firm until 1875, when he dis- 
posed of his interest in the grocery business and purchased a half interest in 
'he retail grocery conducted by his brother, August Mangelsdorf. forming 
the firm of IMangelsdorf Brothers. It was about this time that the lirothers 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY S5I 

tried the experiment of adding a seed department to tiie gM\)cery ui order to 
meet a growing- demand for farm and garden seeds. The experiment proved 
successful and the business grew even beyond the greatest expectations of the 
promoters. WHiat was intended as a side hne on their part developed into 
an extensive business which soon dwarfed the grocery trade; it was not long 
until thev engaged in the wholesale line ; the enterprise grew to be one of 
the most important in northeastern Kansas, and was later incorporated as 
the Mangelsdorf Brothers Company. An extended mention of its develop- 
ment is to be found elsewhere in this publication. Not many years after the 
partnership of the Mangelsdorf Brothers was formed. William established 
another general merchandise store at Ellinwood, Kan., in 1877. and later 
another store at Bushton, Kan. The stores were conducted under the name 
of the Mangelsdorf Brothers Company, wdiich was incorporated about this 
time, and the other partners in the various enterprises w^ere .August Mangels- 
dorf, of Atchison, H. D. Back, of Atchisop, Kan., and C. F. Stehwein, man- 
ager of the Bushton store. William resided in Ellinwood in active manage- 
ment of the stores until 1895; then he removed with his family to his farm 
near there. In 1898 he moved to Bushtnn, taking the active management of 
the store at that place. He also established a banking business at Bushton 
which was successful from the start, and his activity in commercial life con- 
tinued until 1904. when he removed to Atchison, where he lived in retire- 
ment from active business pursuits until his demi.se. May 15, 191 1. 

Mr. Mangelsdorf was married August 6, 1875. to Miss Minnie Hailing, 
and this marriage was blessed with six children, namely : Clara, residing in 
Pueblo, Colo. ; William C, who also lives in Pueblo, Colo. ; Edward F.,- a 
member of the Mangelsdorf Brothers Company; Minnie, at home; Frank 
A., cashier of the German-American State Bank of Atchison; Albert H., 
cashier of the Farmers State Bank, Potter, Kan. Mrs. Mangelsdorf was 
born in 1854 in Pennsylvania, and died in Atchison, Kan., in 1904. Her 
father was an early settler in Kansas, and first resided in Doniphan county, 
where he preempted land on Independence creek, later removing to Atchison. 
William Alangelsdorf was a meml)er of the Evangelical Lutheran 
church, to which denomination he was a liberal contributor. During his Hfc 
he was a hard and indefatigable worker, who was ambitious to succeed and 
achieve a competence for iiis children. He was a liberal supporter nf local 
enterprises, and was regarded as one of the wealthy and substantial citizens 
of Kan.sas, and will long be regarded as one of the leading figures of the 
commercial develn])ment of Atchison county and central Kansas. 



H-,2 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COLXTY 

ALBERT H. MANGELSDORF. 

Allien H. Alangelsdorf. cashier of the Farmers State Bank of Potter, 
Kan., was born I'ehruary 15, 1890, in Barton county, Kansas. He is a son 
of the late William IMangelsdorf. a pioneer settler of Atchison, and one of 
the successful merchants of Kansas, extended mention of whom is given else- 
where in this volume. Mr. Mang-elsdorf was educated in the common schools 
of Barton county, Kansas, and received his jireparatorj' training at St. Bene- 
dict's College, Atchison, Kan. He attended the Universitv of Kansas, class 
of 191 2, pursuing a course in mining engineering. After the completion of 
this course he was in the emjiloy of the Newmire A^inadium Companv. located 
at Xewmire. Colo., in the capacity of engineer. Later, lie was in the employ 
of a mining firm at W'einkleman, Ariz., and later with the .\rizona Copper 
Company at Morenci, Ariz., after which he served as superintendent of the 
main building of the MangeLsdorf Brotliers Company at .Atchison until his 
appointment as ca.shier of the Farmers State Bank of Potter. Kan., in 
December, ic)i4. 

Mr. Mangelsdorf is a Republican in politics and is fraternallv affiliated 
with the .\lpha Tau Omega fraternity, tlie Knights of Columlius, and is a 
member of the Catholic church. 



I'RED BIXKLI'A' 



The late l-'red liinkley, of Potter, Kan., was born .Vpril S, iS^j. in War- 
rick county, Indiana, a son of George and Catharine (Chinn) I'inkiey, both 
of whom were l)orn and reared in the State of Xorth Carolina, and were 
among the earliest settlers of southwestern Indiana. George Binkley was of 
German origin, and Catharine (Chinn) Binkley was of English origin. In 
the year 1828 George Binkley with his wife and infant son. lames, set out for 
Indiana, equipped with one horse, iheir personal belongings and a camping out- 
fit. The liorse was used to transport their outfits and it was necessarv for 
George and his wife to walk practically the entire distance from Nortli Car- 
olina to their destination in Indiana. They arrived in the wilderness of Indi- 
ana without mishap and at once set ai)out making a home in t!ic new countrv. 
A few years later they removed to a fann in Gibson county, Indiana, where 
(George and Catharine Binkley spent the remainder of their lives, Thev 
reared a family of eleven children, of which Fred was the third child. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 853 

Fred Uinklc}- grew to manhood on the pioneer farm in Iiuliana and 
learned to rough it at a very early age. After his niarriage in 1854 to Eliza- 
beth Dougan. lie and his wife lived for one year on a farm in ( lihson count\', 
and then the father of Mrs. Binkley (James Dougan) sold out his holdings 
in Indiana and migrated to Atchison couul\', Kansas. Two years later l-'red 
and his wife followed and settled on ito acres of land one and one-lrdf miles 
northwest of Potter in Mt. Pleasant township. The land was mosth- raw prairie 
and it was necessary for him to erect a suital)le home which was an liiunhle 
one at first, hut as the years passed and 'Sir. and Mrs. Binkley became more 
and more prosperous they built a belter home and added sixtv acres more 
land to their holdings. 

Fred Binkley was married September 15, 1854, to Elizal:)etb Dougan, and 
eight children have been born to this union: Robert, bom in Indiana in 1855, 
a farmer living in Alt. Pleasant township: Sarah, wife of S. Watson, of 
Leavenworth county, Kansas, was born in i860; Lewis, born in 1863, and 
died in 1899; James, born in 1868, living on a farm near Effingham, Kan.; 
George, born in 1870, died in 1910: Dora, born in 187J. wife of Samuel Hall, 
of Leavenworth county, Kansas; Lou, born in 1874, at home with her mother; 
Kate, born in 1877, wife of Albert Hawley, of Atchison county, Kans.-is. 
The mother of these children was born May 10. 1835, a daughter of James 
and Sarah (Healt) Dougan. James Dougan, the father, was born in Ken- 
tucky, a son of Samuel, who was a soldier of the Re\'olution, and who 
received a large grant of (Jovernment land for his services. His grant was 
located in l)\er county, Tennessee, and consisted of 1,300 acres of wild land, 
which was divided among the children of the Revolutionary soldier (James). 
Samuel removed with his family to a portion of this land, ^vhich was wild 
and rough and covered with dense timber. A few years of living in the wil- 
derness of Tennessee sufficed for them, however, and thev left the State and 
went to Gibson county, Indiana, to found another home. Thev traveled h<irse- 
liack to the new location. Samuel, at that time an old man, became ill on 
the trip and wa"5 forced to return to Tennessee, dying there in al)out 1828. 
The family later made a permanent .settlement in Gibson county, Indiana. 
Samuel and Molly Dougan (his wife) reared a family of five children, of 
whom James, the father of Mrs. Binkley, was the thinl child. The mother of 
James died in 1845. James Dougan was married in 183 1 to Sarah Healt, and 
eleven children were born to them, of whom nine were reared to manhood 
and womanhood. As early as 1855 James Dougan came to Atchison county 
and preempted t6o acres of land, built a cabin, and returned to Indiana for 
his famil}-, whom he brought to Atchison county, Kansas, in the spring of 



854 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

1856. He was comparatively a poor man when he located in Kansas, but 
became quite prosperous and well-to-do and became the owner of a half sec- 
tion of well improved land. James died in 1900, at the age of ninety-two. 
years. Two brothers of Mrs. Binkley served in the Union Army during the 
Civil war. One of them enlisted in the Eighth Kansas cavalry regiment, and 
the other in the Thirteenth regiment. 

Fred Binkley departed this life August 2. 1910. He was well and favor- 
ably known in Atcliison county and his demise marked the passing of (inc of 
the sturdy pioneer settlers of the State. He was a stanch Republican dur- 
ing his whole life and was a pronounced Free State man in the days when 
the struggle was on to make Kansas a Free State. He took an active part in 
the stirring scenes before and during the dark days of the Civil war, and like 
many others, suffered from the forays of the border ruffians. The Methodist 
church, of which he was one of the members and a builder, having been 
burned bv border ruffians, he never united with anv other denomination. 



JOHN D RIM MEL. 

John Drimmel, farmer and stockman, of Shannon township, Atchison 
county, was born on the farm where he resides, in 1863, a son of John and 
Mary (Karn) Drimmel, natives of Austria. John Drimmel, Sr., was born in 
Austria in 1829, and immigrated to America with his wife in 1853. They 
were accompanied by the oldest child, Veronica. He settled on a rented farm 
of eighty acres north of Atchison in Shannon township, which he cultivated 
for three years and then bought eighty acres of land four miles west of the 
city. John, Sr., erected a small, rough box house, wiiich was the family home 
for the first twelve years, and which was then replaced by a large, handsome 
brick residence of ten rooms, which is now the home of the son, John. This 
fine home is modern and fitted with a lighting system and a cellar runs 
underneath the entire body of the house. It is one of the most attractive 
places in Atchison county. Mr. Drimmel added to his acreage as he was able 
and accumulated a total of 230 acres of fine land which is now being culti- 
vated by his son. During 1914 John Drimmel, with whom this review is 
concerned, had planted forty-five acres of corn, 100 acres of wheat, and ninety 
acres of oats, all of which yielded splendid crops. Mr. Drimmel is renting 
eighty acres, in addition to the home farm. The elder Drimmel was a Free 
State man and served as company cook in the Union army during the Civil 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 855 

war. He reared a family of seven cliildrcii, as follows ; Mrs. Veronica Aliller, 
living- in Doniphan county, Kansas; Antony, of Atchison; Florence, Everest, 
Kan. ; John, the subject of this review ; Arnold, of Kansas City ; Frank, liv- 
ing with his brother, John; L. J., a fanner, living in Shannon township. All 
of the children of this pioneer family are well-to-do and in good health, the 
oldest of the family being over sixty-one years of age. John Drimmel, the 
father, died in 1891. The mother was born in 1829, and died in 1889. They 
were a worthy pioneer couple who achieved a comfortable competence and 
reared a fine family in the land of their adoption. 

John Drimmel owns and manages the old home place of the Drimmel 
family in Shannon township, and is one of the representative and well known 
farmers of Atchison county. All of his fifty-three years of life have been 
spent in Atchison county and he has always lived on the farm which he now 
owns. Mr. Drimmel was married in 1893 to Miss Marie Blodig, who died 
in the first year of her marriage, leaving one son, Frank, born March i. 1894. 
and studied in St. Benedict's College. He was again married in 1896 to Miss 
Marie Jahl, who has borne him the following children : Anna Marie, born 
November 24, 1898; John Albert, born April 28, 1900: Marie Veronica, born 
September 6, 1901 ; Agnes Cecila, born December 23, 1902 ; Irene Florentine, 
born June 11, 1904: Ernest Gabriel, born January 15, 1906; Alfred William, 
born March 28, 1908; Reinhold Leapold, bom September 20, 1909; Rose 
Helena, born January 23, 191 1; Maximilian Louis, born August 21, 1912; 
Genevieve Frances, jjorn August 14, 1914. The mother of this large family 
of eleven children was born in Austria in 1877, a daughter of John and Anna 
Jahl. John Jahl, the father of Mrs. Drimmel, was born in Austria in 1852, 
and departed this life March 10, 1879. Mrs. Jahl was born July 22, 1855. 
and came to j^merica in the year 1894, and has since resided in Atchison 
county. Mrs. Jahl resides with her daughter. She and Mr. Jahl were mar- 
ried in Austria in 1875 and were the parents of three children as follows: 
John Jahl, Jr., born February 21, 1876, and died in October, 1877; Mrs. 
Marie (Jahl) Drimmel, born March 10, 1877; Frank Jahl, born September 
17, 1878. and died in June of 1879. 

Mr. and Mrs. Drimmel and their children are all members of St. Bene- 
dict's Catholic Church and are liberal supporters of this denomination. Mr. 
Drimmel is a Democrat in politics, but simply does his duty as a citizen and 
has never been a seeker after political office. The Drimmel home is a very- 
happy one, and the Drimmel family is one of the largest families in Atchison 
county or the state of Kansas, and Mr. and Mrs. Drimmel have good and 
just right to be proud of the fact, inasmuch as Atchison county is proud of 



856 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

them. The children of this fine family are all recei\ing the benefits of a 
good school and college education, and if is the firm intention of the parents 
that all of their sons shall be educated in St. Benedict's College, and the 
daughters shall finish their training in Mt. St. Scholastica Academy. John, 
Jr., is at present a student in St. Benedict's College, class of 1917, and Anna 
and ilarie will enter Mt. Scholastica in the fall of 1916 in order to complete 
the course in this excellent young ladies! school. Mr. and Mrs. Drimmel be- 
lieve thoroughly in giving their children every educational advantage within 
their means in order to properly fit them for becoming useful men and 
women and liecome a credit to their ambitious parents. 



AUGUST MAXGELSDORF. 



August Mangelsdorf has been a citizen of Atchison for over half a cen- 
tury and has accomplished during that period two things which entitle him 
to recognition and even renown. He established and built up the Mangels- 
dorf Brothers Seed Company, one of the largest concerns of its kind in the 
West, and now manager by his sons. The other is the rearing of a large 
family of fifteen children. If Mr. ilangelsdorf had done no more than to 
bring into the world and rear his family of fifteen children he would ha\e 
been entitled to more than ordinary mention as one of the sturdy pioneer 
citizens of Atchison. He is now living a retired life at his beautiful place. 
"Homewood," in South Atchison, and. while ostensibly retired, works con- 
stantly on his farm within and adjoining the city limits. While nominally the 
president of the Mangelsdorf Brothers Seed Company, he sjiends the greater 
portion of his time out of doors working alxnit the grounds and fields of his 
estate. Mr. Mangelsdorf, while having lived a busy and even strenuous life 
during his fifty years in business in Atchison, has no desire to "rust out," but 
believes that his health can be better conserved by plenty of exercise in the 
open air. His rugged appearance and keen interest in life bear testimony 
to the wisdom of his plan of living. He is one of the highly respected and 
substantial citizens of Atchison and has done his part in the task of making 
Atchison preeminent among the cities of the West. The great concern which 
bears his name was originated and built up by himself and is a monument 
to his enterprise and integrit}-. ami Atchison is proud of him and the outcome 
of his life work. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY S^^J 

Ml". IMandelsdorf was born in Arniin, Prussia. July 2y. 1848. He was 
tlie son of Christopher and Marie Anna Dorothy Mangelsdorf, wdio lived 
in Armin until 1856, when they immigrated to America. The father died in 
1S4Q, and tlie mother married the second time to Andrew Stehwein. The 
family first settled on a farm in Gasconade county, ^Missouri, residing there 
until 1868. when they came to Douglas count}', Kansas. Flere they lived until 
the mother died, and then ^Ir. Stehwein came to Atchison to spend the 
remainder of his days with his children. Five children were born to Chris- 
topher Mangelsdorf, namely: Mrs. Anna Buhrman. of Atchison; Henry, in 
New Mexico: ]\Irs. Dorothy Beurman, Lakeview, Douglas county, Kansas; 
William, deceased : August, with wdiom this review is directly concerned. 

Augaist Mandelsdorf came to Kansas from Missouri in 1865 and located 
in Atchison. He worked as a laborer to earn money for his sustenance and 
was not ashamed to do the hardest kind of labor. He willingly did an_\'thing 
necessary to earn an honest dollar. His first real business experience was as 
a clerk in the grocery store of John Belz. It was only natural to see him 
become the owner of the business in time. Frugality, industry and aptitude, 
characteristics of his race, enabled him to beci.ime proprietor of the store in 
1873. He owned the business until 1893. Two vears after taking entire 
charge of the grocery he started a small seed business as a side line with 
his grocel')^ This was the foundation of his subsequent fortune, and it was 
only a c|uestion of years until he branched out in the wholesale line and the 
business outgrew the store. The seed business kept on growing and grow- 
ing; the sons of its founder became young men: its founder concluded to 
retire and he turned over the management to his sons who are following in 
the father's footsteps. F"or years his l)rother, William, was associated with 
him and they started a general store at Ellinwood, Kan., of which William 
had charge, yir. Mangelsdorf established greenhouses in connection with the 
seed business. These extensive greenhouses are located on the llomewood 
estate and are in charge of his son, Ernest. In 191 2 Mr. Mangelsdorf con- 
cluded to retire from active business and is now enjoying life to the full. 
His sixty-seven years of existence have been well and profitably spent and he 
can F)ok back o\er the past years with satisfaction and pleasure over a task 
well and faithfully done. It is given to but few men to have reared a large 
family of sons and diiughters and to have lived to see tliem shoulder the 
responsibilities left by the father and jieri'dini the work successfullv while he 
is yet living to obsen'e, guide, and instruct them. 

Mr. Mangelsdorf was first married to .\nna Charlotte Brune in 1874. 
Slie died in iScc. To this union were born nine children: Anna died in 



858 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

1890; August, manager and vice-president of the seed company; Fred, the 
efficient secretary of the concern : Charlotte, cashier of the company ; Ernest, 
in charge of the greenh(juscs ; Bertha, teacher of domestic science in the high 
school at Seneca, Kan. ; Caroline, who is studying in Chicago in preparation 
for kindergarten work; Marie, deceased; Frank, treasurer of the seed com- 
pany; Mrs. Marie Schmeling, of Atchison. In 1892 Mr. Mangelsdorf took 
to wife, Mrs. Louise Brune, who has borne him eight children : Albert, a grad- 
uate of the Agricultural College at Manhattan, class of igi6; Carl died in 
infancy; Paul and Louise, in high school; Theodore. Dorothy, Harold and 
Helen. 

Mr. Mangelsdorf is a director of the First National Bank of .Atchison. 
Politically, he is allied with the Democratic party and has served one term 
as city councilman and city treasurer for four years. He is a member of the 
Evangelical church and is fraternally allied with the Benevolent and Protective 
Order of Elks. 



FRANK A. MANGELSDORF. 

Frank A. Mangelsdorf, cashier of the German-American State Bank of 
Atchison, Kan., while the youngest of the bankers of the city, has given evi- 
dence that he possesses the inherent ability and the necessaiy ambition to suc- 
cessfully conduct the important financial institution under his management. 
The German-;\merican State Bank is the newest of the banking concerns of 
Atchison, but it is fast coming to the front as one of the important banks of 
this section of Kansas under Mr. Mangelsdorf's aggressive and capable con- 
trol. He is a native son of Kansas and was 1x)m and reared in this State, 
being a son of William Mangelsdorf. merchant and financier, deceased, who 
came from Germany to America when a boy and achieved a notable success 
in the land of his adoption. A review of the life of AVilliam Mangelsdorf 
appears in tliis volume. 

Mr. Mangelsdorf was born August 14, 1888, in Ellinwood, Kan. The 
first ten years of his life were spent there and on his father's farm, whithe'- 
liis ])arcnts had removed from Ellinwood. He received his earlv education 
in a coiuitry school, later attending the public schools of Busliton. and com- 
pleted the eighth grade at the age of twelve. From 1900 to 1904 he vvas em- 
ployed in his father's store at Bushton, the family removing to the citv of 
Atchison in the latter year. He pursued a course in the Atchison Business 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 859 

College, and then became cashier of the Mangelsdorf Brothers Company, a 
position which he filled until 1910. He then became assistant cashier of the 
First National Bank of Atchison, remaining in that position until the organ- 
ization of the German-American State Bank in igi2, when he became cashier 
of the newly organized banking concern. The success of this bank is a mat- 
ter of gratification to its stockholders and patrons. 

Mr. Mangelsdorf was married June 22, 1914, to Miss Veva Sawm, a 
daughter of William H. Sawin. an undertaker of Atchison. He is indepen- 
dent in political matters, preferring to cast his vote for the individual 
whom he deems best fitted to perform the duties of the office sought rather 
than to support a party, candidate. He is a member of the Catholic church. 
Although young in years, Mr. Mangelsdorf is recognized as one of the rising 
young bankers of Atchison and is considered among the city's best and most 
enterprising citizens. The unvarying courtesy and dignity characteristic in 
his conduct of the banking business is carried into his daily life, and he enjoys 
the respect and esteem of a large number of friends in the city. 



PAUL ATKIN. 



Paul Atkin, traveling salesman, of Atchison, Kan., was bom September 
6. 1866, in Lincolnshire, England. He was the son of William and Rebecca 
(Prestwood) Atkin. William Atkin, the father, was born in England about 
1841. He was a farmer in his native country, but emigrated from England 
to America in 1872. His first place of residence in this country was in Chi- 
cago, where he resided a few years.. He then moved to Kansas, settling on 
his farm in Doniphan county. After one year's residence in Kansas he re- 
turned to Chicago and engaged in the transfer business. Again, in about 
1880, he returned to Doniphan county, Kansas, and engaged in farming, and 
cultivated his land until 1899, at which time he engaged in the hotel and 
livery business in Denton, Kansas. He died in a hospital at Leavenworth, 
Kan., in 1900. Nine children were born to William and Rebecca Atkin : Mrs. 
L. H. Priester, living in California: Paul, with whom this review is directly 
concerned: Mrs. Thomas Wrighter, of Denton, Kan.; Mrs. Fred Hickok, of 
Haverlock, Neb. : Mrs. Ben Hinch.scliff, near Topeka, Kan. ; Mrs. Art Hall, 
Severance, Kan. : William, farmer, of Doniphan county ; Arnold, near Sev- 
erance, Kan. : Ethel died at the age of eight years. The mother of these chil- 
dren was born in England in 1842, and died in Severance, Kan., in 1902. 



80o HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Paul Atkiu did not leave England until thirteen years of age, when lie 
crossed the ocean and continent and came to Atchison. Kan., arriving in the 
city ten days before his parents, then living in Doniplian county, Kansas, 
learned of his arrival. He was nine days on the water and came across the 
ocean aboard the "City of Richmond," one of the fastest ocean-going passen- 
ger ships afloat at that time. Being a boy and alone, he was given all priv- 
ileges and made many friends. He never had a day's illness during the voy- 
age or crossing the continent to Kansas, but became ill on arriving in Atch- 
ison and was cared for l)y ^Ir. Dorethy. at that time depot master of .\tchi- 
son. This kind man looked after him until his father was notified of his 
arrival. From Atchison he went to Doniphan county and assisted his father 
for many years in operating the farm, later operating the farm by himself 
for one year. At the age of twenty he began working for himself for t\\ enty 
dollars per month for a period of one year. He then went to Ellensburg, 
Wash., and learned the plasterer's trade, remaining in that city two years, after 
which he went to Tacoma, Wash., and remained there si.x months, then going 
to Portland, Ore., where he worked at the harness maker's trade, not long 
after returning to Doniphan county, Kansas, where he followed the trade of 
plastering for three years, .\fter his marriage he made his home in Atchison, 
Kan., and after making a trip to Port Arthur and working at his trade, he 
then opened a meat market in Denton. Kan., which he operated for a time 
and then sold out. In 1888 he returned to Atchison and entered the employ 
of Curtain & Clark Cutlery Company, of St. Joseph, AIo., as traveling .sales- 
man. He traveled for three years, his territor\- lieing through Nebraska. He 
resigned and accepted a position for another three and a half years with the 
Rochester Stamp Company, of Rochester, N. Y. Giving up this work he 
engaged in the hardware business with Krings in Atchison. The firm was 
known as Krings & Atkin. Later he sold out his interest in the hardware 
business and became interested in the United States Street Lighting Company, 
manufacturing street lamps in Kansas City until February, 1909. when he 
again went on the road as traveling salesman with the .Associated Silver Com- 
pany of Chicago, his territoy embracing Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado. 

Mr. Atkin was married in 1894 to .Addie AL Herring. Mr. and Mrs. 
Atkin have one daugliter, hVances Mildred, a graduate of Atchison High 
School, and a student in .\tchison Business College. 

Mrs. Atkin was lx)rn in 1871 in Doniphan county, Kansas, a daughter 
of Henry H. Herring, a native of Pennsylvania and now residing in Atchison. 

Air. .\tkin is independent in political affairs and votes for the individual 



illSTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 86l 

rather tliaii the support of any one political party. He is affiliated with the 
Ancient Free and .Accepted Masons. His wife and daughter are members of 
the Alethodist Episcopal church. , 



PETER PARSONS. 



Peter Parsons, of Atchison, Kan., is a Kentuckian by birth and has the 
distinction of being the pioneer thresher man of nortlieast Kansas and western 
Missouri. ■ He was bom in Breathitt county, Kentucky, December lo, 18(^)8, 
a son of J. W. Parsons, a descendant of an old Virginia family. Peter Par- 
sons' maternal grandfather, Hatfield, was a soldier in the Revolution and 
fought under General \\'ashington. The Parsons and the Hatfield families 
were among the earliest pioneers of the State of Kentucky. \Mien Peter was 
four years of age the Parsons family removed to Buchanan county. Missouri, 
and there settled on a farm. Peter was reared to young manhood on the 
Missouri farm and attended the district schools. When but a boy tfe developed 
an aptitude for machinery and showed a knack of handling farming imple- 
ments possessed by few boys of his age. In 1887 he entered the employ of 
the A. J. Harwi Hardware Company and worked in the farm machinery 
department of the store. Desiring to gain a more intimate knowledge of 
threshing machinery, especially, he went to Battle Creek, Mich., where the 
machines were mannfactiUTd and learned the liusiness of building and assem- 
bling threshing machines from the ground up. This was a good business 
venture on his part, as he soon engaged in threshing on his own account and 
operated threshing outfits for over nineteen years, and was actively cngag'ed 
in northeast Kansas and nurthwest Missouri in this business successfully. He 
operated several macliines and crews and had almost a virtual monopoly of 
the threshing business in his territory. .\t the ])resent lime Mr. Parsons 
operates t\\o threshing outfits whidi he owns, but for some vears has retired 
from active labor in the fields. The wide range of his activities naturallv 
gave him an extensi\-e and favorable acquaintance among tlie farmers (^f tliis 
section of the country and he acc|uired a reputation for thorough workman- 
ship and square dealing which has nc\er Ijeen surpassed by men engaged in 
the same industry. He is probably the oldest threshing machine operator at 
the present time in eastern Kansas or western Mis.souri in years of e\-i)erience. 
and understands the mechanical part of the industry better than anv other man 



862 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

in this neighborhood. Mr. Parsons has a rigiit to be proud of his record in 
the ag-ricultural history of Atchison county and Kansas. From 1903 to 1909 
Mr. Parsons was a member of the Atchison pohce force and made a 
record in the department for efficiency and faithful performance of his duties 
which is remembered. He is a member of tlie Fraternal Order of Eagles and 
is well liked by all wlio know him. Fie is broad-minded in Irs views and 
kindly disposed toward his fellow men. 



HENRY SCHIFFBAUER. 



Henry Schiffbauer, pioneer, plainsman, Government scout, and friend of 
Buffalo Bill, now lives in comparative quiet on his farm in Kapioma town- 
ship, Atchison county, after having seen the wildest and wooliest parts of the 
great West in its early days. Under his own eyes, Kansas has changed from 
a land of Indians, daubed with bright paint, shouting a war-whoop and 
brandishing tomahawks, to a quiet farming community, where peaceable citi- 
zens drive to church every Sunday. He has seen Kansas changed from a 
broad prairie, with its countless thousands of buffaloes to a great farming 
country, with its productive fields, and the trudging ox has been succeeded 
Ijy the tractor and automobile. Henry Schiffbauer, in his seventy-five vears. 
has seen the making of a nation ; he has seen the wild frontier grow into a 
civiHzed community, which ranks among the highest in intelligence and pros- 
perity. Mr. Schiffbauer was l;orn January 2~ . 1841. nn the River Rhine, in 
Prussia, Germany. His parents, Michael and Gertrude (Frentz) Schiffbauer, 
had thirteen children. The father followed farming in his native land, and in 
185 1 immigrated to the United States, settling on General Taylor's farm, in 
Gamwell county, Kentucky. Four years later he moved to Missouri, and in 
the same year came to Kansas, where he homesteaded a claim in Jefferson 
county, which he farmed until about eight years before his death, which oc- 
curred when he was eighty-nine years old. The mother of Henry Schiff- 
bauer died in 1854, at the age of fifty-five years. She fell before the ter- 
rible scourge of cholera which swept the United States about that time. The 
four children living are : Charles, Cripple Creek, Colo. ; Trassie. a nun. at 
Feavenworth, Kan. ; Frank, Pittsburgh. Pa. ; and Pienry, the subject of this 
sketch. All but Frank were born in Germany, he having been horn in Gam- 
well county, Kentucky. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY H(}^ 

Henry Schiffbauer's boyhood was one of rough and hard adventure. 
He received his education Ijy driving a six-mule team, and his book learnhig 
was scanty. When he was seventeen years old lie went to work for Dr. Davis, 
at Leavenworth, Kan. In 1857 he was stationed m the quartermaster's de- 
partment at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., where he was employed eight years. After 
Lee's surrender, in 1865, Henry returned to his home in Jefferson county, 
Kansas, and met Buffalo Bill, or as he is known in private life, William Cody, 
for the first time. Here was begun a friendship which continued for many 
years, and which probably will live until one of the friends passes away. Two 
years later, however, the two men were thi'own closer together, and their 
acquaintance ripened into a close friendship. Henry was guarding and herd- 
ing mules when he met Buffalo Bill the second time. The latter was an extra 
hand on Major & Russell's overland freight train. Henry Schiffbauer was 
the man who taught Buffalo Bill to shoot from a saddle, it is said, and the 
unequalled skill of the great hunter may be laid at the feet of the subject 
of this sketch. It may be that if Buffalo Bill had not met Henry Schiffbauer, 
his life history might have been different, for undoubtedly it was the stories 
which Henry told of his experiences that tempted the young man to 
leave his oxen and follow the wilder life of a Government scout. Mr. Schiff- 
bauer has seen the most sesnsational life of the West in its most dangerous 
days. Just before the outbreak of the Civil war he carried messages for the 
Government from Ft. Kearney, Neb., to Ft. Laramie, Colo., and to Salt Lake 
City, and Ft. Floyd, Utah. These were times when it was dangerous to be 
a Government messenger. The dispatchers of the Government were not held 
in such awe in those days, and it was not at all unusual to kill a messenger to 
get his papers. But Mr. Schiffbauer was able to take care of himself, 
and passed through these uncertain times without harm. He served in the 
secret sei'vice department for eight months, about the time of the second elec- 
tion of Abraham Lincoln. It was feared by governmental officials that 
attempts on the President's life were being planned, and General Thayer, 
then in command at Ft. Smith, Ark., secured the services of Henry Schiff- 
bauer in this difficulty. This was a position wOn because of fearlessness and 
coolness, even in the most dangerous situations, and to be one of the protec- 
tors of the President was the honor which repaid him. In 1863 Lee sur- 
rendered and conditions began to settle. 

When Mr. Schiffbauer saw that his opportunity to serve his country 
had ceased, he located on the farm which he now owns and built a small farm 
house, thus settling down to the quiet life of a farmer. He broke his ground 
with oxen, and worked in the most primitive manner for a few years, hut 



864 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

gradually he was rewarded for his labors, and lie came to have more of the 
comforts and conveniences of a modern farmer, erecting a large stone resi- 
dence in 1880. His place is one-fourth mile east of Arrington, Kan. It com- 
prises 189 acres, and here he and his wife. Margaret Glimm. to whom he 
was married in 1865, have lived since, rearing a family of eight children. Mrs. 
Scliiffbauer was horn in Germany, March 6, 1848. She is a daughter of John 
and Christian Glimm, who came to Kansas in the early days, bringing their 
daughter with them. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Schiffbauer are : Chri.s- 
tcna. who married Allen Kinkaid, of Washington State; Charles E., Belle 
Plains, Sumner county, Kansas; Sarah married L. E. Wagner, of St. Louis, 
Mo. : Henry F.. Valley Falls, Kan. ; Gertrude married John Nevins, Kapioma 
township ; Robert is farming near La Cygne, Linne county. Kansas ; William 
Arrington, Kan. ; George, passenger conductor, East St. Louis, II!. Mr. 
Schiffbauer is an independent in politics. He belongs to the Modem Wood- 
men of America, and to the Knights and Ladies of Security. He has had a 
remarkable career and remembers the incidents of his early life with vivid- 
ness. Atchison cimnty has few characters with such an interesting history. 
In 1857 while in the quartermaster's department at Ft. Leavenworth 
he was detailed with General Sumner's expedition against the Cheyenne In- 
dians in the far \\'est. This trip required six months and was filled with 
great hardships for the troops. In April of 1858 he accompanied Gen. Sid- 
ney Johnston's expedition to Salt Lake City for the purpose of subduing the 
Mormons, and was gone for eighteen months. He assisted in building a 
camp at I'l. Floyd, or Camp Floyd, as it became known at the time, forty- 
five miles south of Salt Lake City. During this trip Air. Schiffbauer had 
his first experience in driving a six-niulc team and hauling "adol.es."' The 
fort was built under the direction of Colonel Crossmore. He returned to 
Kansas in the fall of 1859, and went to New Orleans in the Government 
secret service, and thence to Baton Rouge, where he remained until after 
Lincoln's election, finally making his way out of the southl.'ind with gn.'at 
difficulty, accompanied with personal danger to himself. For a period of 
eiglit years this plainsman never slept under a roof, excepting twice at Ft. 
Bonta, where he was under shelter for the night. On one of his expeditions 
to the far West they had fed their last grain to the mules, made camp, and 
the next morning the entire camp was under two feet of snow, Mr. Schiff- 
liauer iiimself being covered over in a gully where he had lain down, wrapjied 
in his blankets and buffalo robes. He recalls that on this snowy morning 
the wagon-master shouted: ''I wonder where that damned Dutchman is?" 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 865 

Henry raised himself out of the snow and called out: "Here I am." The 
mules were picketed out two and two together tlic niglit before, but that 
morning they were put into corrals and were so starved lliat they tried to 
eat tach other. The pioneer corjis cut down cottonwocd trees for fuel, 
and the mules ate the branches, which poisoned them, and they died in their 
tracks, the ravens eating out their eyes while the beasts were in their death 
throes. The expedition lost sixty mules each day. and the drove of 500 ani- 
mals was depleted to less than sixty head. They lay in cnni]) for twelve days, 
and then moved on the thirteenth day. Henry recalls that the favorite team, 
belonging to General Johnston, \\ias drowned through the carelessness of a 
teamster in fording the swollen stream. 

\\'hile ]\!r. Sclu'ffbauer was at Baton Rouge in Government service, he 
was importuned by the rebels to join a company as bugler, but declined, and 
with the assistance of a steamboat captain, he managed to g'et out of the coun- 
try, and at New Orleans boarded the steamer. "Henry Von Pool." and made 
his way to St. Louis. From here he went to Ft. Leavenworth and handled 
Government dispatches, working between Ft. Leavenworth. Ft. Scott, Ft. 
Gibson. Ft. Smith, Little Rock, and hunting forage and wheat for the Gov- 
ernment. During this service he was sent to Valley Falls, with 100 six- 
mule teams from Ft. Smith for recuperation on the Hoover farm. Henn,- 
bought all tiie forage for miles around in order to feed the mules, and had 
under him several men for assistants. 



WILLL\M ADDISON MC KELVY. 

In 18S0 a young man. who had graduated but a few niontlis previously 
from the Philadelphia Dental College came to Atchison. Kan., and finding the 
city to his liking located for practice. The year 1915 finds the same man. 
now thirty-five years older, or younger, as his friends speak of him, still in the 
active practice of his profession, and it is said his practice is a leading one in 
this section of the State. Thirty-five years in Atchison have done much for 
this man and he has done much for suffering humanity. He is the nestor 
of the dental profession in northeastern Kansas, one of the widely known and 
influential citizens of the city and has ju.stly earned the esteem of a large 



866 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

circle of friends and acquaintances ; the esteem which slowly develops only 
through honorable living and kind deeds. His name initiates this review. 

William Addison McKelv)- was born in the city of Pittsburgh, Pa.. June 
5, 185S. His paternal grandfather, Hugh McKelvy, emigrated from Ireland 
about the year 1800. Shortly after reaching America, he located in Pitts- 
burgh and was one of that city's pioneer brick manufacturers. Dr. AIcKel- 
vy's father was Col. Samuel McKelvy, born in Pittsburgh, a member of the 
firm of Blair & McKelvy, pioneers in the steel industry in that city. He mar- 
ried when a \oung man, Anna B. Pride, a daughter of David Pride, who was 
also a pioneer resident of Pittsburgh and a native of Scotland. When Presi- 
dent Lincoln issued his first call for volunteers, Samuel McKelvy was among 
the first to enlist in his home city. He was commissioned captain of the 
Duquesne Greys, Pittsburgh's crack troop. He served his country with dis- 
tinction and was given important assignments and rccei\'ed deserved pro- 
motion, being commissioned lieutenant-colonel and sei^ved on the staff of 
General Heintzelman and that of Gen. Phil Sheridan. The convalescent camp 
of the Union army, situated about seven miles south of the city of Washing- 
ton, was under his charge or supervision during his entire term of service. 
Following his military service, he returned to Pittsburgh and his steel busi- 
ness. He was one of the first to build a country residence at Sewickley, now 
famous for its beautiful .suburban homes owned Ij}- the prominent families of 
the steel city. The old McKelvy mansion, now owned by the Doctor's brother, 
William Henry Seward McKelvy, is known as the Park Place Hotel, and is 
operated by its owner. Colonel McKelvy died in Sewickley in 1889. To 
Colonel and Mrs. McKelvy were horn nine children of which our subject 
is the eighth. 

William Addison McKelvy was reared in his native city and accpiircd 
a thorough education in its ]uiblic schools. He later entered the Philadelphia 
Dental College and graduated witii the degree of Doctor of Dental Sur- 
gery, a member of tlie class of 1880. Following his graduation he returned 
to Pittsburgh and was engaged in practice for a few months. In November 
of that year he came to Kansas and located in the city of Atchison on the 
twenty-fifth of the montji. His choice of location was partly due to having 
in the person of Dr. \\'illiam F. h'erguson, a well established surgeon of the 
city, a friend who assured him that .Vtchison would prove a most satisfactory 
place in which to Iniild u]) a practice. Dr. Ferguson assisted in getting him 
properly started and gave every evidence of a sincere friendship. He had 
little difficulty in building up a lucrative practice and has for many years 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 867 

past been recognized as one of the leading men in his profession in liis section 
of the State. He is a member of the Kansas City Dental Society, the Kansas 
State, the Alissouri State and the National Dental Associations. 

Dr. McKelvy has never neglected his civic duties, has favored those 
measures and projects which meant a bigger, better city, but has never had 
time nor the inclination for public office. He has, from the time he graduated 
given his entire time and attention to his profession. He is a member of 
Washington Lodge, Mo. 4, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and Atchison 
Lodge, No. 647, Benevolent and Protective Order of Eiks. 

Dr. McKelvy has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Ella M. 
Ferguson, a daughter of Dr. Eli Ferguson, a pioneer physician of Atchison. 
They were married in November, 1888. Mrs. McKelvy died in 1892. Two 
children were born to this union : William Ferguson McKelvy, a hardware 
merchant of Marliton, W. Va., and Charles S. McKelvy, employed in the 
wholesale hardware house of Blish. Mize & Silliman, of Atciiison. On October 
2, 1899, he married Miss Eleanor Cain, a daughter of Alfred D. Cain, a pioneer 
miller of Atchison and founder of the Cain Milling Company. They are 
parents of three children: Alfred D., Addison P., and Mona. 



GEORGE ROBERT FIOOPER. 

George Rol^ert Hooper, an extensive merc'.iandise broker of .Alchisun, 
Kan., and president of the Babcock-Arensburg Shoe Company, is a native 
of Virginia. He was born at Richmond, December 7, 185 1. and is a .son of 
John Hancock and Sarah Rebecca Hooper. The mother died when ("leorge 
R., of tliis sketch, was a child, and in 1867 the father removed from l\ich- 
mond to Bowling Green, Ky., and later to Paducah, where he died in 1871. 
He was a contractor and builder. George R. Hooper was one of a famih- of 
six children and is the only one now living. He was reared in V'irginia and 
was educated in private schools. He M'as about twenty vears old when his 
father died, and had just completed an ap])renticeship at the carpenter's trade. 
After the death- of his father he returned to Virginia with the remains, and 
the following year came to Atchison and entered the retail grocerv business 
as clerk from 1872 to 1876. He was then a traveling .salesman until 1884, 
and after that was engaged in the grocery business in .Atchison about a year 
and one-half, when he engaged in tlie merchandise brokerage business, which 



868 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

he lias successfully conducted to the present time. Mr. Hooper was united 
in marriage in 1876 to Miss Frances Lucy Howe, a daughter of George \V. 
Howe. Mrs. Hooper is a daughter of George \V. Howe, who was one of the 
very early settlers of Atchison county. He conducted a store at the town of 
Sumner and was later engaged in freighting across the plains from i8f)0 to 
1865. The Howe family came from Plattsburg, Clinton count)-. New York, 
and Mrs. Hooper's mother bore the maiden name, Frances Lucy Ellis. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Hooper have been born three children, as follows: Edith mar- 
ried O. M. Babcock, a sketch of whom appears in this volume : Gladys Ella 
is a graduate of the Conservatory of Music, Cornell L'niversity, and is now a 
teacher in the music department of the Iowa State Teachers' College; and 
George Frances Hooper, a graduate of Wentworth Military Academy of Lex- 
ington, Mo., and is a traveling salesman. Mr. Hooper is a Democrat, but has 
never aspired to hold political office, although he takes a commendable inter- 
est in public affairs and is public spirited and is ever ready and willing to 
aid any movement for the betterment of the community. He is a member of 
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and secretary of the lodge. He 
is also local'secretaiy for the United Commercial Travelers, of which he is 
a member. He also holds mcmber.'^hip in the Knights of the Maccabees and 
the Independent Order of Foresters. 



RUTHERFORD B. HAWK. 



The residence and buildings of a farm in any locality are generally taken 
as evidence of the degree of thrift and enterprise of the owners of the land. 
If the house and barns and fences of the agricultural plant are in a "run dow n at 
the heels" condition, it is taken as evidence of the sterility of the soil and lack 
of industry, pride and thrift on the part of the proprietor. On the other hand, 
if the buildings, fencing, etc., are attractive and well kept, it betokens pros- 
perity and a desire on the part of the farm proprietor to keep, things in first 
class condition. The farm home of Rutherford B. Hawk, of the younger 
generation of farmers in Atchison county, is one of the most attractive and 
handsome in the county, barns and fences, fields, orchard and gardens all 
making a pleasing appearance. This farm is located in Benton township, 
north of Effingham in sections 8 and 9, and consists of 240 acres of good 
land, 160 acres of which lie in section 8, and eighty acres in section 9, range 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 869 

618. This is the old home place of Andrew Hawk, father of R. B.. and the 
present owner has lived on the place since 1883. 

Rutherford B. Hawk was born February 28, 1877, on a farm near 
Bakersville, Coshocton county, Ohio, a son of Andrew and Lavina (Landes) 
Hawk, both of whom were born and reared on pioneer farms in (Ihio. The 
late Andrew Hawk was born February 4, 1825, and died in 1903. He was 
born in Carroll county, Ohio, a son of Leonard and Margaret Hawk, and was 
one of a large family of ten children. Leonard was born in Westmoreland 
count}-, Pennsylvania, and his people were pioneers in Ohio. Andrew Hawk 
came to Kansas in the eighties to make a visit with his brother, Daniel, in 
Atchison county, and liked the country so well that he returned to Ohio and 
disposed of his property and in 1883 came again to Atchison county and bought 
a section of land, one mile north and west of Effingham, in Benton township. 
He developed this large farm and lived on the place until 1903 when he sold 
160 acres. Mrs. Hawk, the widow, was the owner of 240 acres of this tract 
which she sold tn her sons. 

Andrew Hawk was twice married, his first marriage taking place in 
Coshocton county, Ohio, with Mary Jane Walters, whom he married on May 
5, 1848. The following children were born to this union and who are yet 
living are as follows : Mrs. Margaret Alice Zinkorn, of Baltic, Oiiio ; Mrs. 
Rachel Emily McFarlan, living on a farm near ilonrovia, Atchison county, 
Kansas; Mrs. Teletha Ellen Dreher, of Minerva, Ohio. The second mar- 
riage of Andrew Hawk took place May 12, 1864, with Lavina Landes. and 
the following children were born to this union : W'illiam Sherman, Howard, 
Allen, a farmer near Salina, Kan. ; Edgar Russell, located on a farm two 
miles west of Effingham; Arvilla Florence, wife of Herbert Harris, Horton, 
Kan. ; Charles Arthur, living near Atchison, Kan ; Rutherford B., with whom 
this review is directly concerned ; John Andrew, a farmer in Benton township ; 
Clarissa, at home with her mother. The mother of these children was born 
April 2, 1844, in Coshocton county, Ohio, a daughter of Valentine and Eliza- 
beth (Hufford) Landts, the former a native of Germany, and ilie latter a 
native of Switzerland. 

Rutherford B. was si.x; years of age when his parents came to Atchison 
county to make this county their permanent home. He attended the district 
school and studied for one year in the county high school. He has always 
resided on the farm where he now lives with the exception of one year spent 
in the West. Upon his father's demise he came into possession of eighty 
acres by inheritance and purchase, bought an additional eighty acres, and 
eighty acres of land which came to his wife, make the total of 240 acres 



SjO HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

which he owns and cultivates. He was married on March 31, 1909, to Mary 
Agnes Mackay, who was bom near Effingham, educated in the district 
school and completed the course in the Atchison County High School, grad- 
uating therefrom in 1898. She taught school successfully for a period of ten 
years, the last two years of which was as principal of the Effingham school. 
During the summer of 1908 Mrs. Hawk visited Europe and spent some time 
amid the old home scenes of her parents in Scotland and also visited places 
of interest in Ireland and England. 

Mrs. Mary Hawk was born on a farm near Effingham, a daughter of 
George and Jeanette (Macnee) Mackay, both of whom were born and reared 
in Scotland. George Mackay was born in Sterlingshire, April 18, 1840. 
Jeanette Mackay was born January 21, 1843 in Perthshire, Scotland. This 
worthy and industrious couple was married July 27, 1868, and three years later 
emigrated from their native heath to America. They fir.st settled on the 
prairies of Wisconsin near the city of Janesville, and after a residence of three 
years in that locality they removed farther west to Kansas (1874). Mr. 
Mackay rented land for a short time and then purchased a tract of prairie land 
in Benton township. The land which he bought was unbroken prairie, 
un fenced and had never known the mark of the plow. He at once set about 
the hard task of developing his prairie farm and in the course of time devel- 
oped it into one of the best and most productive agricultural plants in Atchison 
county. This farm which Mr. Mackay built up was well known as "Walnut 
Hill Farm." The Mackays prospered as they deser\'ed, and with true Scot- 
tish thrift increased their land holdings to 280 acres. 

George Mackay died on his farm May i, 1907. He was a sturdy and 
upright citizen whose honesty was proverbial and he enjoyed tlie respect and 
high esteem of his neighbors. He was a member of the Presbyterian faith 
and was a Democrat in politics. He was also a member of the Ancient 
Order of United Workmen. Two years after Mr. Mackay's demise the 
widow and children removed to a pleasant Jiome in Effingham. 

The children- of this estimable couple were: Alexander, and Georgette, at 
home with their mother; Mary, wife of Rutherford B. Hawk; Nellie Jeanette. 
deceased wife of Frank Sutter. 

The subject of this review is a Republican in politics, and while inter- 
ested in the success of his party, and a believer in Republican principles of 
government, has never sought political preferment. He and his wife are mem- 
bers of the Presbyterian church, and Mr. Hawk has served as an elder of the 
church for the past six years. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY Sjl 

CALVIN BUSHEY. 

There is an atmosphere of refinement and well being about the town of 
Muscotah, Atchison county, Kansas, that is not always found in the western 
towns which the traveler passes through. The handsome residences, with well 
kept lawns, shaded by great trees, and the generally attractive appearance of 
things in the residence portion of this prosperous community is sure to attract 
the eye and cause favorable comment. The people inhabitating this town are 
mostly of eastern descent and are nearly all pioneers who many years ago 
settled on the prairies in the western part of Atchison county, and by dint 
of industry and hard work transformed the wilderness into a smiling and 
fertile landscape. Many of them, their work done, have retired to comfort- 
able homes in Muscotah. Among these is Calvin Bushey and his estimable 
wife, who came to Kansas, fought the good fight for a competence and are 
now taking life easy in a beautiful and comfortable home in this attractive 
Kansas town. 

Speaking in a biographical sense, Calvin Bushey, Union veteran and 
retired pioneer farmer, was born July 17, 1844, on a Pennsylvania farm in 
Adams county, near the historic city of Gettysburg. He comes of good old 
Pennsylvania Gennan stock and is a son of Nicholas (born 1797, died 1852), 
and Esther (Mickley) Bushey. Nicholas Bushey was born in the Eather- 
land and immigrated with his parents to America when a youtli. Eight chil- 
dren were born to Nicholas Bushey and wife, namely: Peter died in 1905, at 
the age of eighty-five years; Mrs. Sarah Hartman died in 1910 at the ad- 
vanced age of eighty-seven years: George, Union veteran, died at the age of 
eighty-four years: Jacob M., a Union veteran, residing at Holmesville, Ohio: 
Henry died in 1858; Catharine died in 1881 : Calvin, with whom this review 
is concerned: Jolin. a resident of Arendtsville, Pa., and James, deceased. The 
parents of these children lived and died on the homestead in Pennsylvania. 
The grandfather of Mr. Bushey, on his maternal side, was John Jacob Mick- 
ley, who figures in American history as one of the men who helped to haul 
the old Liberty Bell from Baltimore, Md., to keep it from being captured and 
destroyed liy the British invaders and hid the bell under a church for safe 
keeping. A son of John Jacob was a soldier in the Revolution. Daniel Mick- 
ley, an uncle of Calvin Bushey, lived to the great age of ninety-nine years, and 
two other uncles lived to the age of ninety-four and ninety-five years. Long- 
evity is a cliaracteristic of the members of this remarkable family. Daniel 
Micklev served in the War of 18 12 as a sercfeant. 



8/2 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Calvin Bushey was reared to young manhood on his father's farm. When 
President Lincoln called for troops, with which to quell the rebellion of the 
southern states, he responded and enlisted in .Vug'ust of i8()2, in Company 
K, One Hundred and twenty-sixth reg-iment, Pennsylvania infantrv, for a 
period of eight months, but sei-ved one and one-half years in all. He par- 
ticipated in the great battles of Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, 
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. After Mr. Bushey received 
his honorable discharge from the service he studied in Hayesville Institute 
for one year and was then engaged in mercantile business for two years, and 
after his marriage in 1867 came to Kansas to make his fortune. He and his 
young wife came directly to Atchison county and bought 160 acres of land 
six miles southeast of Muscotah. Not being exactly satisfied with this farm 
they sold it three years later and bought a quarter section of land three miles 
southeast of Muscotah. This land was all raw prairie at the time of purchase 
and it was necessary for Mr. Bushey to place all the improvements on it. He 
cultivated this farin until 1903 when he and Mrs. Bushev retired to a home 
in Muscotah. He sold the old homestead for a good price and invested in 120 
acres of land southwest of Muscotah which is being cultivated by his son. 

Mr. Bushey was married in January of 1867 to Miss Eva J. Taylor, who 
has borne him the following children : Mrs. Myrtle Belle, wife of J. D. Miller, 
garage proprietor and farmer, of Muscotah; John C, farmer and stock buyer, 
of Muscotah: Esther, wife of J. N. Roach, a farmer, living near Muscotah; 
Chastine Dwight Bushey, a farmer; and two children died in infancy. The 
mother of these children was born September 20, 1842. in Defiance, Ohi(i (at 
that time Paulding county. Ohio), a daughter of John and Lucretia (Bell) 
Taylor, the former a native of Huntingdon, Pa., and the latter a native of 
Nova Scotia. John Taylor was a son of William Taylor, who emigrated 
from Ireland to Pennsylvania, whence he came to Ohio and made a penna- 
nent settlement. John Taylor was a prominent man in his section of Ohio and 
served as a memlier of tlie Ohio legislature in 1860, 1862. 1863, 1864., 1865 
and 1866, si.x years in all. He also served as a justice of the peace and was 
probate judge of .Ashland county, Ohio, for twelve years. He died in Ash- 
land, Ohio, in 1881. The Taylor children were as follows : Mrs. Eva Bushey. 
William. Arabella. Wilson. Don Fernando, Lavona, and Emma Luverna. 
Mrs. Bushey is a well educated lady and tauglit school in Ohio. It was at 
Perrysville. Ohio, that Calvin and Eva Bushey first met. Calvin had 
left his home in Pcnn.<;ylvania, and after studying at the Hayesville .Academy 
he was employed at Perrysville, Ohio, keeping store, attending the railroad 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 873 

office, tlie express office, and was general all-round railway factotum, as 
well as managing a general store. The future Mrs. Bushey came to the store 
one day to buy a pair of shoes and Calvin fell a victim to her charms while 
attending to her wants. They became friends; the friendship ripened into 
love, and marriage ensued, which has been one of the happiest on record. 
Mr. and Mrs. Bushey are members of the Congregational church and 
contribute to the support of this religious denomination. He is a Republican 
in politics and is a member of the local grand army post. This well known 
and highly respected couple have a total of twenty-one grandchildren, as fol- 
lows : INIrs. Olive Laughlin, Eva, Nannie, Marguerite, Lillie, Josephine, Julia, 
children of Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Miller; Helen, a teacher, Ruth, also a teacher, 
Calvin Dwight, Mildred, and Dorothy, and Louis, children of John C. Bushey ; 
Charles Calvin, Mrs. Bertie Yazel, and Gail, children of Mrs. Esther Roach; 
Paul Everett, Ralph, Dessa, Essa, and Claude, children of Chastine Dwight 
Bushey. They have one great-grandchild, Margaret, daughter of Mrs. Olive 
Laughlin. 



MARTIN C. VANSELL. 



Eorty-six years ago Martin C. Vansell, pioneer settler of Grasshopper 
township and one of the best known farmers and live stock breeders of Atch- 
ison county, landed in Muscotah with a cash capital of five dollars. During 
the forty-six or more years he has lived in the vicinity of Muscotah he has 
risen to become one of the wealthy and substantial landed proprietors of the 
county and has reared to maturity a fine family of sons and daughters, edu- 
cated them and given them a start in life. What more honors can a man 
wish for than these? Could any citizen contribute more to the upbuilding of 
his State and county than this pioneer? 

Mr. Vansell was born of old southern stock, on a plantation in I'nion 
county, Tennessee, October 24, 1854. He was a son of Dr. Elias Vansell, of 
German descent. His mother was before her nnrriage, Talitha Willis, born 
and reared in Tennessee, and a daughter of Moses \\'illis. whose farm ad- 
joined the Vansell homestead' on the river bottoms. She was of English 
descent. There were seven children in the family of Elias and Talitha 
Vansell. of which M. C. was the youngest. The ancestral home of the Van- 
sells was a large plantation which stretched for one and one-half miles along 
the banks of the Clinch river in Tennessee, and before the Civil war the land 



874 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

was cultivated by slaves. Dr. Vansell was a physician of fine education and 
exceptional talent. 

When a boy M. C. Vansell's education was cut short by the. troubles 
which beset the neighborhood during the Civil war when all schools in the 
State were closed and Tennessee was torn by the marching and ravaging of 
contending armies. Tlie fortunes of the Willisses and Vansells suffered an 
eclipse for the time being and when fifteen years of age he decided to leave 
the old home and try his fortune in a newer land. He set out for Dade 
county, Missouri, with a party of men who were en route to the wild country 
of southwest Missouri. There was little to induce the boy to remain at home 
as his father had died and his mother had re-married. Upon his arrival 
in Dade county he was given work as a cow-boy on a big cattle ranch owned 
by David Scott and George Igue, brothers-in-law. "N'oung Vansell at that,;ime 
was a fair horseman and his work consisted in driving herds of cattle to the 
ranch from Indian Territory and Texas. The nearest point of supply to the 
ranch was at Sedalia, too miles away. His next move was to tlie State of 
Kansas, and this migration came about in this wise: In the year 1856 his 
uncle, Martin C. Willis, had gone from Tennessee to Brown county, Kansas, 
where he had preempted land and become quite wealthy. This uncle heard 
that his nephew was working on the cattle ranch in Missouri and sent for him 
to come to his home in Brown county. Although quite in love with the wild 
free life of the cattle ranch, he heeded his uncle's request and joined him at 
his home. For eighteen months after going to his uncle's home he attended 
school and was then employed by his uncle and others as a farm hand for 
some years. On July 17, 1870. he stepped off tlie train at Muscotah. Kan., 
with a cash capital of five dollars in his pocket. He worked at farm labor 
until he was twenty-one years of age and then began operating on his own 
account. Mr. \''ansell has always been somewhat of a trader. The first deal 
which he ever made in his life was the purchase of a horse in Muscotah 
which involved an outlay of thirty-five dollars for horse, saddle and bridle. 
He later sold this animal for sixty-five dollars, took a note in payment, but. 
sad to relate, the note was never paid and he lost the whole amount. When 
he became of age he traded a span of mules, of which he had become tlie owner, 
for his first forty acres of land which he had farmed on sliarcs. and with the 
money earned liad bought the mules. Tin's trade was made witli a Kickapoo 
Indian. He fenced the forty-acre tract and rented it to a son-in-law of the 
Tiidian who had formerly owned it. and finallv traded the land for some colts, 
five cows and twenty-five head of hogs. In a short time afterwards he 



HISTORY OF ATCTTISON COUNTY 875 

bought an eighty-acre tract with borrowed money and during the first sum- 
mer broke up seventy acres of his eighty, and in the fall built a home for 
himself. The following winter he sowed seventy acres of the tract in wheat 
and tiien sold the land at a good profit in November of that year. The fol- 
lowing February he bought i6o acres of land, comprising the old townsite 
of Cayuga in Grasshopper township. Mr. Vansell cultivated this tract for 
about two years and then sold it at a profit. In 1882 he bought the quarter 
section which is now the \'ansell home place. He has added t(i his jjos- 
sessions since that, time until he is now the owner of 362 acres of land. 320 
acres of which is all in one body. It is one of the finest and best improved 
farms in Atchison county. When Mr. Vansell settled on this land there were 
little or no improvements. He now has a large modern ten-room house, two 
large bams, hog and carriage houses, a big double corn-crib and granary, a 
horse barn, and a special cattle barn. The Vansell farm also boasts a 250-ton 
concrete silo, forty-eight feet in height and sixteen feet in diameter. 
From the start of his successful agricultural career Mr. Vansell has handled 
pure bred live stock, and he is widely known as a breeder of thoroughbred 
Shorthorn cattle, Poland China hogs, and standard black Perclieron horses. 
In addition to this he has some standard trotting horses which are his pride. 
Since the start of his career Mr. Vansell has never bred any but the purest 
strains of live stock on his ranch and keeps from fortv to siktv head of pure 
bred cattle on his place at all times. 

Mr. A'ansell was united in marriage with Miss .Mice Trimble. Fel)ruary 
23. 1882, and this union has been blessed with the following children : Lena, 
wife of Frank Campbell, of Hortnn, Kan. ; Ralph, at home, manages 
the Vansell home farm ; Ray. a student for two years in the State Agricul- 
tural College at Manhattan. Kan., and is now operating a cattle ranch in 
Montana: George, a graduate of Kansas University, class of 1915, and now 
employed as an entomologist by the State of Kentuck-y, located in Lexington ; 
Erma, wife of T. C. Whittakcr. of Nortonville, Kan., and Willis Blaine, who 
died at the age of seventeen years in July, 1904. Mr. Vansell has given each 
of his children a good education. His two daughters are graduates of the 
Atchison County High School, and his son, Ralph, is a graduate of the Vet- 
erinary College of Kansas City, and Ray studied for two years in the Man- 
hattan State Agricultural College. Mrs. Alice (Trimble) Vansell, mother of 
the foregoing children, was born May 23. 1854, in Fayette county, Ohio, a 
daughter of Nathaniel and Jane (Lorimer) Trimble, natives of Ohio and 
Pennsylvania, respectively, and who were pioneers of Johnson county, Mis- 
souri, settling there in 1868. 



876 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Mr. Vansell is an independent Republican in his political affiliations, an^ 
refuses to wear a jxirty yoke when liis conscience and knowledge lead him 
to thhtk independently, and make up his own mind concerning the qualifi- 
cations of candidates or the merits of political principles at issue. Aside from 
his extensive farming interests he is a stockholder of the Farmers State Bank 
of Muscotah. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen and is religiously 
connected with the Congregational church. Mr. Vansell is a broad-minded 
and well read citizen wlio keeps abreast of the times and stands liigh in his 
community. In a way he is a philosopher who holds to the correct idea that 
some men or too many men never grow up and take the serious view of life 
which they should in order to achieve the success which is their right and in 
justice to those dependent upon them. 



FRANK W. BISHOP. 



Frank Wilson Bishop, live stock dealer and broker, and leading citizen 
of Effingham, Kan., has spent the greater part of his sixty-one years of life 
in Atchison county. When a boy he knew what it was to endure the hard- 
ships of the frontier and had little opportunity for schooling until he had 
attained the age of sixteen years. He is a descendant of a fine old colonial 
family which can trace their ancestry back to the early days of the settlement 
of New England. His forebears were Puritans, and he is a direct lineal 
descendant of Governor Bishop of Connecticut. A grandfather, Levi Bishop, 
was a soldier in tlie regular United States army and fnught in the W'ar of 
18 12. On the maternal side of his grandfather's family he is a descendant 
of the old Higgins family of New "N'ork, w hich numbers among their ])rogcny 
Governor Higgins. The Bishops for many generations have been military 
men and in practically every generation the annals of the country show that 
members of the family foughf in the various wars in which this country has 
been -engaged. 

Mr. Bi.shop was born December 12. 1854, in Alleghany county; New 
York, a son of Lucius Hazen and I'etsy Morse (A\'ilson) Bishop, the former 
a native of ^\'ilKIsor. Vt.. and tiie latter ha\ing been born in Whiteside. N. Y. 
Luc'us was the son of Levi Bishop, who served his country in tlic W'ar of 
1 81 2 as a regularly enlisted soldier. The second wife of Lucius Bishop was 
a Miss Higgins of the Higgins family of New York. It is worthy of note 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 877 

that while the Bisliops were soldiers and fightino- men who hclieved in serving' 
the Nation on the battlefields of its wars, tlie Higgins family were as a class 
opposed to warfare and it is not recorded that any of the members of the 
family enlisted in behalf of their country. They were men of letters, teachers, 
authors and Statesmen rather than warriors. The father of Levi Bishop was 
a soldier in the Revolution, according to tradition. The Bishop family left 
the old home in .\lleghany county. New '^'ork, in April of 1859, Lucius 
Bishop having previously made a first trip in 1857 and selected a quarter sec- 
tion of land just north of Monrovia. Atchison county, Kansas, for his home 
site. He returned home and brought his family to Kansas with the intention 
of making a permanent home in Atchison county, and thus giving his children 
a better opportunity for gaining a livelihood than the older eastern countiy 
afforded. On his previous trip he had made arrangements for the erection of 
a home, and an abiding place was alreadv for the famil}- to occupv when thev 
came here. Frank W. and his mother landed from the Missouri river steamer, 
which they boarded at St. Louis and he recalls that the day they landed at 
the foot of Commercial street in Atchison was very rainy and disagreeable. 
The family had taken the overland train at Belmont, N. Y., and rode by rail 
as far as St. Louis and then boarded the "Ben Louis," which carried them to 
Atchison. They breakfasted in town and then made the trip to the claim by 
wagon. The outlook and surroundings of the vicinity of the family home 
were not encouraging, and it required considerable courage to get readv to 
face the struggle for a livelihood in what was then almost a barren wilder- 
ness with few settlers in the neighborhood. Every fall the members of the 
family had the ague, which did not entirely disappear for many years. There 
was also some trouble with the Indians, and the border warfare added its 
quota of troubles to lieset this pioiieer family. Lucius Bishop served in Com- 
pany F, Twelfth regiment of Kansas ca\alr\". under Cajit. A. S. Best in the 
battle of W'estpnrt, which resulted in repelling General Price and his armv of 
invasion. The elder Bishop prospered as the years passed, and in old age he 
and his faithful helpmeet left the farm and retired to a comfortable home in 
Effingham, where they both died. Lucius Bishop was born January 6, 1824, 
and died August 9, 1905. Betsy x^nn Bishop was born in 1832, and died 
^ March 31, 1907. They were the parents of the following children: Frank 
Wilson, with whom this review is intimately concerned : Willis E., who re- 
sides on the home farm near Monrovia ; Amelia Ann, wife of C. H. Oliver, 
both deceased, who were the parents of three sons and tw^o daughters ; Sarah 
H., wife of Hugh N. Gillan, of Hill Citv, Kan. The two daughters were 



8/8 HISTORY OF ATCHLSOX COUNTY 

twins. A sister, Helen Bishop, accompanied Lucius C. to Kansas. She was 
the olde.'^t of the family, dying- July 6, 1913. at the advanced age of ninety-two 
years. Helen Bishop was born in Randolph, Vt., March 12, 183 1, and came 
to Kansas in 1858. She began teaching when sixteen years of age, receiv- 
ing one dollar per week and boarded around. At the end of nine years she 
was receiving two dollars per week. She tauglit several \ears in Atcliison 
county, and conducted a private school at Monrovia. She taught at Mon- 
rovia and Lancaster. She was one of the pioneer advocates of teaching 
domestic science in the schools and was far ahead of her time. She advo- 
cated progressive teaching methods in the seventies, which are now in prac- 
tice. She was a thinker and was an advocate of purity in li\ing. After the 
death of her parents she made her home with Frank W. Bishop. 

Frank W. Bishop was reared to young manhood on the pioneer farm, 
and had little or no schooling until he attained the age of sixteen years, at 
which time he realized the necessity of securing an education and managed 
to attend a short term at tlie State College at Manhattan, Kan. His father 
purchased a fine tract of farm land in 1873, consisting of 160 acres which 
Frank leased from him for a few years and then purchased. He practically 
built up the farm from a barren tract of prairie land to be one of the excel- 
lent producing farms in Atchison county. He erected all buildings on the 
place and cultivated the land very successfully until 1908, when he removed 
to Effingham to he better care for llie extensive live stock business wliich he 
had begun in 1895. Mr. Bishop lias one of the most attractive homes in tliis 
l)eautiful city, wiiicli was formerly tlie I'otter property and maintains a 
down-town office where he looks after his business affairs. He is not only 
a buyer and sliii)i)er of hve stock but is princi])aily a liroker. Iniying st^Kk in 
the city yards in carload lots for his farmer patrons who feed them on their 
farms for the market. In this manner in tiie capacity of broker he does a 
very extensive business annually. 

Mr. Bishop was married in 1880 to Miss Viola T. Horton, of Atchison 
county, whose demise occurred in 1886, leaving three children, as follows : 
Ernest L., a farmer, of Atchison county; Carl A., who is first sergeant of 
Company I. engineering (hvision. L^nited States regular army, and who 
is on duty in the Hawaian Islands: one child died in infancy. In 1890 Mr. 
Bishop was again married to Miss Mary E. Scott, of Tama county. Iowa, a 
daughter of Robert A. and Anne (Cannon) Scott, natives of Scotland, the 
former born in Kirkcudl)rightshirc. and the latter born in Wigtonshire. The 
Scotts came to America in 1880. Robert was a stoneinason and was one of 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY S79 

the builders of the United States treasury building- at Washington. In 1870 
the Scotts settled on a farm in Tama count}-, Iowa, and reared eight chil- 
dren. Robert A. and .\nne were married May 26, 1848. Robert died 
November 24, 1911, aged eighty-five years, and Anne Scott died Mav 18. 
1905, aged eighty years. 

Mr. Bishop is a Democrat in his jxilitical affiliations, and has held 
local city offices, doing his duty as a citizen when called upon by his fellow 
citizens. Mrs. Bishop is a n-iember of the Presbyterian church, of which Mr. 
Bishop is a supporter. 



WILLIAM RYAN. 



\\'illiam Ryan, former chief of police of the city of .\tchison and pros- 
jierous farmer and iron moulder of Walnut townshij), was born in Ottawa, 
111., in 1874. He is a son of James and Ellen ( Charleston) Ryan, the fomier 
a native of Connecticut antl the latter having been liorn and reared partly 
in Boston, Mass. James Ryan was a son of Patrick Ryan, a native of Ire- 
land who, after emigrating from the Emerald Isle, settled in Connecticut and 
later became a pioneer of Ottawa. 111. Patrick Ryan, w ilh his wife and seven 
children, moved to Ottawa, 111., in an early day. Later James and his family 
went to Nebraska and in 1874 mo\-ed to Kansas. Patrick Ryan, grandfather 
of William, was a very prominent citizen of his county in Illinois. He served 
as captain of his company of Union soldiers during the Civil war and held 
the office of county treasurer for several terms, besides filling other impor- 
tant county offices. James Ryan, the father, was also a soldier, holding the 
position of sergeant in a company fomiing part of the Fifty-si.xth regiment 
of Illinois volunteers. He was taken prisoner and confined for a time in 
the notorious Andersonville prison. His trade was that of iron snielter and 
for thirty years he was employed in the John Seaton foundiy in that capacity. 
His son, William, also became an expert moulder and is now employed in the 
Seaton foundry. 

William Rj'an, with whom this review is directly concerned, was but an 
infant when the family located in Atchison. He attended the old Doniphan 
school in the city and and also the Washington public school, where he was 
a school-mate of Sheffield Ingalls. He learned the trade of iron moulder at 
the Seaton foundrv and saved his earnings until he was able to purchase a 
farm in Walnut township in 1908. He removed to his farm and cultivated 
it until 1910 and then returned to Atchison. In 191 1 he was appointed chief 



88o HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

of the Atchison police department. Previous to his appointment to the head 
position of the city police force he had served as a member of the citv coun- 
cil and was very active in behalf of a number of public and street improve- 
ments which were badly needed at the time. He was one of tlie official body 
responsible for the completion of the South Atchison sewer and for the build- 
ing of a numl)er of paved streets. For his activity in behalf of these public 
improvements he was defeated for re-election, but some years later Mr. Ryan 
was again elected to office by a handsome majority. Mr. Ryan has a fine 
farm of 160 acres in Walnut township which was originally covered with a 
heavy growth of timber, much of which has been cleared away in past years. 
Upon his retirement from the position of chief of police he returned to his 
fanri, where he resides while he is employed as iron moulder. 

He was married in iSg8 to ^liss Nellie Cairns, and this union has been 
blessed with five children: Blanche, bom in 1899; Ruth, born in 1901 ; Mary 
Louise, born in 1903: Hugh, born in 1905; b'lorence, born in 1910. Mrs. 
Ryan is a daughter of Irish parents and was born in Atchison. 

In his younger days William Ryan was a noted baseball player. He 
played the left field position on the .\tchison team in the first game of base- 
ball ever played in Forest park. The aggregation of players with whom he 
was associated were known as the "Corn Carnival Colts." This team became 
known as the fastest amateur team ever banded together in the city of Atch- 
ison and became famous over northeast Kansas for their proficiency in the 
national game. The name was given to the team when they succeeded in 
defeating the fast "Kansas Blues," a professional team, at the time of the corn 
carnival held in Atchison. Several players from this team broke into the 
professional league game and became famous. 



JAMES H. GARSIDE. 



James H. Garside. retired, is one of the best known and best liked 
pioneer citizens of Atchison. He has resided in this city for the past fifty-one 
vears and has a large acquaintance throughout the city and county, b'or 
thirty-eight years Mr. Garside was engaged in railroad work and for twenty- 
seven years he served as a memlier of the toard of education and was vice- 
president of the board which had charge of the erection of the Ingalls High 
School building and other school edifices in the city. During the time in 
which he served as the local freight agent of the Santa Fe railroad Mr. Gar- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 88l 

side's position brought him intu contact with all classes of men and his fine 
courtesy and obliging manner of conducting the company's business won him 
high regard and an enviable reputation, 

Mr. Garside was born in Canton, Fulton county, Illinois, Jaiuiary 26, 
1848, a son of Joshua and Anna (Cox) Garside. His father was born in 
England and immigrated to America in 1836. He became engaged in bank- 
ing and was a member of the banking firm of Maple, Stipp & Garside, at 
Canton, until his removal to Neliraska City, where he opened a bank for S. 
F. Nukols. The fannly came to Atchison in 1864 and Joshua Garside was 
associated with A. S. Parker & Company, forwarding agents, and also agents 
for the Star line of steamers plying between St. Joseph and St. Louis. This 
finri later became Garside & Son and did an extensive freighting business to 
Den\'er. Salt Lake and Montana points. They shipped a vast amount of grain 
by river steamer; a single boat used in their freighting sometimes took on 
from 3,000 to 10,000 bushels of grain and lay at the levee two or three days 
while loading. This was in the days when the Missouri ri\er was the great 
waterway for transporting freight to southern and eastern points. Joshua 
Garside and wife reared a family of two sons and seven datighters. of which 
James H. was the eldest. 

James H. Garside received his education in the public schools of 
Nebraska City, Neb., and the high school of Atchison. For several years he 
was engaged in the freighting business with his father, as above stated. Prior 
to the completion of the Atchison bridge across the Missouri river, Mr. Gar- 
side had charge of the business of transferring the railroad freight cars across 
the river and which were carried to the Missouri side, and vice versa, by the 
"William Osborne." When the bridge was completed he was in the employ 
of the Hamilton & Flint Transfer Company, engaged in transferring freight 
with teams across the river. In 1881 he entered the service of the Santa Fe 
Railroad Company as local freight agent and held this position continuously 
until his retirement froni active service. Before he was engaged by the Santa 
Fe Mr. Garside was an agent for the Continental Fast Freight line, the 
Commercial Express line and the Star Union line. 

Mr. Garside was married in 1872 to Miss Hattie H. Preston, of Canton, 
III. One son blessed this union. William Preston. Mr. Garside is affiliated 
with the Ancient Free and .Accepted Masons, and is a member of Washing- 
ton Lodge, No. 5. of Washington Commandery, and of the Mystic Shrine. 
For twenty-seven years he was a memlier of the board of education ami did 
his duty as a very useful citizen in helping forward the advancement of the 



882 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

Atchison city schools to first rank in the state of Kansas. He served as vice- 
president of this body for several years, and was" always found in the fore- 
front of the movement for better school buildings and the installation of 
better educational facilities for the benefit of the }oulh of Atchison. He is 
one of the charter members of the Flambeau Club and also of the Atchison 
Gun Club. He is religiouslv affiliated with the Congregational church and 
has been one of the trustees of this body for several years. In the days of 
his retirement the same geniality and courtesy which he maintained duriiig 
his years of public service marks the demeanor of this grand old citizen of 
Atchison. 



WILLIS J. BAILEY. 



Willis J. Bailey, vice-president and managing officer of the Exchange 
National Bank, Atchison, Kan., since 1907, and governor of the State of 
Kansas from 1903 to 1905, was bom in Carroll county, Illinois, October 12, 
1854. He was educated in the common schools, the Mount Carroll high 
school, and graduated at the L'niversity of Illinois as a memljer of the class 
of 1879. In 1904 his Alma Plater conferred upon him the degree of Doctor 
of Laws. In 1879, soon after completing his college course, he accompanied 
his father to Nemaha county, Kansas, where they engaged in farming and 
stock raising, and founded the town of Baileyville. Upon reaching his 
majority Governor Bailey cast his lot with the Republican party, and since 
that time he has been an active and consistent advocate of tlie princi])les 
espoused by that organization. In 1888 he was elected to represent his county 
in the State legislature; was reelected in 1890; was president of the Republi- 
can State League in 1893: was the Republican candidate for Congress in the 
First district in 1896, and in June, 1898. was nominated by the State conven- 
tion at Hutchison as the candidate for Congressman at large, defeating Rich- 
ard W. Blue. After serving in the Fifty-sixth Congress he retired to his 
farm, but in 1902 was nominated by his party for governor. At the election 
in Noveml)cr he defeated W. H. Craddock. the Democratic candidate, by a 
substantial majority, and began his term as governor in January, 1903. .\t 
the close of his term as governor he removed to Atchison, and since 1907 
has been vice-president and manager of the Exchange National Bank of tliat 
city. Shortly after his retirement from the office of governor he was prom- 
inently mentional as a candidate for United States senator, and in T908 
a large luimber of Republicans of the State urged his nomination for gov- 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY R83 

enior. Mr. Bailey has always been interested in behalf of the farmers cif the 
country, and from 1895 to 1899 he was a member of tlie Kansas State Board 
of Agriculture. 



JOHN A. KRAMER. 



John A. Kramer, a leading and prosperous fanner of Shannon town- 
ship, has the double distinction of being a pioneer in the county and having 
one of the largest families in the State. In this day of small families it is 
gratifying to note that in Atchison county, within a few miles of the city, 
resides a man who takes a just pride in the fact that he is rearing thirteen 
children to become good citizens of the community. Mr. Kramer is the 
owner of one of the oldest farms in the county which has been in the family 
for nearly fifty years. It is one of the valuable fruit faiTns in this section 
of the State and is noted for its small fruits and orchard products. A hand- 
some brick residence built by the father of Mr. Kramer sets well back from 
the highway and is surrounded by large trees which have grown to immense 
size during the life of Mr. Kramer. 

John A. Kramer was bom October 13, 1862, on the farm where he now 
resides and was the son of Frank and Rosalie Kramer, both of whom were 
born, reared and married in Austria, the former having been born in 1820 
■and the latter in 1827. They emigrated from their native country in about 
1852, locating first in Wisconsin, going from that State to Missouri, and in 
1857 coming td Atchison county, Kansas. In that year Frank Kramer set- 
tled permanently on the farm now owned by his sons and built up a fine 
estate which became noted throughout this section of Kansas. He was one 
of the pioneers in the fruit industry in the county, and planted an extensive 
vineyard, an orchard of thirty to forty acres, including apples, pears and 
plums, and all kinds of small fruits, the cultivation of which has been car- 
ried nn by Iiis sons. The Knnner farm now consists of 240 acres of land in 
a high state of cultivation and well improved. Frank Kramer died in 1889 
and his wife lived to a considerable age, dying in .'\pril of 1911. To them 
were bom three sons and three daughters, namel\- : 'i'heresa and .\nna, sis- 
ters of the Order of St. Benedict, in Mt. St. Schoki'^tica .\cademy ; Mrs. 
Mary Zehnter, deceased; Frank, born October 13, i860, in partnership with 
John .\. in the management of the farm; John .\. with whom this review 
is directly concerned; Edward, decea.sed. 



884 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

John A. Kramer was reared on the farm in Atchison county, and upon 
the death of his father took up the burden of the family support with his 
brother. He is considered to be one of the substantial and successful agri- 
culturists of the county and has taken a prominent part in the affairs of his 
county since attaining his majority. He was married in 1891 to Phillipina 
Rambour, bom in Bavaria. Germany, a daughter of Michael Rambour. She 
came to Atchison when young and here met and married ^Ir. Kramer. To 
this estimable couple have been born tliirteen children : Mrs. Hattic Donlev, 
of Shannon township, ]\Iartha, Rosalie, Anna, Tillie, Phillipina, Josephine. 
Deloris, ]Mary Constance. Alfred, John. Francis and Edward. 

'Sir. Kramer is a member of St. Benedict's Catholic Chufch and is a lib- 
eral supporter of this denomination. He has been a life-long Denmcrat and 
has been an active and influential figure in his party since attaining voting 
age. In 1891 he served one term as trustee of Shannon township and was 
elected county treasurer in 1893 and again elected to succeed himself in 1895. 
This election took place at a period when the county was strongly Repub- 
lican and party lines were more strictly dra\\ai than at president — evidence 
of the fact that Mr. Kramer had a strong personal following among the 
citizens of the countv. 



JOHN BELZ. 



The growth and development of any community depends to a considerable 
extent upon the management of its financial institutions. The manufacturing 
and commercial enterprises of the city of .Atchison, as well as the farmers 
and stockmen in its trade territory, have enjoyed the benefits of progressi\e 
banking since tb.e first l)ank was cstab>lished in the county. It is in connection 
with this field of activity that John Belz became most widely and favorably 
known in .Atchison county. He was for many years a managing executive 
of the German Savings Bank of Atchison, which he had helped to organize, 
serving as cashier, and later filled the same position with the United States 
National Bank of Atchison. He was known to the banking fraternity of 
Kansas as an able and discriminating financier, an executive who brought 
the administrative policy of the institutions with which he was connected 
to the point of highest efficiency. He was of material assistance in the 
development of the city of .\tchison. an ambitious and tireless worker, a 
man of high ideals, and bis business integrity and honesty were unquestioned. 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 885 

John Belz was a native of Germany, born in \\%rtemberg, near the city 
of Stuttgart, on August i8, 1833. His father was engaged in the milHng 
business and was a man of some means. John learned the miller's trade and 
also served his apprenticeship as a journeyman carpenter, and he enjoyed 
excellent educational advantages in the schools of his home town and the 
city of Stuttgart. The elder Belz died when John was nineteen, in 1852, 
leaving a comfortable estate which was dissipated by the administrator through 
mismanagement. Thrown on his own resources, and with two younger sisters 
dependent upon liini, John came to the conclusion that America spelled 
opportunity for him. ]\Iaster of a trade, possessed of an excellent education, 
thoroughly versed in the German and French languages, lie believed tliat 
wealth and position were to be won in the United States : and his sisters 
believed in him. Leaving their native country, they crossed the Atlantic, 
landed in New York City, and for a time lived in Lancaster, N. Y., a little 
village near the city of Buffalo, where the brother found employment. A 
few months later they lr)cated in Cedar Falls. Iowa. Llere John was employed 
as a carpenter, farm hand, and with such other jobs as offered. He attended 
school and acquired a comprehensive knowledge of the English tongiie. 

In 1857 John Belz came to Atchison and during the succeeding twelve 
or fifteen months was employed at his trade. He was thrifty and was soon 
able to open a small grocery store. His identification with the banking life 
of the city began in 1872, when he, George Storch and Robert Forl)riger 
organized the German Savings Bank. He was elected its first cashier and 
filled tliis position until the institution closed out its business in 1886. 
Sul)sequently he was elected cashier of the United States National Bank, and 
remained in this executive office iriitil 1887, when he resigned. He had early 
in life acquired the desire, the haliit, the love of making money and the habit 
of work. He possessed shrewd business judgment, keen insight in business 
affairs, profound knowledge of men, and these, coupled with will and energy, 
enabled him to gain rank as one of the leaders in the financial and commercial 
life of the city. He became directly or indirectly interested in several 
commercial enterprises of the city and was closely associated with the late 
George Storch, at that time Atchison's leading man of affairs. Mr. Belz 
was a loyal citizen, believed in the commercial future of Atchison, and could 
always be depended upon to assist, both with time and money, any enterprise 
or measure which meant a greater, better Atchison. During his residence in 
the city his various investments in financial and commercial enterprises were 
uniformly successful, from wlucli he accumulated a large fortune. Shortly 
after his retirement from the L^nited States National Bank he went to 



886 HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 

California, where he invested heavily in lands. This venture proved a failure 
and a large part of his fortune was lost. From this time until his death, 
v.-hich occurred September ii, 1895, ^vhile not actively engaged in business, 
he occupied himself as a real estate and insurance agent. 

Coming to Kansas in 1857, and locating in any of the towns on her 
eastern border, meant taking sides with one or the other of the poUtical 
parties. It also required courage upon the part of the settler. John Belz 
possessed not only courage but convictions, and, although a newcomer to the 
United States had. while living in Iowa, given the slavery question much 
study which resulted in his aligning himself with the Free State party on 
his arrival in Atchison. He became actively identified with political affairs 
and was elected a member of the city council, serving several terms. He was 
also elected to the office of city clerk and served several years. Had it not 
been for his sensitiveness over his inability to overcome a pronounced German 
accent in his English which caused him to decline to speak at public meetings, 
a most necessary qualification if one desired to attain State-wide prominence 
politically, John Belz would have become one of the powers in the 
political life of Kansas. He knew men and the motives which actuated them 
and possessed keen insight as to the demands of the future upon the legislators. 

Mr. Belz became a member of Washington Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free 
and Accepted Masons, on October 17, 1857. He was one of several who 
demitted from other lodges and was the oldest Mason among them, having 
i^een initiated at an earlier date than any of the others. He was also a 
member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. lie was reared a 
Lutheran and a member of that church in his native town. He never affiliated 
v.-ith any church after coming to the United States. 

Mr. Belz married on November 10, 1859, Miss Sophia Binde. Slie was 
bom in Prussia, near Madgeburg. She was left an orphan at the age of six 
years and was adopted bv her uncle and aunt, Ludwig and Mary Binde, and 
with them and their two sons came to the United States in 1857. They 
located northwest of the city of Atchison where Mr. Binde engaged in farming. 
He broke the raw prairie, fenced his property, underwent the privations 
incident to that pioneer period and developed a successful and highly 
productive farm. He and his wife were persons of culture, comfortably 
situated financially and their children were highly educated and talented 
musicians. Among their effects brought from the Fatherland were a Grand 
piano and the complete works of the great composers, which included th.ose 
by Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Beethoven. Mrs. Belz talks familiarly and 
interestingly of these composers and has never lost her interest in things 



HISTORY OF ATCHISON COUNTY 887 

musical, llie vessel wb.ich broug^lit the Bindc family to America also carried 
the MangeUdorf family, of which August Mangelsdorf. Atchison's pioneer 
seedsman, was the youngest member. As time went on John Bel;^ came to 
Atchison and entered the grocery business. He met Sophia Binde and later 
she became his wife. His grocery business required the services of a clerk 
and August Mangelsdorf filled that position. The latter has often remarked 
that his first employer, John Belz, instilled in him the principles which were 
the foundation of his success in the commercial world; that his rugged 
honesty, high ideals and close attention to detail in the handling of any 
matter remained indelibly imprinted on his mind. Following his precepts 
has brought him a golden harvest. 

Mr. and Airs. Belz were the parents of two children, daughters. The 
eldest, Emma, bom in Atchison, was married in 1892 to Augustin M. Moore, 
of Denver, Colo. Mr. Moore died in 1906, leaving an infant son and a 
daughter, Helen, the wife of Fred Stein, an electrician, of Atchison. Mr. 
Moore was a well known insurance adjuster and was in the employ of the 
Shawnee Fire Insurance Company of Topeka. Ida Belz, the younger 
daughter, also torn in Atchison, is the wife of Thomas N. Gray, treasurer of 
the Symns Grocer Company of Atchison. 






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